(A post delayed due to the untimely death of my laptop.)
Last night, I had my sporadic spout with insomnia.
I think it was for good reason. When I got up to check the time (3:30ish a.m.) I saw my first cockroach in Costa Rica.
And I feel at home.
Years ago, back in Guatemala, my family – my mom at least – had a declared war against these pesky insects. It was quite the production to exterminate the seemingly invincible spiky-legged creatures.
We tried fumigation. It didn’t work. We tried using our shoes. That can get messy.
Finally, my mother found this chalk that apparently was Chinese made. Yeso Chino.
I haven’t a clue what chemicals where in that thing.
But it worked. We lined the house with chalk. And cockroach corpses appeared magically.
I remember once we had to clear out the entire kitchen. The cockroaches liked to live in the cupboards and drawers where we kept cooking pans and plates.
Chalk in hallway.
Chalk everywhere.
I’m pretty sure someday I’ll get cancer from this Chinese chalk.
But at least, my family won the war.
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