Day Ten

Our battle against the mosquitoes continues to evolve into an ever greater struggle. However, through various methods of combat, we seem to be turning the tide of the war. The number of bites on my hands is down from a high of 35 to roughly 20. By conducting a nightly preemptive strike dubbed Operation Kill Them Before They Kill You, we manage to reduce the initial number of combatants in the initial struggle every night. Securing the mosquito net beneath the mattress seems to reduce the likelihood of infiltration of the sleeping zone, while liberal use of DEET acts as a further deterrent. Nevertheless, the struggle continues. Outnumbered and at times outgunned, we will continue, where possible, to take the fight to the enemy and at all times protect the homeland with unwavering determination.

Let it be understood that the enemy is not just a single mosquito but the act of disease-transmitting blood-sucking itself – premeditated, biologically motivated violence perpetrated against innocents. No justification exists for such an act. We will make no concessions to their blood-thirsty demands, nor will we strike any deals with them. We will make no distinction between mosquitoes and those who knowingly harbor or provide aid to them. Mosquitoes will be disrupted and destroyed by identifying and destroying the threat before it reaches the skin. While we will constantly strive to enlist the support of other humans, we will not hesitate to act alone, if necessary, to exercise our right of self-defense by acting preemptively against such mosquitoes to prevent them from doing harm. Using the full extent of our influence, we will work closely with friends and allies to make clear that all acts of blood-sucking are illegitimate, so that they will be viewed in the same light as slavery, piracy, or genocide: behavior that no respectable individual can condone or support and all must oppose.

In the war against mosquitoes, we must never forget that we are ultimately fighting for our democratic values and way of life. Freedom and fear are at war, and there will be no quick or easy end to this conflict. Yet with persistence, determination, and faith, I am confident that we will emerge victorious.

But seriously, the mosquitoes are eating me alive. It seems that in the night, I toss and turn so much in the bed that sometimes my hands end up against the mosquito net. The mosquitoes are so determined to get some blood that they just line up along the net and bite me through it. Despite putting bug spray on my hands that is 30-40% DEET, they still bite me! I’ve never seen anything like it. I haven’t quite figured out what actual role (if any) they play in the environment, but I’m determined to make it a far less significant one by the time I leave.

On Friday evening, we had some guests over for a devotional and dinner. There were three American Fulbright scholars (one Bahá’í, two not); an employee of Oxfam, the British NGO; another “local” American Bahá’í; two Tanzanian Bahá’ís; and the family. The devotional differed greatly from the ones at home in its level of spontaneity. Prayers were said for maybe 15 minutes or so and then we had dinner together. The guests ended up staying for four hours! And while the Sabets and I were lagging there in the last hour or so, it was still nice to be around such lively, engaging, and intelligent people. We spent probably the last hour and a half answering questions about the Faith. The sincerity and interest of the non-Bahá’ís was really refreshing!

The rest of the weekend we’ve just been kind of bumming around the house. Today and yesterday were both really beautiful days so I should have gotten out and gone somewhere, but where? They might have two museums in the whole city, and I wouldn’t even begin to know how to get there on the daladala. I should go to the beach at some point, but I’m terrified that someone is going to mug me. In fact, I think a lot of the reason why I haven’t been very adventurous is that I’m afraid, even though I know I shouldn’t be. There are a lot of thieves and generally bad people walking around, but the same is true about Little Rock.

This evening we went out to pick up pizza, and Mrs. Sabet left me in the car. I locked the doors and every time a group of people would walk by I’d tense up, certain that they were going to bust the windows and rob me. I don’t really know if it’s some kind of xenophobia or not, but eventually I’m going to have to get over it out of necessity. I didn’t come here to sit behind a barbed-wire wall protected by armed guards. It's amazing how travel brings out things in you that you didn't even know were there, both good and bad.