Day 131: The Fly

I don’t think flies serve any useful purpose for mankind. Other bugs and critters at least have a role in helping with the cycle of life. For example, bees buzz around pollinating flowers and making honey that we can eat. Worms crawl through softening the earth and they are helpful attached to a hook if you go fishing. Even the most despised of all critters, the spider, helps by eating other bugs and insects, keeping their population in check. But flies...really what good do they do? All flies do is annoy you with their constant pestering, land on and regurgitate in your food, and spread disease.

Flies in Afghanistan are particularly bothersome. They look exactly like flies back home but for some unknown reason, they are unusually persistent in bothering people. I thought it was just me when I first arrived. “What is up with these flies?”, I would ask myself. “They just won’t leave me alone.” As I have spoken with others, I have found that everyone agrees that these flies are far more aggressive than the average American fly. Maybe the years of living in a war torn country have taught them that they have to be strong to survive in this land. They just keep coming and coming until finally...SPLAT...you catch them with the fly swatter. Everyone at the office has a fly swatter and throughout the day you hear...“Got it”, “that’s gotta hurt”, “this one needs a medic”, or “you’re finished you *!%^@&!”. Perhaps we have been blessed with these flies as a means for us to vent, unleash bottled up aggression, or just to provide good sport.

Even as I type I am after one of these annoying creatures. He keeps flying in buzzing my ear, then dropping down in my hair, then flying off before I can get him. He is a smart one because the only place I have seen him land is right on my computer screen...he knows I won’t strike there. Oh well, what can you do. I guess it could be worse. At least he doesn’t bite or have a stinger. Maybe I’ll just make friends with him and...oh wait...one second...I got him!

I actually learned some interesting, some may call it disturbing, facts while writing this post about flies. Try googling "fly facts" or check out this article (not recommended for those with OCD). For those of you who want entertaining rather than disturbing try reading this one. By the way, if you read my post yesterday, I think I discovered the source of my frequent illness--the fly.

There are "fly traps" all over camp here. This is an example of one we have in the bathroom. They are attracted to it, stick on it and can't get away.