Murcielago

My host family has some tenants that refuse to pay rent.  I got to know one of these tenants quite well for a few minutes, but unfortunately, our meeting ended in chaos.

See, when I first arrived to my house, I always wondered why balls of dirt and random wet spots seemed to accumulate on one certain section of the floor.  I figured it was the crazy wind pattern of Nicaragua (however, the forever-present conspiracist in the back of my head whispered that I shouldn’t just assume these spots were natural.. I should have listened).

During week four of my stay in Santa Teresa, I was walking to the kitchen to get some water.  My host sister was sitting at the table studying, and as I walked by her, I saw a clump of fur limping across the floor.  I was shocked at what I was seeing, and with my minimal Spanish skills, I was able to yell, “HAY UN ANIMAL EN EL PISO!”  My host family looked at me like I was bizerk, and after realizing I was serious, my host mom jumped up to see what it was.  Turns out that this ball of fuzz was a BAT that had fallen from the ceiling.  My family uses a huge wooden bar to lock the door at night, and I am witness to the fact that the huge wooden bar can double as a weapon.  My host mom grabbed the bar and began beating the bat right in front of me.  I wanted to cry.  While this was going on, the bat’s family members, who were still hanging out (literally) in the rafters, began squealing.  My host sister exclaimed, “Estan llorando!!!”  After six or seven blows, my host mom grabbed a broom and swept the dead bat out the front door (I’m sure one of the street dogs was thrilled to have a meal).

So, turns out that the “balls of dirt” and “random wet spots” are bat poop and bat pee.  They still accumulate during the day.  Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night and can hear the bats flying around the house.  I do really feel bad for the little guy who died a horrific death, but I cross my fingers that none of its relatives seek revenge beneath my mosquito net one night.