My “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” Moment
How a cockroach-infested house made me realize I dislike nature.
With a steaming cup of tea in hand, I gaze out at the lush meadows, the crops in progress, and the picturesque hilltops surrounded by human civilization. The sun is shining brightly, and the winds are the perfect temperature.
Absolutely picturesque isn’t it? A scene I hadn’t exactly asked for in my rental apartment.
I mean the view is a plus point for any rental apartment, right? I wholeheartedly agree, which was exactly why I chose this place.
I have always been one for picturesque views and breathtaking scenery that makes you want to forget the world and which grabs all your attention and makes you stare at it for hours on end.
But if you were me, life would throw a plot twist for all the good things that come along the way.
As I sipped my tea in this picturesque setting, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d stepped into my very own “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” adventure.
You see, the apartment came with an unexpected bonus — a cockroach infestation. It was like life’s way of offering me a 1+1 deal, because, you know, I’m one of its most regular customers.
You’d ask why seal the deal when the place had a roach problem?
When I first visited the apartment 2 weeks ago, I didn’t spot a single roach — not one! The previous tenants were college students who’d recently vacated and the house was so cluttered & messy that you couldn’t figure out the walls from the ceiling, no kidding.
Besides, I had this reassuring thought that once the professionals cleaned up this mess before our move-in, it’d be sparkling glitters.
Except it was sparkling with different sizes of black and brown beans on the walls and floors.
You know how E.B. White said, “Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder.” I am literally sleeping with one eye open now, always on the lookout for the presence of cockroaches.
I thought I was bravethe kind of person who could face anything, including cockroaches. After all, I can easily squash them with a snap of my slipper. But that thing has wings. They’ve full-on advanced us with their tech and got wings.
And, you know what’s to blame for this insect invasion? The meadows! Those beautiful-looking fields are responsible for the training and growth of these little beasts.
The crops aren’t taken care of because there’s a labor shortage and these roaches have been breeding there ever since the rain stopped.
I thought I was gonna sit in my spacious balcony with the sun shining on my face, but the winged beans made me take refuge in my bedroom instead. It’s the one place these winged intruders rarely show up these days.
As John Muir aptly said, “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” But this wasn’t what I had in mind.
I wanted to peacefully drink my tea in the balcony whilst enjoying the view and sleep on the mattress until the sun shone again. Instead, I found a flying cockroach in my teacup and another crawling on my arm while I was in the middle of a sweet dream.
Even though I managed to eliminate most of them in a week, thanks to advanced pesticides and my trusty slipper, there’s always that one-cockroach showdown at 3 AM.
I thought I was more than capable of living the Van Life, camping in the wild, or even living in a wooden cabin in the middle of the forest all by myself. But now, I’m exhausted with nature’s unwanted guests.
While I was looking for a good concluding quote for this article, I stumbled upon this: “A cockroach can’t defeat a dinosaur. But the cockroach is better at one thing, and it has ensured its survival through the ages: Adaptation. One could adapt to the environment and the other one couldn’t.” — Georges St-Pierre
So, here I am, copying techniques from cockroaches and adapting to the routine cockroach invasions if I don’t want to be overwhelmed by them.
And I’m also adapting to the fact that I’m no longer a nature-loving person. I’ll steer clear of those meadows, especially.
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