One day, about a year ago, I found myself hungry with no snacks to eat. So, being a classic Missionary Kid, I went in search of food. But, to my dismay, the mango and banana trees were devoid of any fruit. So, hoping to find something worth eating, I went and found my friend, Mugabe Robert. He knew a lot of the trees in the area, so I asked him if there was any ripe fruit nearby. He took me to a local jackfruit tree (see the above picture) and told me there was a ripe one at the top. But, there was a catch. He said that he was afraid of the wasps in the tree and refused to climb until they were removed. I, thinking I was fearless, volunteered to go and pick the fruit.

Now, as you’ve seen in the picture above, jackfruits are giant fruits that can withstand a twenty-foot fall. The only way to pick them is to saw off their stem and let them drop to the ground. So, armed with a machete, I climbed the tree. Then, seeing the wasp nest, I faltered.

The nest was HUGE. Easily larger than my closed fist, it teamed with wasps.

“Ah, Mugabe?” I shouted down. “If I suddenly jump down, prepare to run.”