On the days when the strong Ladakhi sun refuses to shine, it’s nice to have the option of tucking a mini space heater into your sweater or coat. Of course this notion seems ridiculously impractical, but when the mini space heaters are soft fury kittens it’s another story. This much-favored practice by me and other VISpas stays true to SECMOL’s notions of sustainability, ecological friendliness and community. The kittens’ current names are Ka, which means snow in Ladakhi and Chet. But normally they are referred to as be-la, which is the ladakhi name for cat. One of the kittens wandered into our room last night to munch on an exploded bottle of coconut oil (totally edible) and then proceeded to explore his way around the room. I wish I could take them home with me in my suitcase, but I might be met with some distaste from airport security… however, I plan to enjoy them while I am here, even if that means getting called the crazy cat lady.
On the contrary, not all animals at SECMOL are as friendly as the kitchen kittens. On Thursday I was saying hello to the cows, which are slightly removed from campus and I heard this little whimpering sound. I followed the sound and found a little puppy all alone. (I should probably mention there are wild dogs all over campus-especially at night) I had enough common sense to realize that the mother was probably close by but I didn’t see any trace of her, so I took one step closer to see if he was hurt. Then out of nowhere, the mommy dog came out of hiding and barked ferociously at me. I then ran like I’ve never run in my life. She was actually trying to get me! Then of course… I stumbled and fell. I heard her barks behind me and I literally thought I was going to get bitten, clawed or infected with rabies. Fortunately, I then recovered from my fall and sprinted to the kitchen. When I told the Ladakhis this story, they laughed at my stupidity, which I can see the merit in, but it was still super scary!
Post by Caroline Atwood
No comments:
Post a Comment