Mantis Gigantis

I almost died yesterday because of a praying mantis.

Let me preface by mentioning that Koreans are weenies about bugs. The children scream with terror when they see a fly, and spiders cause some of them to wet their pants and cry. I am not exaggerating. I think their extreme reactions are due to the fact that insects and wildlife of any kind are very, very seldom seen. They live in a world of concrete, cars, and smog.

So the field trip: We hopped on the bus and made our way to the arboretum. On the way, I marveled at a gigantic praying mantis on the trunk of the car in front of us. About 30 seconds later, a teacher says, "Rachel! Get that praying mantis off the seat!" I look, and on the back of the bus driver's seat is a huge walking stick. A Manits Gigantis. It was an absolute monster. I grab the only thing I can - a box of kleenex. Just as I am about to take care of it, the bus driver snatches the kleenexes away from me. I don't know why. I guess he didn't recognize that I was trying to save his life.

This gigantic stick moved fast. I have never seen them move like that. He was literally a few inches from the driver's face, and he still had no idea that he was in danger. It was then that my imagination began unfolding a story of terror and tragedy.

I pictured this huge bug jumping on the man's face, spread eagle. The man would try to pry him off with one hand while precariously steering with the other hand, but to no avail. We would swerve and the children would scream as the driver devoted both of his hands to removing the linear monster. The bus would lose control and we would die in a firey crash.

In reality, I really was afraid that the mantis would startle him and he would swerve. Which he did. He started swiping at the bug and we veered and swerved in and out of lanes. At one point, we were dangeously close to the solid concrete median. Luckily, he kept his cool and swept it out the window with nothing more than some white knuckles and frantically closed eyes from the teachers.

Here are some pictures from the field trip: