getting braver!

Last night and today were some firsts that used to scare and gross me out. But, when actually confronted with the experiences, I calmly responded and went with the flow....

Not wanting to give me a heart attack, in the middle of the night Adelaide whispered firmly, "McKenzie, wake up, come over here." As I was barely conscience from my sleeping pill, Adelaide continued to coax me over to her bed. I crawled on her bed next her and she whispered, "there was a rat crawling on your head!!!!" I faintly remember screaming silently (so as not to wake the entire house), and then curled up in the fetal position. Meanwhile, Adelaide and Anna Marie, no longer screaming quietly, were trying to find the rat who had crawled into our room. I lay there motionless as the other two jumped from bed to bed, flashing lights and moving everything off the floor to get the creature out! Not finding the rat, they decided we couldn't sleep in our room. So, the three of us grabbed our bedding and ran to another other room. This morning the kids were in awe as to why all of us weren't sleeping in our proper beds :) We are sleeping safely tonight with rat traps under each of our beds!!! Thank goodness I wasn't fully aware as to what was going on last night! The gross part is that I can still feel claw marks on my head -ewwwww!

Today after walking thru the grass during the rain, I finally got my first leech. Another ewwwww!!!! But, instead of screaming, I nonchalantly said to Adelaide, "oh look, I have a leech." I watched it wriggle on my foot and then grabbed a tissue to get it off. Adelaide said she was shocked by how calm I was. I agreed and laughed, realizing that the "icky" things arene't bothering me anymore!

Another first today was riding in a tuk-tuk. I previously referred to these vehicles as death traps that I would never get in, but now I would describe them as three wheeled go-carts. Granted, they are the slowest moving part of the transportation insanity (people included!), but maybe that's what prevented me from freaking out. We were never going fast enough to make the ride feel like the usual roller coaster feeling. No butterflies in my stomach today! Going over potholes and swerving thru traffic was pretty painful, as there is no cushioning, just metal. I'm proud to say I finally took the opportunity to ride in a tuk-tuk, but it's not something I'm looking forward to doing again. The bruises I'll have tomorrow will be a reminder!