Eat, pray, adopt

by Valentina Caballero (Mexico)

Making a local connection Mexico

The ninth month of my journey throughout Asia began with his bloody, gashed neck landing slowly upon my feet. I took it as my welcome ceremony in Rishikesh. India, the place that turned into a promise I made to myself when I was seven years old and discovered the existence of its mystical culture, exotic fauna and vibrant colors. As if he wasn't carrying an agonizing body, he gently swung his head and pierced his gaze into my eyes. It was disturbing, mesmerizing but over all, oddly familiar. He could have just talked to me, asked for help and I would have just replied, questioned him on how and why this had happened to him. His gaze felt strongly warm and humane. I was paralyzed for a few moments. I thought of past lives and past encounters. I thought I was being ridiculous. I had just dropped my luggage at the ashram I was going to live in for the next 30 days so I carried and wrapped him with the flounce of my long dress and ran back to ask for help to the staff that had just greeted me earlier. When they saw me almost by the vestibule, they rolled up their eyes and asked me to stay at the patio to avoid the blood dripping on the floor. The man who later will be giving me lessons of empathy, threw me a piece of paper and said Dr. Bisht would be able to help me. Then proceeded to yell that dogs were not allowed in the ashram while pointing at his severe wound and shaking rapidly that particular, dear Indian nodding head. "...The animal cruelty that I have witnessed across the entirety of my trip among the waste management crisis and the terrifying, disruptive tourism trend, has sadly become one of the darkest highlights of this journey..." I read these lines on the first page I opened on my notebook to quickly tuck the scratched piece of paper with Dr. Bisht telephone number. As I walked downhill, desperately looking for a rickshaw, I started to think how for the past 9 months, I have been finding myself in every country I have visited frustrated by how I will store food on my bag for the next animal I'll encounter. His weight started to feel heavier, I spoke to him in Spanish Language while hugging him stronger and pressing his wound with my hands wrapped in my dress. Phileas got recovered after 30 days of daily treatments. I snuck him into my bedroom every night after 10:00 pm when the staff was done turning off the lights. He waited patiently for me every day at the same spot, around the corner of my bedroom, where I'll call him and lead him into my door. Every day after ashtanga class, I'll find him there ready for his lunch. He will eat, drink and later slide under my bed, which was the only place where he will take a 3 hour nap. My classmates became accomplices and were all contributing to the cause. In that same bedroom, he got secretly neutered and vaccinated. Phileas projected on me a presence I was longing for. I named him like Mr. Fogg because I thought of him as the dog that was going to cross the continents by my side. We were not going to go around the world in eighty days, we had just about 45 to wait until the stated times the United States recommends to avoid quarantine. We traveled across India, in trains, buses cars and one boat. We got stopped by all type of people that could hardly understand why I was holding an Indian dog on a leash. We spreaded love and care together. Nine days before our flight, Philease got attacked by a stray dog in Pushkar. He survived. It's been 2.5 years since I send money to the family that accepted to take care of him and ever since we met I learnt how to live my life with the presence that our encounter have provided me with. I know I will see him again one day.