February 1, 2008
Just in case you thought I was exaggerating about how bad the flies are in Australia, I want to draw your attention to the following photo:
And, yes, those are all flies waiting to bother Leah.
Now, just imagine two flies that coordinate their attacks. One flies on to the left side of your upper lip and then joyfully hops onto one of your teeth. The other fly lands on your right eyelash and then happily bounces between your eyelid and the inside of your sunglasses. And these types of antics can continue for hours.
You may not be surprised then that I have developed a new coping strategy that Leah has dubbed fly fu. As you might imagine, it involves quick movements. I usually lash out towards the flies with hopeful chops into the air. Rarely, slight contact is made with one of the flies, in which case I leave my arm outstretched, body tense, eyes quivering with rage and a serious look on my face. After a few seconds, my pose is fixed except for my eyes, which are following a new target, which starts me in motion again. This can go on for some time until I tire or my elbows begin to hurt from the repetitive motion.
I've experienced many obnoxious pests around the world, like mosquitoes and leeches, but Australian flies are by far the worst. Don't say you haven't be warned.
