It´s a boy! It´s a girl!

(written in mid April)

The week before my In-Service Training conference in another province closer to Panama City, my host sister’s ratty dog named Pulga (Flea) gave birth to a litter of one, a handsome little blonde male.

My host sister gifted me the puppy. I will admit it – I didn’t even try to say no, because he was just so beautiful (and flea-infested), and both the runt and the pick of the litter. For months I have been broadcasting to my community friends and neighbors that I am looking for a kitten, and do not want a dog because of the responsibility and long-term attachment. A week before I had hiked to another community to check up on a promised kitten, only to find out that both kittens in the litter had died. For some reason, in this region puppies are a dime-a-dozen and kittens are rare.

When I came back from the one week conference, I was told it was time to take the puppy up to my house. It turns out that the mom Flea was so underfed that she couldn’t produce milk, so for the time being I am feeding and giving powdered milk to both dogs. Flea’s ribs are much less visible these days. I tell Flea over and over again that as soon as the puppy is self-sufficient, I am going to stop feeding Flea, but I am not sure she is listening.

About three days later, my German Engineers Without Borders friend Senana came to visit me with a 3 month old kitten in hand. She knew I had been looking for a kitten for months, and kindly decided to help me out.

Two days later, I left for a community leadership seminar I helped facilitate. I was frazzled to leave these two new pets running loose with my host mom (and 9 crazy kids under the age of 8) for 5 days. I even considered bringing the puppy with me, but decided it might not be too professional to show up at the Ministry of Health office with a puppy to ask pushy questions about the water project.

The running Bechi** joke is that I finally have my own family, as being a man-less and child-less 23 year old around here is pushing old maid status. At the last meeting it was pronounced by the water committee president that now I am only missing a chicken for a complete family.
I named the puppy Ñono, which means “sun” in Ngaberi, and the kitten Meri, which means “woman” in Ngaberi. People find the names hilarious because pets here only have Spanish names, and well, the kitten is named Woman. The animals will continue to be a pain because of the come-and-go nature of my livelihood, but I am convinced that their entertainment value will make up for it.

**I learned from my Ngabe instructor that my original name spelling (Belli) was wrong. Bechi it is. Still pronounced (Beh-jee).