The Costa Rican Cucaracha

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In the United States, a lot of time and effort is put into keeping insects/bugs/vermon out of the house. Whole industries are built around the best way to kill the bug with the least amount of effort--in essence, how far away can i stand with a can of spray and still end its existence. The climate is often the deal breaker. I remember in New Orleans how bold the cockroaches were. They came out in the day, and walked along the sidewalks, and when you thought you had it cornered, they would take off flying. While I was living in Dominica, I can honestly say I never saw a roach, maybe I just wasnt looking or perhaps too distracted by the ants and the mosquitos. When I lived in Miami I came across a cockroach or two, but they were so large that the Floridians called they Palmetto bugs or water bugs--their own form of denial. In tropical climates its inevitable, you will encounter a roach. All you have to do is drop a seed on the ground and in two weeks you can harvest a pineapple, why shouldnt the most resilient species of all time thrive here as well. Well, there are cucarachas in Costa Rica, they are big and they fly. The way Ticos choose to deal with them, and all insects for that matter, is to not stress about keeping them out of your house in the first place, but should they choose to enter, make it just as easy for them to walk back out. The windows do not have screens, air conditioning in the evening is to open the doors and let the air (and anything flying in it) pass thru the house--it works well. I have never seem alot of insects in the house. Once you take the difficulty out of getting into the house, it seems as if the insects dont want to bother, theyre in it for the chase.

My first encounter with the Costa Rican Cucaracha happened last night. My Mama Tica and I had just finished eating dinner. I finished doing the dishes and went back to my room, turned on the light and saw a blur out of the corner of my eye, entering my room " Jesus!!" I shouted, than very quickly afterward (say, 15 seconds as i searched for the words) " Mama Tica, venga aqui, por favor!!!!" It ran under my desk and disappeared. When my Mama Tica came into my room, she looked for it, couldnt find it and remarked, "se fue" (it left, in Spanish.) But, the kill-the-insect instinct in me wouldnt let go. We found it on the curtain, all 3.5 inches of it. My Mama Tica knocked in on the floor and stepped on it, than she began laughing. We both started laughing, it was a good moment for us.

No pictures for this entry--too traumatic

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