Creepy Crawlies & A Cock-a-doodle-doo

As my family and friends well know, I am usually quite upset by spiders (ugh... shivers just thinking about them), and one of the biggest worries I had about living here was the possibility of sharing my living space with some giant African spiders.

Luckily, I have yet to see a spider bigger than a daddy long-legs, and all the ones I have seen have been outside!  Though, Jo did inform me that the poisonous spiders here are the 'tall' ones like daddy long-legs, and the 'flat' ones are safe - always good to know!

However, there are some creatures that have decided that they would like to share the house with me and my housemates - beyond Artemis the cat!

Visitor Type 1:  Ants
The property is infested with them, but they are rather small.  They do seem to think that living inside would be nice, and our hosts, Jo & Jo, have wonderfully lined the back of the baseboards with anti-ant powder.  This did result in a couple of confusing days where I thought that the one corner of my room was the location of a giant ant suicide pact, however, now that the poison has been explained, I understand their appearance and subsequent sudden death!

Visitor Type 2: Mosquitos
The windows do not have screens, so we need to be vigilant about closing windows and doors when the sun goes down, as they otherwise infiltrate and spend the night either feasting on my blood or buzzing about my head in a most annoyingly noisy fashion.  I have been waking up recently with some big red bug bites, and am unsure of the culprit - it could be mosquito bites or it may be that some ants have survived the perilous entry into my room and have set up house in my bed.

Visitor Type 3: Cockroaches
These pesky bugs are super fast and good at hiding, so you only tend to see them when you enter a room and turn the light on... I may start closing my eyes for a few seconds when I do this, as ignorance is bliss!  However, the ones I have seen have all been rather small and not in my bedroom, so I have yet to be extremely grossed out by them.
Murphy's Law Update:  I promptly went into my room and caught a 4" cockroach attempting to make it's home in my backpack.  Thankfully, my housemate Alisha thought ahead and bought 'Doom!' - a fantastic bug-killing spray - so my room has been rescued! 

Visitor Type 4: Geckos
This visitor we receive as a welcomed roommate!  These cute little guys eat the bugs and scurry around the walls chasing each other and their dinners.  Yesterday, I discovered that a teeny 2" one is living behind one of the kitchen cupboards, so I am cheering him on in the hopes that he can catch those roaches!

Visitor Type 5:  The Rooster
Ugh - I am plotting his death.  Thankfully, he is a borrowed rooster that is here only until the chickens have enough fertilized eggs to provide the compound with a full flock.  I can't wait for him to go home, and take great delight in the fact that the little girls (children of the guard and house-lady) chase him in circles around the garden and house!  He loves to show off and crows every 60 seconds to 5 minutes, with a few hours break when it is dark out.  His presence does mean that it is virtually impossible to oversleep and end up late for work, as he starts up shortly after 5 am.  He also tends to crow at Artemis, the cat, and I am still trying to determine whether it is because he is chasing Artemis, or because Artemis is chasing him (my preferred option!).

Now, ideally, the visitors I'd love to welcome into this house would be human ones, so if you've got any interest in seeing Malawi, let me know! **cough, cough - Mom & Dad**