Hey guys,

So, it’s been a while since story time with Cecilia, but in the spirit of Halloween (apologies, this was written on Halloween, but I forgot to post 😅), I’ve got a slightly squeamish, slightly scary story in store for you. It’s got a happy ending, though so please do give it a read!

So, it was around 2:00pm in the afternoon and I was having a great time, minding my own business. I felt a little peckish since the only thing I ate that day was candy so I wanted to make some oatmeal. I went to grab my hoodie and…

*slightly squeamish part start*

Low and behold the biggest cockroach I’ve ever seen in my life!

Its antennas were the length of my pinky finger and body the size of my palm. I would know because the way I got rid of it was grabbing it with a plastic bag. Yes, you heard right. I grabbed it in my hand, with just a plastic bag separating it and my skin. I was so nervous that my initial grip, which I intended to be a light grab, was strong enough to nearly kill it (I finished the kill it by repeatedly bashing the bag with my shoe).

*slightly squeamish part end*

Anyways, its been three hours since the incident and I must say, I’m pretty proud of myself! Other than this initial disgusting story, I wanted to share with you my internal dialogue as I spent a full minute hovering over the offender.

‘Ok I should just hit it with my shoe’
‘Nopity nope, it’s too big, I’d get gunk on my suitcase. I have to grab it.’
‘I can do this. I can grab it!’
‘Can I really? I don’t know… what if it RUNS?’
‘I should call Antonia (my friend who also lives in this building)!’
‘No, she’s even more scared than you are. Remember when we saw the lizard and you screamed and then she screamed and then you screamed just again louder and you both huddled in the corner? You’ll do this alone.’

*DEEP BREATH*

*LUNGE*

The next thing I knew the offender was in my closed fist. I didn’t even realise I moved. You know the rest. Wham. Bam. GOODBYE.

How I felt afterwards (…you know, after I stopped shaking)

Living by myself. Fending for myself in a foreign country. It never felt like a big thing until this very moment. In that minute, I understood what independence was. Facing something that scares the socks of you, wishing that someone else could take care of it, looking desperately for other options, but knowing deep down that it must be done, and that you must be the one to do it.

I’m turning 20 soon, which is crazy to think about because oftentimes I feel like a big kid (I just had bottle of chocolate milk, you know… to make myself feel better 😅). But its times like these when I think about how much I’ve grown, from a kid who hides under her bed sheets when a moth flies by, to someone who grabs a cockroach with their plastic covered hands. From a kid who cried every time she got dropped off at kindergarten (to be fair, I was three 🤫), to someone who lives thousands of kilometers away from her parents. From a kid who runs home from school to watch Avatar: The Last Airbender, to someone who runs home from university to watch Avatar: The Last Airbender 🙃. Point is, I’ve grown, you’ve grown. We may all feel like big kids at heart, but trust me, when the time comes, you’ll be able to step into your ‘adulting shoes’ and do what ‘kid you’ couldn’t!

Until next time –

Cecilia