those troublesome little vampires!

No, I'm not talking about a certain Cullen family (Ha, never thought I'd use a twilight reference!). Actually, I'm referring to what one of my students likes to call mosquitoes. 'Little vampires', because they come out at night and suck your blood. How very apt, seeing as I am being bitten alive my the damn things.

 Living in Italy is fantastic, as you will discover from reading, erm, every other article on my blog. It's a sunny, happy place. But unfortunately, as said sun shines and said people bumble around being all happy, poor Amy gets attacked in her sleep and is left with little itchy bites everywhere. (Yes, even on my nose.) I think it's because the little buggers have discovered that there's some foreign cuisine available, in the form of my blood. My sweet, English blood. 'Why dine on Italians when you can try something new and different!?' The mosquito billboards are saying. 'Who needs Italians? There's enough Amy for everyone!'. OK, you get the point. Basically, I'm a little fed up with being a constant source of nourishment.

Italians are prepared for these little beasties. They have numerous items available to prevent mosquitoes from nibbling you. Autan insect repellent for example. Spray it on, choke to death on the fumes, and then see if the potent liquid wards off the mosquitoes. Hmm. It doesn't work too well for me I'm afraid. When I was in Kenya I used a repellent with a high DEET content, and that was pretty good. But while the mozzies don't like it, nor does your skin. It's really strong stuff.

The 'normal' stuff

The 'strong' stuff

So what else is there? Citronella candles of course, but all the Italians I've spoken to don't seem to rave about them too much. They prefer to use a little plug-in filled with insect repellent. Stick it in a plug socket and watch the mosquitoes die in front of your eyes (apparently this does happen, as my 'little vampires' student told me). Brands such as Raid seem to be pretty popular and get good reviews, and the one I've tried (Baygon) is quite good too.

I've yet to try the more, erm, brutal method of getting rid of the blighters. There are machines that emit a light that attracts the mosquitoes and zaps them, or you can even buy what can only be described as 'rackets', that you swat at the mosquitoes and they meet a similar fate. Not too sure about these, but if it sounds like your kind of thing, prices seem to be around €4 for the rackets and I've been told that you can get a zapping machine (it's technical name I'm sure) for about €15.

It's also a fairly well known fact that if you wear lighter colours then the mosquitoes are less attracted to you. Peppermint oil, lavender oil and garlic are also said to be useful in keeping them away. Although using all three at the same time may create a bit of a stink. 

So what does one do if such methods fail to work, or one is out and about in areas where carrying around giant zapping fly swats is not socially acceptable? Well, the little vampires are going to get you, whichever way you look at it. Personally, I don't suffer from extreme allergic reactions, but I do suffer from major itching. I've done a little research online to see what methods are used to alleviate the pain and itching. If I've personally used any of the methods, I've written a comment about how (un)successful they were.

• Spit. Dab a bit of your own (because surely you don't want to use anyone else's...ick) on the bites to relieve itching. This doesn't work for me, and it's a bit gross...
•  Alcohol. Again, apply some directly onto the bite. I used antibacterial hand gel (which has a high alcohol content) and that worked fairly well, although didn't last too long. 
• Lemon/Lime. Yet to try this one.
• Antihistamines. Work well, especially if you're reacting badly to the bite. 
• Toothpaste. Recommended to me by my boyfriend's family, but for me it didn't work too well. They are fans of this method however.
• Ice pack. Put an ice pack on the bite to relive the swelling/itching. This worked quite well for me, but after a fairly short while I was suffering again.
• Heat. Put some hot (very hot, but not boiling as this is definitely not a smart thing to do) water on the bite for 5 or 6 seconds (I put the bite directly under the running water of use a cloth and hold it against the bite) to relive the itching. This is my preferred method. The heat hurts a bit at first but it definitely relieves the itching for at least a day, if not completely. 

 So, they you have it. Some tips and ideas for coping with these little vampires. If you don't get bitten, pass this on to someone who does, and I'm sure they will thank you for it!

sweaty betty!

I love hot weather. I love Italy because during the summer, the weather is gorgeous and definitely hot. So surely, during this sunny July, I shouldn't be complaining about it being too hot, right? Errrm.....

In case you haven't heard on the news recently, we are currently smack bang in the middle of some seriously hot weather.

The anti-cyclone 'Charon' is the reason for this intense heat. Hot air is making its way from Algeria and Tunisia, and settling quite happily all over Italy. According to sources online and national newspapers, there are 15 cities on 'red alert'. In other words, it's damn hot.

In my town over the past few days, we've seen temperatures of about 34 to 39 degrees C. In Foggia, the nearest big city however, they have experienced over 40.Going outside, especially between the hours of 12 and 5, is like stepping into a sauna. And travelling by car is rather hellish. The streets are dessert ed at this time of day, because people here, even though they are used to high temperatures, are inside trying to avoid the heat. 

The shops are selling fans for the home and women are carrying little hand held ones. Those without air conditioning look positively knackered, because during the night it's near impossible to sleep. Those who are lucky enough to have air conditioning (myself included, and I am eternally grateful) have it on full blast and aren't budging from their cool houses. Needless to say my boyfriend (who is sans air conditioning) is spending rather a lot of time at my flat recently.

So how does one cope with such high temperatures? Particularly a Brit, or someone from a much cooler country (because yes, I am fully aware that there are any countries much hotter than this one...and I definitely couldn't live in them! :D ) could try the following (or at least, this is what works for me!):

• Drink a ridiculous amount of water. Yes, it means way more bathroom trips but it's worth it!!
• Cool showers, especially to cool down before you go to bed. I did this when I was in Kenya.
• If you have air conditioning, of course use it. But not during the night, as you may wake up feeling a bit groggy. 
• Go to the beach if you can. And plonk yourself in the sea. The sea breeze will help as well.
• Use a decent amount of suncream, obviously. Heatstroke, or even sunburn, isn't pleasant.
• Don't go out between 12 and 4 in the afternoon. Do your shopping/chores early in the morning or in the evening. 
• Eat lots of cool, fresh fruit. I particularly like pineapple, and my boyfriend loves watermelon.
• And finally, eat ice cream or ice lollies. I can't get enough of Callipos!

This heat is meant to continue for the next week or so. If you're also in Italy, or an expat in a similar situation, I hope you get some slightly more pleasant temperatures soon!