Post from Wednesday

Date: June 15^th 2011

Time: 5:16 pm

Location: Taupo, New Zealand, My “Flat”

I have arrived at last. I am currently sitting at the desk in the bedroom of my own “flat.” It’s possibly the cutest thing ever. In the other room I have my own mini kitchen and living room. I have a queen sized bed and a bathroom all my own. I even have a washing machine to myself! Interestingly, there’s no dryer… but I noticed they have a clothes line outside, so I may have to hang dry my clothing (once it arrives from being lost by Air New Zealand).

Everyone in New Zealand is very welcoming and interested in learning all about me; where I’m from, what I like to do, how my flight was, etc. I’m staying with the Short’s (Kevin, Mary-anne and 3 of their 6 children) right now in the apartment they have connected to the bottom floor of their house. I have my own entrance and everything. When I walked into my apartment to look around and inspect where I would be living I was taken by surprise by an unwanted visitor. I closed my front door and looked to my left at the tv in my living room and saw an ENORMOUS spider-like bug. I say “spider-like” because it was huge and brown and disgusting. However, it only had 6 legs and spiders have 8 (according to my elementary school knowledge).  I stood frozen in place for a minute and wondered if it was fake and the Short’s were playing a trick on me or if it saw me too and was waiting to pounce.

We stared at each other for about 30 long seconds and then I slowly inched away. It hadn’t moved. It occurred to me that the thing very well may be dead but I wasn’t risking it. What to do? I couldn’t have it sitting there for ages dead or alive! So, like the coward I am, I ventured upstairs to ask my hosts for help.

 “Hi, sorry to bother you, but there’s a HUGE bug thing downstairs!” I said.

“Oh, the (insert the name of some New Zealand native insect here)? Yes, isn’t it great?? It’s not poisonous. And it’s very dead, it won’t hurt you.” Said Mary-anne.

“Yes, it’s on top of the T.V. isn’t it? It was so perfectly preserved that we didn’t want to move it.” Said Kevin.

“Does it freak you out? Jayden, can you go rescue Molly?” Mary-anne said.

I sheepishly said that yes, it DID freak me out, and the Short’s youngest son Jayden happily ran downstairs, grabbed it by its leg and removed it from my domicile. Since then I have been unpacking the few things I have and getting accustomed to my living space.