the past few days there was a horrible smell in the big room I share with the other girls in our house (our little rooms are like cubbies, with blankets as doors). I couldn't figure out what the smell was, exactly, or where it was coming from, and as the days went by, the stench grew. It reminded me of the smell of the rotting cattle we'd ride by on horses in Bahrain when I used to live there.... so I had a hunch it was a dead rat. After four days of not being able to find it, I called the contractors to see if maybe it was in a pipe or the vents. He looked around outside, on the roof (it's flat), and then we went back inside. I said, wandering around the room, "the smell hits you right here." Just as I said that, I lifted the blanket of the girl who's room is next to mine, and saw a tail...a furry bottom.... and I both screamed and jumped about three feet back. Then the contractor jumped a few feet. The rat had been there for several days, dead. I had to leave the room, it was so disgusting. The man took the dead rat away, I swept up what was left behind (gross), and then went to the gym. As I was falling asleep last night, I couldn't help but think of the dead rat, and of how many more rats must be running around at night.

Well that's about all the time I've got this morning.... ciao!