Mosquito TENT Superiority

Back in February my friend, Anne, came from the US for meeting in conjunction with the Rural Health project in Zing and she brought with her the most amazing mosquito “net” and left it here for me to use until her return. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to adequately explain the wonderfulness, excellence, perfection that is contained in this mosquito tent, but I’ll try!

When I was a small child, I received a bed tent one exciting Christmas. Then, there was no particular function for a bed tent other than novelty and adventure, but now there is utility. It started out as a barrier in my room between me and the ever-present cockroaches. I could hear them scurrying across the floor and roll over in my bed with confidence knowing that I was safe….AND it didn’t present the same tangling as the previous net.
Now, the new bed net allows me to relocate! For the past month, it has been ridiculously hot (110 degrees F+) therefore the closest thing I can get to air conditioning or fans at night is to sleep outside! I have suggested before that living in Jalingo can be compared to camping, but this development has made it even more real. Each night I drag my mattress and mosquito tent outside and enjoy a much more enjoyable sleep than anything that could ever be achieved inside my house!

I must admit that I actually really enjoy sleeping outside and was recently considering if it would be considered socially acceptable to continue this practice when I return to the US during the summer. (This transition back home could be tough!) Last night as I was trying to fall asleep I was simply taking in everything around me and feeling blessed: the moon is almost full and high in the sky, the stars were shining brightly while there were clouds and lightning closer to the horizon. There were bats flying above me from tree to tree making a high pitched squeaking noise. There were cats mating at a far corner of the compound. (I was convincing myself that my mosquito tent would provide a protective barrier against cats too!) The dogs all over town were sending messages back and forth in true Lady and the Tramp style. Crickets were chirping, and frogs were croaking.

While it’s true that none of these things are really unique to living in Nigeria, sleeping among them every night without the hum of air conditioners, refrigerators, computers or fans and actually taking the time to stop and really experience them, for me is unique to living in Nigeria!