I have been in Brazil now for almost three months. During my time here I have encountered some interesting creatures (and no I’m not talking about Brazilian men). I’m writing this blog post for my little cousin Connor, who I miss very much! I know he would have a blast seeing all these strange animals and insects I find in my house. I also know that he would probably shoot all of them with his nerf gun! I love you Connor and Alexis!
The Lizard
In Mexico there were lizards everywhere, so when I saw a chubby little gecko scurry its way up my wall I wasn’t surprised. I was however shocked when I realized that one of them was living under my bed! Family, meet Bart.
My other lizard friend is Samuel, but unfortunately he is no longer with us. I found him mangled on the bottom of my washing machine the other day 😦 He must have been hiding in my dirty clothes pile.
The Cockroaches
Most people know that I am terrified of cockroaches. Not just scared—terrified! Brazilian cockroaches are giant and seem to be on the prowl for small children.
One night I woke up to a tickle on my thigh, the tickle of a ginormous cockroach’s hairy legs making its way up my leg! I have never left my window open since then.
Word of advice to people who are going to visit Brazil, be careful walking with flip flops at night. They seem to have a craving for toes!
Monkeys
At UNL we have a group called Nebraskans for the Upgraded Treatment of Squirrels. Every time I see a monkey running around town or on campus I chuckle and reminisce about all those times I got attacked by those crazy squirrels at UNL.
Instead of squirrels, we have monkeys in Bahia. The monkeys play on the telephone wires, dart out in the middle of the road and their tiny agile bodies allow them to joyfully play in the treetops just like squirrels.
I secretly want one as a pet.
The Slug
After a late night of class planning, I woke up to this on my wall right outside my bedroom door. In my normal disoriented state of just waking up, my first thoughts were, “why is there poop on my wall”. After close inspection I realized that it was in fact not poop, but rather a slug.
When I came home from work he had made it halfway down the hallway wall. Where he came from, who knows? Where he went, not sure.
The Beetle
While teaching I noticed this little guy sitting inside the window. 5 feet away from me…creepy!
This Rhinoceros Beetle was bigger than my hand! Can you imagine having to teach with this thing waiting to fly in your face!
Hope you enjoyed this Connor.
My Havaiana Life 
I’m laughing a lot, awesome text! I think the same about the cockroaches, kill them when she was just walking is ok, but when they fly, OMG I run away like a little girl kkkkkkkkkkk.
R.I.P poor Samuel 😥
I love the up dates!! Connor will love this. I want to thank you for your sharing your experiences with us. It helps us to understand other cultures. I also want to thank you for the book you sent for Mother’s day. I am half way through – I love it. It makes me feel like part of the community… Very rich in local history. it reminds me of the little town I grew up in but it never grew!!!