So I've had a new adventure recently. Ever heard of mango worms? My personal collection is pictured above. They hatch when flies lay eggs on your clothes as they are hanging on the line to dry. The catch is WHERE do they hatch? Under you skin! Little bumps form that itch like crazy. Every once in a while you suddenly get zapped with a stinging sensation...that's the worms moving inside you! When the bumps get bigger and harder and you can't stand it another second, you put some oil on to suffocate the guy and then squeeze them and voila, out pops a wiggly worm! The first time I witnessed this was my first year in Congo when I was staying up north in Ouesso. My colleague thought he had a boil but treated it to no avail until one day a Congolese came by and was like, "Hey! Just squeeze it!" and out popped a very ripe worm wiggling and writhing. I thought, "That's it. There's just no where to go from here."
This past week I survived a nasty batch of mango worms myself. Mine even had the special effect of getting infected and causing a fever which kept me home for an entire day. I'm back in good health now with just a few battle scars.
