"What could be biting me inside the house?"

When I lived in Korea, the sound of 'wing~' during summer nights was almost a given, and lighting mosquito coils while clapping my hands was part of daily life.

If you got bitten indoors, it was almost 99% a mosquito. I hardly had any memories of being bitten by bugs from autumn to spring.

But coming to America, the story is different.

It's not just mosquitoes that are the culprits; there are literally a lineup of usual suspects waiting.

First up is still the mosquito.

However, unlike Korean mosquitoes, American mosquitoes are larger and there are news alerts about West Nile virus outbreaks.

The second suspect is fleas.

Thanks to carpet culture in America, fleas can surprisingly hide easily. Once bitten by a flea, the intensity of the itch is no joke. These fleas are smaller than a grain of rice, making them hard to catch, and there are even specialized pest control companies for fleas.

The third is bedbugs. They used to sound like a legend, but in America, they are still very much a reality. Especially in big cities like New York, news about bedbugs is common. Being bitten by a bedbug is itchy, but more than that, it feels like the sanctuary of the bed is being attacked. Ever since hearing about bedbugs, I have developed a habit of checking the mattress first whenever I go to a hotel.

The fourth suspect is spiders. Spiders don't usually bite people, but depending on the region in America, there are highly venomous ones like the Black Widow or Brown Recluse. It is said that bites often occur in places like garages or basements.

The fifth is the disgusting biting midge. Some flies in America bite people. Especially the flies encountered near lakes cling more persistently than mosquitoes. I have been startled and slapped them with my palm more than once after being caught off guard by their small size.

The sixth is ticks. While it is advised to be cautious of ticks during outdoor activities in Korea, in America, ticks are a much more serious issue. They can transmit Lyme disease, so being bitten can lead to needing to go to the hospital rather than just dealing with simple itching. They can come from lawns near home or through pets, making me often wonder, "Could my bite be from a tick?"

At this point, when I feel itchy indoors, identifying the culprit becomes almost like a detective game.

"Is it a mosquito today? Or did a flea ambush me? Was there a bedbug in the bed?"

It's funny, but all of this is a new experience gained from living in America.

What used to be just a mosquito coil in Korea now requires sprays, traps, and even professional pest control here.

When friends gather and say, "Hey, I got bitten three times on my shin yesterday," the response is not "That's a mosquito," but rather "That sounds like a flea, or maybe a bedbug?"

Ultimately, getting bitten by various bugs while living in America gives me the feeling of "I really am living in America."