It’s Haiti v11 – My Friend and Roommate, the Lizard

     Everyone who comes here seems to be amused by the lizards. They come in all sizes and they are everywhere. They scurry about in the grass, up the trees, across the road, up and down the walls, everywhere. People think they are so just cute, and they are. After a while, you get used to them and don’t even notice, except when they are in your house. The first time I found a lizard in the house, it was in my room. I had to get it out of there. I’m not sleeping in this room with a lizard running about. But lizards move quickly, too fast to catch it. I thought I could coax it to move toward the door and out of the house. No chance. It ran under the bed. So I moved the bed. It ran behind the backpack on the floor. So I moved the backpack. It jumped (yes, they jump, too) into my hiking boot. Got it! I placed my sandal over the boot and took the boot with the lizard inside, outside. Then I removed the sandal and shook out the boot. Out came the lizard and we were both happy.

     That was a month ago. Since then, one (maybe two) lizard has moved in with me. In the morning, it may be on the window screen when I get up and draw back the curtains. It slithers up the wall and freezes there. I shrug and go take my shower. I come back, and it’s gone. I think the lizard must come and go through the space between the walls and the sheet metal roof. In the evening, it may be on the wall when I turn on the lights. It stays there. I go to bed. This morning the lizard was in the corner of the shower. I took my shower and it just sat there and got wet and didn’t move. I gave up a long time ago trying to chase my lizard friend out. It’s no big deal.

So it seems that I’m sharing my room with a lizard. I’m fine with the arrangement as long as it eats the insects (please take the mosquitoes) and stays out of my bed. And so far my lizard friend has respected our arrangement.  I’m not sure I would tolerate a lizard in my bedroom in Silver Spring. But it’s Haiti.

A lizard on the sign outside the lab