Goombies

The rainy season is finally here and really fun things happen when it rains in Africa. Besides the crazy thunder and lightning storms that roll in within minutes, drench the land with torrential downpour, and then pick up to move elsewhere…there are little flying BUGS everywhere!!! These termites that crawl out of the ground and take flight with thier long skinny wings are called White Ants, or Rain Ants, or as my dear friend Amy calls them Goombies(gew-m-bees)!!! I’m completely sure that’s not their name and must tell you that she has her own language for many things here in Africa, for which I have suffered greatly for. But anyway, these “whatever you might call ems” invade the air just before and during the first part of a rain. Like a gnat they enjoy the light and so they tend to swarm and gather right outside the door just waiting to greet you. They apparently are edible and I’ve heard if cooked properly taste like bacon. If cooked improperly, they just taste like bugs...ya think? This I might just have to try…maybe…I’m scared...maybe not.
The last couple of Wednesday nights I’ve been playing sand volleyball in a league with some of the staff here. Last Wednesday it started to rain just as we began to play and these bugs were everywhere. At one point I looked down at the thigh of my pants and noticed a small bump moving around, it was an ant! My teammates laughed at me, I had ants in my pants!!! Like I said, fun things happen when it rains in Africa!