Travel With Candace

I hate and I mean HATE mosquitoes.  I am completely covered with itchy bites and am sleeping horribly due to discomfort and fending them off for half the night.  I am starting to think there is some sort of mosquito conspiracy.  Consider the following:

• Number of bites - I believe I wake up with a number of bites that  is greatly disproportionate to the needs of the 5 or 6 mosquitoes that seem to bother me at night.  The mosquitoes around the house are pretty small and nimble.  This means they are pretty hard to kill, which sucks, but it also means they shouldn’t need that much of my blood to survive.  I say it’s gluttony or cruelty.
• Location of bites- The ankles, knees, feet, and elbows seem to be itchiest bite locations by far.  Coincidentally a large number of my bites  seem to be in these places, which also seem like they would be the least blood-rich and bite-worthy from the mosquito’s point of view.  I think they know what they’re doing and I say it’s cruelty in this case.
• Itchiness of bites - You may know that mosquito bites itch because of one’s allergic reaction to their spit (filled with digestive enzymes and anticoagulants) that they inject after piercing the skin.  I believe the itchiness of my bites is also disproportionate to the mosquitoes’ size.  Again they are small, which to me means they shouldn’t't have a whole lot of spit to spare.  I say they’re double-dosing me for fun.
• Generally unnecessary and annoying behavior - At night, while the others are attacking my lower extremities, one mosquito seems to buzz right around my head.  It is as if it is trying to distract me from sleep or heckle me by signalling that my perpetual itchiness will continue. This “head” mosquito often goads me into clapping really hard next to my ear in attempts to kill it.  That can be painful and I may be losing hearing as a result.  This mosquito also occasionally lands on my forehead or cheek causing me to reflexively slap myself in attempts to kill it.  That can be hurtful to one’s person and one’s pride.  I say it’s for little mosquito laughs.

So you can call me paranoid, but I think this interaction is based more on bloodsport than biological necessity on the mosquitoes’ part and that’s not cool.  I’m usually of the “Live-and-let-Live” camp, but I am making it my personal mission to kill as many mosquitoes as possible during my time here, even though I know I won’t make a dent in the general population.

So game on you little bastards - GAME ON!

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So I have arrived in Guadeloupe safe and sound.  My bags got held up in Miami, but it actually worked out for the better because airport empolyees had to fit my super bulky/heavy luggage into a van and cart it my current residence (pictured above).  Ha, suckers!

My first few weeks  in Guadeloupe I am staying with a Gwo-Ka singer named Marie-Line a her 13-year-old son Cyril (picture pending, my MacBook is down).  They are extremely nice, laidback are helping me to get acclimated.  I am lucky to have found them, thanks to my cousin Reggie.

I am getting settled now, I have unpacked a bit and am trying to get my “Carte de Sejour.”  I need this card before I can start other important processes such as opening bank and cell phone accounts. Unfortunately, this is proving a bit tricky.

I spent Thursday morning in front of a government office jockeying for position amongst 60 or more other foreigners trying to get an appointment.  Alas, I got nowhere, but I’ll figure it out.  Stay tuned!

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I haven’t even left home and already my second go at living abroad is starting out on better footing. When I lived in Germany in early 2006, I was basically an illegal alien being paid under the table for my work at a media research firm. Since I received my teaching position through the French government, this time ’round I had to go by the books and get a long-stay visa before leaving. The horror stories you hear about French bureaucracy had me a bit worried about going through the visa process. I don’t know if my experience at the French Consulate in San Francisco is representative, but I found the whole thing pretty painless.

I went in for a 2:00 appointment with all the proper documents in hand and was out of the door by 2:40. All I needed was: my passport, visa application (2 copies), employment verification (original and a copy), 2 passport photos, and my flight itinerary. The finger printing and actual production of the visa took the most time.

My visa and sanctioned teaching position will allow me to get a “Carte de Sejour” (Residency card) that will be valid for a year. I have to apply for the “Carte” within 8 days of arriving on the island. It will be my primary form of identification on Guadeloupe and will verify my legal, long-term residency. The “Carte” will also allow me to take advantage of health and dental services, which is pretty awesome considering I didn’t have dental insurance at my last job and haven’t been in a year.

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