Malaria

I have been eaten alive by mosquitos. In fact, I've never seen mosquitos as terrible as the ones here. They're a strange grey-black color and they hurt like the dickens when they bite. Then, instead of a red bump the size of a pea, they leave behind a hard white lump the size of a BB that's hot to the touch. These bites itch so bad they burn and hydrocortisone hardly touches it.

I may go insane.

What's especially irritating about the whole thing is that no amount of precautionary measures seems to prevent their vampiric attacks on any exposed flesh. Sunday late in the day I sat on the patio wearing long pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt. They bit my feet. Tonight, I was sitting on the living room couch and my shirt must have ridden up a little in the back because I now have a lovely bite right at the waistline of my pants. Arms, legs, shoulders (when I was wearing a sleeveless sweater), feet, ankles, forehead (!), I've even got one on my scalp. It's sad, really, when you have to consider wearing Deep Woods Off in your house. If I make it to the end of the summer without contracting West Nile Virus or Malaria or Leprosy or something, it will be a miracle.