Bit up by the Caribbean

I can tell you what happened to this Cuban taken out of the Caribbean to the US for 18 months: I got spoiled. After all this time enjoying the air conditioner and few bugs. I arrived in St Thomas only to be greeted by the local mosquitoes. They could smell the new blood and proceeded to have a feast on my legs.

I could get away from them for a while with insect repellent, until we went to work on the boat at Compass Point Marina. It was about 4 o' clock when we decided to move our lazy bodies out the comfort of the apartment and head to the boat to get a little work done, though nothing is little on a boat. Jim borrowed a dinghy from the marina office to take the hurricane lines off the pilings. My job was hold on to the tied lines so he could scrub the sea grass off the lines. All was going well when I noticed these tiny bugs, that you can barely see, sucking the blood out of my legs. No-see-ums! I kept holding the lines, but I wanted to keep the bugs away, so I moved and slapped my legs and of course I complained a little bit.

I couldn't understand why it wasn't bothering Jim at all and I was probable annoying him with my: “Uch! Uff! Ayy!” At the end of the day he told me: “I've never seen somebody complaining so much about bugs biting them like you.” I thought I was too spoiled or too sensitive, so I quit saying any thing about it.

Next morning I woke up early. It was a beautiful day so I decided to do some exercise. I went for a 30 minute walk and a 15 minute swim. When I got in the swimming pool, I felt smoke was coming out of my legs. Actually my legs were all covered by red bumps. So I woke up Jim and show him why I complained so much. He apologized for his comment the day before.

My eyelid was swelling too, I looked like somebody had beat me up. I also got a stye.

Thanks to the advice of our friends Dr Glenn and his wife Naomi, who arrived on Saturday from the US, we bought ointment and a topical analgesic to bring some relief.

I guess I have to readjust to the Caribbean.

AnechyNotes