Kamama or Not Kamama

28 November, 2013

If you're reading this but haven't read my last entry "They Say Dogs Are a Man's Best Friend", then go back and read it first otherwise this entry will just waste your time with confusion.

I tossed and turned all night wondering if Kamama (little mama) decided to run away or not. I knew that wherever she was she wasn't sleeping well, and I felt guilty for not having found her when my friend and I went to look in the afternoon....maybe I didn't search hard enough...maybe I didn't call her name loud enough. But I meditated on finding her, and I knew I would see her in the morning.

My principal picked me up around 6:30, and after about 20 minutes we pulled onto Gunkwe Primary School grounds. 

I looked frantically out the windows but Kamama was nowhere to be found. My heart sank. All of my effort to help show her that she can trust some people flushed down the drain. I blamed myself because if I had just went to the vet a day sooner she would be here....

Then all of a sudden I hear whimpering from outside the car. I flung the door open, jumped outside, yelled, "Kamama!" and she came running around the vehicle (as fast as she could with a limp) and crashed into my legs, crying and wagging her tail. Even my principal let out a sound of relief and smiled at me as I ruffled her ears and fur on her head. She was so excited to see me that when I began to walk to my hut she kept leaning into me making me trip over her and myself. 

I got inside and poured a bowl of dog food and put her pain pill and antibiotic in with it. She looked at the bowl and then looked back at me with a confused face. I realized this dog has never seen proper dog food before. She slowly picked up a kibble, dropped it on the floor, smelled it, and then ate it. She repeated this step once more and then ravaged the entire bowl with gusto, pills and all. While she was occupied, I thought I could try cleaning her wound, but when I got close to the burn she began to growl...I didn't want to push my luck. When she was finished with her food I poured her a bowl of water. This was the first time she ever accepted water from me. I'm guessing she was in too much pain to find a place with water for herself, so she was very thirsty. 

Satisfied, she limped over to me and laid her head in my lap. I pet her and talked to her for the next thirty minutes and then the pain pill started to kick in. She wobbled back and forth and tried to fight sleep, but she finally collapsed and passed out....for 3 and a half hours straight. 

I can't explain how happy I was to see her feel safe enough to finally give into such a pleasant slumber. Nobody could bother her as long as she was in my hut and out of the hot sun. 

When she awoke, I managed to get her outside so I could lock up and head back to Katima. She was able to walk with more ease and her energy felt lighter. She followed me until she knew I had to get in the car. 

The best feeling though....was when the same people that had laughed at me yesterday for caring too much asked me how Kamama was doing. Whether they genuinely cared or not, at some point they must have realized that I was hurt by what had happened, and I know they care about how I feel because these are the same people that have gone to great lengths to make sure my entry into this region went comfortably and smoothly. They're my family. Even though we come from two different countries, we share the same world. And I know that while we have our differences, when it comes down to it we would all be there for each other. 

Tomorrow I will continue giving Kamama her pills, and the senior teacher will take over Saturday since I have to go to Windhoek (10 hours away) for reconnect training for a week. After that I will be spending a week on the west coast at Swakopmund (beach time, bitcheeees!) and then a few days in Okahandja with the family that welcomed me into their home upon arrival to Namibia in July. But at least I can travel knowing that Kamama is only going to get better, and I know when I return home, she'll be just as happy to see me as I will be to see her. 

Oh, usually I have sheets on my bed, but my roommate, Protex (the mouse), pooped all over my bed while I was gone over the weekend....so I have to wash everything. Yes, I'm working on kicking him out. He doesn't even pay rent anyway...