My Thai Roommates
TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains an image of a Huntsman Spider.
Tal Carmel, 136 YinD
Living in Thailand you find yourself in some “interesting” living conditions.
I’m not talking about bucket showers or no wifi, I’m talking: roommates.
“…Roommates?! But Tal, if it’s not your host fam it’s not allowed!”
Correct! However, these are not the type of roommates you invite or agree to live with, these are the roommates who show up and tell you they live here.
In my case, I’ve learned to live with them, grown quite fond of them, and took a vested interest in learning a bit more about them, so without further ado I’d like to tell you just a little bit about my roommates: the Jing Jok (Gecko or จิ้งจก) and the Huntsman Spider.
To start I’ll tell you about how I view the Jing Joks:
There are 2 main colors I see: blue-ish with spots (not to be confused with Satan’s dragon, the Tokay gecko), and the pale-white ones
They are around 2-5 inches nose to tail
S**t everywhere.
Scamper when you approach, as if I even want to touch them
Apparently they are very sociable and curious, so if they’re comfortable enough with you (from a distance) they will “hang out” with you in the room and watch you, or as I like to imagine, watch with me.
Chirp when it’s least convenient
Usually a few of them co-habitating, but they seemingly have their own territories.
Oblivious to danger. I have had about three unalive themselves by hiding in window tracks, under my beanbag chair, or literally catapulting themselves off the wall and causing internal bleeding which resulted in them dying on my kitchen counter.
I think they’re cute. Personal opinion.
Make excellent listeners, feel free to vent and overshare, they won’t tell anyone.
On to my next roommate, a fairly controversial one, but stick with me: The Huntsman spider:
Look terrifying-- 8 skinny long legs, bulbous body, greyish-brown color, males have a black “moustache” marking.
Massive. Think, Tarantula-sized
Only ever had one at a time, over the past year this is the second one I’ve had, the first one lived with me for maybe a month or two, but since they like to hide, who knows for how long it actually was, and if it’s not the same one…
Super shy (apparently): they will study you and your habits in order to avoid you, how considerate.
They won’t bother you, but instead they will “pay rent” by eating cockroaches and bugs.
Quiet.
They won’t touch you, I’ve walked past mine many times and it just freezes and looks at me, sometimes it flattens out in order to “hide”, but when they’re in the middle of the floor or on a white wall… needless to say, it doesn’t work well.
Also, really great listeners, but don’t expect a response.
Don’t spin webs, so cleaner than jing joks who leave presents everywhere.
Now that I’ve told you a bit about my Thai roommates, my next piece of dropped knowledge is this: don’t be afraid of them. Neither will attack you, jump on you, or bite you, they may startle when suddenly you notice them, but as someone who’s been cohabitating with them both for a year now, I can confidently say, they’re harmless.
Learn to accept them and it will be a surprising way to make a solo living experience less lonely. Friendship can come in many forms, and I never thought I’d see the day where I look forward to having a spider in my house.
