Unexpected Adoption Day

Anytime I feel like I am forming a routine here in Barranquilla something happens that completely disrupts the flow. Many years of traveling have taught me how to adapt to multiple scenarios that interfere with my path, but embracing Colombian culture is unlike anything I've encountered before. Residing in a country that's making progress toward overcoming social instability has shown me a thing or two about patience and embracing the little things in life. People carry a unique perspective of compassion that one would not expect. Easy to say this mentality has taken its toll on me over the past seven weeks, and I can only see its force grow stronger in my future.

Yesterday was especially enduring considering that it imprinted a mark that will remain for the rest of my stay in Barranquilla. I had just arrived home from teaching and was so hungry I barely noticed my host aunt Ruth leaning over the bushes outside my bedroom. It wasn't until I dropped off my books and nearly trucked it toward the kitchen, that I came to realize the odd layout before me. Curiosity always kills the cat, therefore one can imagine how my decision to snoop tattooed a one-way path on my current journey in Colombia.

"Ay dios mio," Ruth muttered as my eyes caught sight of the turtle devouring the leaves off her luscious plants. The image I just presented is identical to my perspective at that moment, assuming she was annoyed with the little morrocoya. Ruth caught me by surprise when she starting speaking of her concern for the poor animal who had found herself trapped. She went on to say that a turtle had not found a way into her yard in over eight years.

I personally did not see the problem at first. Like in the United States, my thought has always been that its best to set animals free and let them find their way naturally. I listened to how she defined her concerns of the reoccurring arroyos and reckless drivers who won't even bother to stop for a child crossing the street. Basically, the morrocaya is doomed to death if placed outside the perimeter of our property.

My host brother Anderson, told me that whenever turtles find their way onto someone's property they are usually always taken in with no questions asked. He continued to explain that since they are unaccounted for on the streets, a better way of life is offered in the safe perimeter of a home. That night, we spent a solid two hours checking every nook and corner of the yard to make sure Patricia had no way of unknowingly escaping to her death.

At first I thought Anderson was exaggerating when he told me that it was common for costeños to take in wild turtles. That changed during the second hour of classes today as I was speaking to one of the other English teachers while the students did their assignments. I showed her a picture of the morrocaya Patrícia, and told her how Anderson and I plan to take care of her. She laughed and reflected about how she rescued her own turtle that she had taken in over a year ago.

It seems that my feet have touched the sand of a new path here in Barranquilla. I can say I have ever owned a turtle in my life, let alone one that has found its way to me from the wild. Lucky for Patrícia and I, we are surrounded by people who have acquainted this before. It did not cross my mind that part of the cultural immersion process would include the adoption of a wild animal. But when you are living on the coast, you always accept what comes your way without question or concern.