To all the dogs on the Centre for Environment Education (CEE) campus,
Before coming to India, I could never have anticipated the parts of my life here that have become so important to me. I never expected to live on a beautiful, forested nature reserve in the heart of the bustling city of Ahmedabad. I could not have imagined I would find so many homes away from home during my time here—the corner booth of my favorite biryani shop, the fluorescent halls of the Smart Bazaar in the mall basement, and the calm walkways lining the banks of the Sabarmati Riverfront, to name a few. And I certainly did not anticipate you, my canine friends, being such a core part of my life here.
The CEE campus is filled with a number of lively dogs, each with their own backstory, vibrant personality, and unique place in the complex web of relationships between them. When my friends here began telling me the stories of these dogs, I was surprised at how deep their lore ran. They wove tales of great battles years ago, scandalous love affairs leading to lasting rivalries, and camaraderie that braved even the harshest of conditions. What surprised me the most, though, was how each of these dogs made their own impact on me here. While I can’t hope to capture everything about you in these blogs, I hope my writing these little snippets of how our paths crossed brings you some joy and highlights what you mean to me.
To Alpha: I don’t like to play favorites, but nobody doubts you are the best dog on campus. Your overflowing spirit, charisma, and warmth brings me happiness every time I come across you. I hope that whenever we run into each other, you are as happy to see me as I am to see you. I never forgot the times you were there to greet me as I returned from my travels outside of the city. You make me laugh with how friendly you try to be to all the visitors to CEE’s campus, even if I have to call your name and lead you away if they don’t reciprocate your enthusiasm. Thanks for always unabashedly being yourself.
To Lola: You were the first dog to ever let me pet her when I came here, and that made me feel a little more at home during my first week. I really appreciate your calm, reliable presence, and your quiet enthusiasm for just being present wherever there are fun things happening. I enjoy running to you in the most random places on campus, whether it’s right outside our workspace, on a random forest pathway, or in the depths of the director’s office. From my perspective, it seems like you prefer your own company sometimes among the dogs, but I hope you feel content and happy with your place here. You deserve to be.
To Yuvi: I’ve come to expect you keeping watch right outside of our office door almost
every time I walk into the office. I know you are not the biggest fan of letting people pet you, and I respect that. Regardless, I appreciate your constant presence, and I am really grateful for that one time you chased away the langurs that were approaching me menacingly as I took my Hindi class outside. I’m still a little hurt by that one time I offered you the bun of my KFC burger and you turned up your nose at it, only to immediately devour my friend’s roti that she tossed your way. But I’ll recover one day, I promise.
To Foxy: You are the dog I have bridged the most distance with since I arrived here. I remember that during the first weeks, you would skitter away from me whenever I walked somewhat near you, but nowadays you come running up to me with a silly grin on your face every time you see me. I appreciate the boundless energy with which you zoom across the campus walkways—whenever I see you dashing, it makes me feel a bit more energetic, too. I’m not sure if you and Yuvi are just really good friends or if it’s something more than that, considering that you two spend so much of your time together. Regardless, I hope you two are happy.
To Bonk: For my first few months here, I did not know you very well. It was great to see more of you as the summer came. I really admired your strong will, particularly to escape the heat—I remember how you used to push our office door open and amble in quietly, settling down in a quiet corner of the room to bask in the air conditioning. I was grateful for the company you would bring in doing this when I was working in the office alone late at night. Thank you for your presence. I hope you’re happy where you are now.
To Jhaadu: In my heart of hearts, I appreciate your presence at the CEE hostel. In another life, I wonder if we could have become closer friends, but sometimes I feel like there’s this great invisible wall between us. I do think a closer friendship might have been easier if you didn’t loudly bark outside my window so many nights at 3 AM for minutes on end, or if you didn’t run past me and brush against my leg in the darkness several times, scaring the living daylights out of me. Maybe during the rest of the Fellowship, we can move past our differences. I’m happy to extend the olive branch whenever you’re ready.
To Khaman and Chaas: It was a joy to see you join the cohort of dogs on this campus. Sometimes I wonder if you like what we call you. While it was a bit spontaneous of us to name you after the snack and beverage we were having when we first encountered you, we did so out of affection and care. Your boundless excitement and evident happiness lift my spirits whenever I run into you. I hope I see you more often here.
All of you have formed a core part of my experience at CEE, and I cannot imagine my life in Ahmedabad without you here. I have really enjoyed getting to know each and every one of you. I’m looking forward to seeing even more of you all during the remainder of my Fellowship.
With care,
Garrett
This blog is dedicated to Bonk, who sadly passed away during the course of the Fellowship.
