Small but mighty

In preparing for Cairo, there was one thing I hadn't accounted for (well, more than one thing really, but this one stands out the most right now) - bugs. Not the kind you bump into on the street or that fly into your face as you walk at night, but the kind that crawls into your bed in the wee hours of the morning and decides it would like to experience the last hours of its life under your butt. I guess I can add sleeping with a cockroach to my list of firsts in Cairo. Cockroaches are not the only insects that have become frequent visitors however. Half of our team is covered in a mixture of mosquito and bed bug bites. A few have had allergic reactions and seen their arms swell to twice their normal size. Fortunately, they are all keeping in good spirits and handling the discomfort quite well.

In addition to the bug infestations, our team is experiencing another small but mighty bacterial organism that keeps a steady stream of people going to the bathroom. Conversation surrounding bowel movements has become a norm with our group. It's oddly comforting to know others are suffering alongside you.

This trip has garnered an unexpected interest in the life of cockroaches and bedbugs. For those who are curious...

"Cockroaches are among the hardiest insects on the planet, some species capable of remaining active for a month without food, or being able to survive on limited resources like the glue from the back of postage stamps. Some can go without air for 45 minutes or slow down their heart rate." -- Wiki

"Bedbugs are generally active only at dawn, with a peak attack period about an hour before sunrise. They may attempt to feed at other times, however, given the opportunity, and have been observed to feed at any time of the day. Attracted by warmth and the presence of carbon dioxidde the bug pierces the skin of its host with two hollow tubes. With one tube it injects its saliva, which contains anticoagulants and anesthetics, while with the other it withdraws the blood of its host. After feeding for about five minutes, the bug returns to its hiding place. The bites cannot usually be felt until some minutes or hours later, as a dermatological reaction to the injected agents, and the first indication of a bite usually comes from the desire to scratch the bite site." -- Wiki