bichos de cama: en serio-seriously...don't let the bed bugs bite
now that all of my things are soaked with pesticide juice, i will update
So, as you all know, I work in a hostel in spain. When i first arrived, I woke up every morning with small red bumbs that would turn into very itchy welts (i'm not overexaggerating about the welt part). I was in denial that they were bed bugs, and after a couple weeks they stopped appearing. Then...last week they began to appear once again. This time not as big of a quantitiy, but still, enough to be very bothersome.
The owners of the hostal have been away over the winter and they arrived back here in Tarifa last week. I informed them of the problem that I, and another employee here (also an american-I have come to the conclusion that bed bugs are racist bastards), had these horrible bites. It was confirmed that they were begs bugs, so my research began. To those who know me well, I tend to go overboard on the whole research and over analyzing thing at times. So, i spent a few hours reading about the disgusting life of bed bugs and how they bite...etc...
So, in an old time summer camp style, the owners suggested that all of us move into the bunker(a big room with 4 bunkbeds). But, unlike summer camp, it is co-ed, With a couple roomates being expert snorers, it has been interesting, thank jesus for my ear plugs.
This was 3 days ago, almost needless to say, my sleeping patterns have been quite fitfull. I would wake up every hour and itch the hell out of the bites that I had, and I couldn't stop thinking about how those sneaky assholes would wait until i was asleep to strike. The reason i consider them so sneaky is because their bites do not hurt you, it is the saliva they leave behind that eventually creates the welt. It takes them 3-5 minutes to even finish their bite, and they don't wake you up at all during that time.
I know have a serious understanding of the traditional phrase "goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite"
This morning the pesticides were sprayed throughout the hostel. i was ok with this...except the fact that...they didnt inform me that it was a liquid substance. I was under the impression that I needed to leave everything in my room. They seemed to think it would not be a problem, but i am quite skeptical of these things. So, now i wait, for 24 hours with a really queasy stomach, hoping that not all my books, papers, clothing, letters....practically everything i own...is not being eaten away by the chemicals.
But, just to clarify, I am adjusting to working/living in a hostal much better than i thought i would. Living, working, and sharing, with many people is teaching me a lot about myself. I still find a tiny bit of quiet time for myself, but i am still working on that balance. I really am beginning to enjoy it though, I think that I am really starting to almost completely enjoy people around all of the time. Now that the Luca and Manuel are back(the owners), I have more of a routine(cleaning everyday 9a-12p) and I feel much more secure then i did before. The strangest thing about it is that certain things that i thought would take me a very long time to get used to are not as hard as I imagined (ie. sharing a room, bathroom, living space; not having really any privacy; different people(strangers) sharing your living space everyday.
In other news, much more hopeful...There is a very good chance that I will have a job at a Teteria (tea house) in town at the end of march (that actually pays a decent wage...and by decent I mean: more than nothing :o). Por eso, estoy muy contenta pero necesito mas paciencia y fuerza en la situacion tengo ahora.
So, as you all know, I work in a hostel in spain. When i first arrived, I woke up every morning with small red bumbs that would turn into very itchy welts (i'm not overexaggerating about the welt part). I was in denial that they were bed bugs, and after a couple weeks they stopped appearing. Then...last week they began to appear once again. This time not as big of a quantitiy, but still, enough to be very bothersome.
The owners of the hostal have been away over the winter and they arrived back here in Tarifa last week. I informed them of the problem that I, and another employee here (also an american-I have come to the conclusion that bed bugs are racist bastards), had these horrible bites. It was confirmed that they were begs bugs, so my research began. To those who know me well, I tend to go overboard on the whole research and over analyzing thing at times. So, i spent a few hours reading about the disgusting life of bed bugs and how they bite...etc...
So, in an old time summer camp style, the owners suggested that all of us move into the bunker(a big room with 4 bunkbeds). But, unlike summer camp, it is co-ed, With a couple roomates being expert snorers, it has been interesting, thank jesus for my ear plugs.
This was 3 days ago, almost needless to say, my sleeping patterns have been quite fitfull. I would wake up every hour and itch the hell out of the bites that I had, and I couldn't stop thinking about how those sneaky assholes would wait until i was asleep to strike. The reason i consider them so sneaky is because their bites do not hurt you, it is the saliva they leave behind that eventually creates the welt. It takes them 3-5 minutes to even finish their bite, and they don't wake you up at all during that time.
I know have a serious understanding of the traditional phrase "goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite"
This morning the pesticides were sprayed throughout the hostel. i was ok with this...except the fact that...they didnt inform me that it was a liquid substance. I was under the impression that I needed to leave everything in my room. They seemed to think it would not be a problem, but i am quite skeptical of these things. So, now i wait, for 24 hours with a really queasy stomach, hoping that not all my books, papers, clothing, letters....practically everything i own...is not being eaten away by the chemicals.
But, just to clarify, I am adjusting to working/living in a hostal much better than i thought i would. Living, working, and sharing, with many people is teaching me a lot about myself. I still find a tiny bit of quiet time for myself, but i am still working on that balance. I really am beginning to enjoy it though, I think that I am really starting to almost completely enjoy people around all of the time. Now that the Luca and Manuel are back(the owners), I have more of a routine(cleaning everyday 9a-12p) and I feel much more secure then i did before. The strangest thing about it is that certain things that i thought would take me a very long time to get used to are not as hard as I imagined (ie. sharing a room, bathroom, living space; not having really any privacy; different people(strangers) sharing your living space everyday.
In other news, much more hopeful...There is a very good chance that I will have a job at a Teteria (tea house) in town at the end of march (that actually pays a decent wage...and by decent I mean: more than nothing :o). Por eso, estoy muy contenta pero necesito mas paciencia y fuerza en la situacion tengo ahora.