So, when my sister and I were very young (probably around 15 or 16) we would scream 'bug' at the top of our lungs anytime we saw so much as a piece of lint resembling a bug. This was particularly embarrassing (and funny in hindsight) for my parents at, oh, I don't know...church. This memory is the impetus behind my choice for PROM #2: Pif-Paf Powder, the alliterative giant of Arabic pest control substances. (1 cannister=100g=800UM[around $3])
Allow me to set the stage.
-2 months ago-
Upon entering their new apartment, Mike and Katie couldn't help but notice the potential this dwelling possessed. Sweeping archways, French doors, electricity, toilets, the possibilities were endless. However, it was currently a dirt-ridden, paint-strewn mess. A remnant from the 1960s, this apartment still had large windows and natural light from a warmer time in Nouadhibou. Since the 1980s, things have cooled, resulting in newer homes built with small 10x10" windows and similar cookie-cutter room patterns.
After one day in their new place (and one dinner), they noticed, to their horror, an army of ants hauling away the smallest bits of forgotten food. There was even a large slice of onion caught in the drain that 10-20 ants were hauling to a crack between the sink and counter! Considering ants can haul 50 times their body weight, this was no small feat. After waging war with the scouts, drones and soldiers, Katie and Mike thought, "surely only the queen remains!" But alas, this was not true. A colony of hundreds, thousands...nay MILLIONS! was ensconced in the walls and had no plans on moving.
Puffing poisonous Pif-Paf powder puts pests in a precarious position? Or perhaps a pest placebo pthat pdoesn't pwork. The cockroaches seemed held at bay for a while only to make a resurgence in early November. The ants even seemed to be marching away with bits of the stuff almost as an 'up yours' to the diligence of Mike and Katie. With the Pif-Paf cannister running on empty and home remedies such as salt, vinegar and plugging drains exhausted, things looked bleak. Were Mike and Katie doomed to wave the white flag and try to live in peace with the intrusive albeit native inhabitants? NO! Just in time, a package from home. Mike's mom and dad send in reinforcements in the shape of Raid rtm ant and roach traps. Only time will tell, but so far, only two-legged creatures are welcome and safe in 'el douze say,' Kra Nasrani, Nouadhibou.
As if this wasn't bad enough, cockroaches controlled the bathroom! They were waging two seemingly endless wars with little resources other than fingertips (vs. ants) and flip-flops (vs. cockroaches). Something had to be done.
-okay, let me break in here for a minute. I just have to say a word or two about the cockroach. For those of you who know Katie, you won't be surprised to learn that after seeing these disgusting creatures, she decided to fight them the best way she knew how...She researched the bejeezus out of them. And her findings lead me to believe that sometime long ago, God lost a bet with the devil and the result was God had to create these vile things. They breathe through their skin! They can come back to life after being 'killed' by certain subtances! And I have witnessed its birthing process first hand and can honestly say I would rather be the sound-tester for all audio products Celine Dion related than see that again. Anyway, back to the story...
Something had to be done. Mike and Katie consulted the local boutique owner (an incredibly nice man named Hamadli) and 2nd-year PCV's Maylen and Sammy. The result was the purchase of "Pif-Paf Powder". After carefully reading the directions (amazingly in English) and heeding the advice that "if inhaled, remove person to fresh air" (did this mean the 'person' would no longer be able to move under his own will? would 'fresh air' really help?) Mike puffed every inch of the apartment (This is how the product works, you 'puff' it. You squeeze the tube and a dense white cloud erupts in all directions. "I can't imagine using this stuff if we had a pet or a baby," Mike remarked to Katie.)
-Several weeks later-
Puffing poisonous Pif-Paf powder puts pests in a precarious position? Or perhaps a pest placebo pthat pdoesn't pwork. The cockroaches seemed held at bay for a while only to make a resurgence in early November. The ants even seemed to be marching away with bits of the stuff almost as an 'up yours' to the diligence of Mike and Katie. With the Pif-Paf cannister running on empty and home remedies such as salt, vinegar and plugging drains exhausted, things looked bleak. Were Mike and Katie doomed to wave the white flag and try to live in peace with the intrusive albeit native inhabitants? NO! Just in time, a package from home. Mike's mom and dad send in reinforcements in the shape of Raid rtm ant and roach traps. Only time will tell, but so far, only two-legged creatures are welcome and safe in 'el douze say,' Kra Nasrani, Nouadhibou.
FIN.
On a more personal note, happy belated birthday to my brother Monte! He was born on a Friday the 13th. Katie and I were engaged on Friday the 13th. Lucky day for our family.
And...a mini-PROM for my sister:
Thanks for reading!
-M
3 comments:
YEA to PROM and cutely named bug-killers! But, maybe you should stick to mean-sounding products instead of something that sounds like a French baby toy when it comes to killing things. And, yes, I can TOTALLY see Katie researching bugicide online.
"pthat pdoesn't pwork"
HAHA, classic Mike humor, miss you man! Better stop setting the bar so high on these PROMs, you'll never be able to match them. Keep up the good work. Will especially finds the third-person makes it three times as good.
Yeah, right, 15 or 16. Ha ha, like we really got over bugs by then!
I appreciate the mini pasta prom. There is a frozen pizza brand here in Canada called Mike's.
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