Yesterday, the monkeys clearly woke-up and said, "Let's go to the human exhibit today." Our bedroom (which really is basically a tree-house) was surrounded by monkeys pearing in the windows, pacing the balcony, and sometimes even tapping the glass! Everyone who's been to the zoo knows you're not suppossed to tap the glass! I've been fortunate to spend a significant amount of time in my life around monkeys and babboons (mostly in Africa) and I think that they never stop being facsinating. We loved watching their little facial expressions and swinging antics; however, when one barred his teath and started heading for the door, Rob sugested that we lock it, because we're not sure what their oppossable thumbs are capable of :-)
I've noticed that my "recoil in horror" time at creepy-crawlers has definitely shortened. Don't get me wrong, I do not like the flying roaches, spiders as big as my hand, tarantula wasps, or scorpions, all of whom occasionally find their way into our kitchen. However, when confronted with a hairy spider who I swear looks like it could start talking at any minute, my recovery time is faster than it would have been under similar conditions in New York or Berkeley, and I find myself calming returning to dinner. I've been joking with Rob that he's killed or shooed away so many bugs, that when we get back to the states, he might miss it. I have a vision of him outside at my grandma's house in Wisconsin, seeking the spiders out.
The best thing about jungle life (technically cloud forest life, I still don't know if jungle is a technical ecosystem word or an umbrella term), is the smell. Even though the thick humidity can be exhausting and the sun relentless (only some days), the fresh smell of earth and properly decaying vegetation is wonderful. Sometimes, the monkey poo smell is overpowering, but most of the time, como la vida, la aire es pura aqui.
Speaking of Spanish, we have become dilligent about practicing our flashcards during dinner and I can now carry-on effective conversations with the woman in the store and the man in the bakery. I'm sure I'm saying things like, "Me forgetting to make plantains, how you to make plantains?" but everyone's very patient and I love practicing.
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Liz - when are you going to start posting pics?? I am dying to see some monkeys!!
ReplyDeleteMad- I will this week-end, I promise! I need to do it from Rob's computer, and not the school's...
ReplyDeleteMy dad tried to post this:
"I remember, Liz, when you were about 7 or 8 and you and your brother (who was, as he always seems to be, a few years younger) were crouched in front of a levered floor window at the bottom of your lodge in Tsavo East. The two of you were EGGING ON the baboons! I was furious, but you were INVITING THEM TO DINE WITH YOU making little finger pictures on the glass in front of their over curious faces!"
What can I say? I guess I like monkey business :)
yeah, I sounded like that when I started learning English. You sound cute at first, but then people start getting tired of you and then they yell, "I need a translator in aisle 2!" Pretty funny stuff.....after ten years or so.
ReplyDeleteYour dad's comment is so adorable. The lens of a parent is like no other lense. I love it.