A few weeks ago, United Airlines (UA) made national headlines when a passenger was dragged off a plane. The news overshadowed a lot of other airline news. This included the news that a Canadian passenger was stung by a scorpion on a United flight that same week.
I was amazed at how calm the passenger was when I read about the the incident.
Personally, I am quite squeamish about bugs and insects, as evidenced by my post about bed bugs in hotels. A scorpion — and the sight of its potentially venomous stinger — is no trivial matter to me.
My Probable Reaction
I am a relatively laid back and composed person, but I can’t honestly say I would react as calmly if a scorpion landed on my head. I think I would actually freak out. It’s a scorpion! It’s got a mighty stinger and it could be venomous.
I just hope that I don’t end up freaking out too badly.
Given that I have a fear of bugs, I would be rattled if some “moving” thing falls on my head. I’d probably shriek. I might yell, “Get it off me”. I hope no one tells me it’s a scorpion since I’d freak out more. I’d probably try to fling it off. Rationally, I know this isn’t the best reaction as it might freak out another person, but sometimes that’s your first instinct…
Once it’s off, I hope it’d land on the floor and I’d either try to squash it or trap it in a jar. There is no way I would attempt to pick it up with my hands as the passenger did.
Not Quite as Bad as This Person
Last year, while shopping at a open-air shopping facility in a foreign country, I came across a a gigantic spider. It’s got immensely long legs which made it look even more daunting. I nearly walked right into its path before I caught sight of the light-colored creature. It was easy to miss as it blended in somewhat against the light colored floor tiles.
My reaction wasn’t as dramatic. At least, I didn’t shriek, but I literally jumped back about 3 feet from where I was standing. I didn’t even know I had that athletic prowess to jump that far! A family member saw my reaction (but not the gigantic spider!) and looked confused. I pointed at the spider and all was clear. It was one of biggest spiders I have ever seen.
I was reminded of the incident because I recently came across a video where a guy freaked out over a snake at Thailand’s Internet cafe. The freak-out is relate-able in many ways, though I just feel bad for the poor guy that accidentally got kicked!
How do you think you might have reacted if a scorpion fell on your head? Have you come across a similar situation where you ended up reacting much differently than you expected?
I was bitten in the arm by a scorpion at a resort in Mexico years ago. It was the middle of the night and I levitated from my bed and flew across the room screaming. My husband jumped up and beat it to death with his shoe. The very nice (and terribly worried) fellow on call, came up with a small box with some pills and a list of directions in Spanish. Luckily I’m bilingual so I could read – 1. Take one of the pills. 2 if the pain gets worse, go to the hospital in town and 3. take your credit card. Once I read the last item, I laughed out loud and the poor guy relaxed. He looked at the dead scorpion and said not to worry too much since, it was just a young one. Luckily, my husband also suggested that we get some ice to keep the venom in my arm from heading toward my heart. I felt yucky for a few days but I guess it could have been much worse.
That sounded like a terrifying experience. I certainly wouldn’t be able to sleep (or sleep well) for the rest of the night.
Not to make light of how scary it might be at the time, but I must admit that I laughed out loud reading your story, especially the part. “I levitated from my bed and flew across the room screaming”. Haha, what a great imagery. It sounded like something I would totally do myself.
Thanks so much for sharing!
I’m glad you enjoyed it. I love reading all the reviews on Travel Update and often wish I could do all the traveling about which I’m reading. Keep it up.