Potential Pets

I’ve got quite the dilemma. Most volunteers have a pet of some sort, usually a dog or a cat and I’m pretty sure I’ll get one of my own once I’m at post. But the dilemma isn’t whether I should choose a dog or a cat; it’s whether or not I should get a monkey instead. That’s right a monkey. I have a friend here who can get me a monkey for free. But I’m just not sure whether or not I want to have one as a pet. At first the idea of owning a monkey sounds incredibly appealing. It’s an adorable animal that you can teach words and the thought of the furry little creature swinging through the trees, devouring the bananas you give him and most of all perched on your shoulder just sounds absolutely amazing. Not to knock dogs or anything but they’ve got nothing on monkeys. Then there’s the other side of owning a monkey, the part with the responsibility and hard work. First of all I don’t know the first thing about raising a monkey and I can only imagine that it’s pretty damn tough. It’s probably like raising a child, a child who throws his shit. And while the responsibility which comes with owning a monkey is great and should be enough in itself to turn someone away it’s not what will probably stop me from getting one. There are two reasons that will probably stop me. First there is absolutely no way in hell I could ever possibly part with my monkey. I definitely can’t bring him back to the States with me and it would tear me apart to leave him behind. I keep thinking about that Thora Birch movie Monkey Business I watched as a child. The other reason I don’t think I’ll get one is that I just don’t think it’s a very ethical thing to do. Plucking a monkey out of his natural habitat and taking him for my own. I’d be wonderful to my monkey but I just don’t think I’m what he needs. If I left and released him into the wild he would probably die. He’ll have to adapt and it wouldn’t work quite like those heart-warming animal movies like Andre or Free Willy (1-3). Yes owning a monkey would be pretty sweet but I think I’ll go with a dog.
Another bit of animal related news, the other night I saw the biggest spider yet. I’ve seen some pretty big ones so far but this one was bigger than my hand. We were playing cards in the hall when I saw it scurry across the floor. When I pointed it out to my host siblings I watched in amazement as two tiny barefooted children immediately ran and began grinding their heels into it. They left it dead on the floor and when I used my sandals as tongs to pick it’s carcass up and throw it out the window they all burst out laughing.