So new adventures ... we're going into the less pleasant realm of adventures today. I have had some close encounters (of all kinds) with giant, hissing cockroaches. I think they hiss. They look like the type.
Encounter one, the hugest roach to date scuttled into the little library cell where Kathy and I scan all day long. Luckily for us, we had a native friend (I.T. Esther is how we refer to her) who squelched it with her shoe like it was nothing.
Encounter two, an almost as large cockroach came into the room. It was me, him, and library-friend/second-Jewish-mother Rachel (who HATES bugs). I took off one of my suddenly ridiculously flimsy sandals and cornered the hisser, only to have him start scuttling up the wall. A few ineffectual slaps led me to a greater understanding of his exoskeleton missile-proof body armor. So I hit harder, and harder, and hit some more. The final blow was a whack so tremendous that cockroach fluids sprayed two feet in all directions--seriously. Including some on my face. I tried to act like it was no big deal ... killing mutant cockroaches is something I do in my spare time, and Rachel toally fell for it. She thinks I'm pretty tough stuff now. I didn't disinfect my face until after she left.
Encounters 3 and 4 just involved cockroaches in trash cans that were easily bagged and removed to somebody elses trash. Of course those two weren't as big.
Also fleas. I've never encountered them before. Ever. But in a city full of cats like Jerusalem, I've had that oportunity. So now I know what a flea looks like. And bites like. And how impossible they are to kill.
Enough said, except that, thank goodness we have tile floors in our apartment.
Lastly, my non-pest adventure was about me, an empty library, and no guard to let me out. Which is pretty much the whole story--I just gave away the ending. But yea. I worked late, as Kathy and I had done the previous night. My scanner, which had been non-functioning for much of the week, was mostly working, and I wanted to make up for all the hours I hadn't been scanning earlier in the week. The guards had told us that they knew about us staying late and that it was ok. So 10:15 rolls around (the library offically closes at 8), I'm almost done backing up. Packing up my stuff so I can catch the last 10:30 bus to our neighborhood. The building is full of humming, buzzing electrical sounds and nothing else, which is what you would expect from a library after hours. I get to the library exit at 10:18 and I'm feeling good, but the doors are locked. Also there is no guard. I see a backpack and a mostly empty coffee mug. But no person. I waited for about 5 minutes thinking he was probably just using the bathroom, making the rounds or something like that. But I was getting worried about the bus. So I started calling out. "Hello.
Hello?
Anybody there?"
This was my anthem for the next 30 minutes. "Hello? Hello! Is anybody here?"
I climbed up the stairs, and down the stairs. I found one unlocked door that led into a courtyard, with walls on all sides unfortunately.
The library grew creepier and creepier by the minute.
At one point I saw a silver and black object lying in the middle of the hallway.
Bomb.
no wait
Badge?
Walkie-talkie?
Has my guard been killed? Tied up and gagged somewhere?
It didn't help that there were nearby police sirens for a good 20 minutes while all of this was happening.
The object was just an office name plaque that had fallen off the wall--in case you were wondering.
Then I started imagining that I had set off some security alarm, that the police sirens were possibly for me. I tried to look as non-threatening and non-terrorist like as possible. All the while wandering up and down staircases and hallways yelling "Hello? helloooooo? Anyone there?"
Luckily I had Kathy to keep me calm. We skype chatted a couple of times.
"Have you found him yet?"
And eventually she called campus security for me and explained the situation.
I had to wait another 15 min for campus security to come and I was fully prepared for machine guns and passport checks and possibly backpack/body searches.
But when security did finally show up (I was humming hymns to myself by this point trying to stay calm), it was a skinny, dirty-blonde haired 20ish year old who had to try 5 different keys and two different doors before he could get me out. He didn't speak very much English. But he understood my "THANK YOU!" And just kind of laughed and said "your welcome."
He didn't even have a gun.
First security I've seen in Israel with no gun.
I mean ... even Gap has a metal detector and a security gaurd with a gun at their entrance.
Small blessings can be a big deal.
I also found a cab just up the street from campus without having to try very hard, which at 11:45 at night is also a big blessing. Some drunk college kids called over the Taxi, but then were pranking him, or trying to get too many people in the taxi, or didn't have enough money or something. I asked them if they minded if I took the cab and they didn't. So I didn't even have to hail my own taxi.
Also . . . I just remembered that I took the wrong bus for the first time this week. I ended up getting off at the second stop. Walking for about ten minutes, then giving up and taking a taxi. In a city when you get lost and don't speak the language--taxi's are always your friends.
Here's to the friendly taxi drivers!
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