-Thupten Chokey Gurung, BA Student, from Nepal

 I guess a companion could be anyone or anything who is always by your side- giving comfort in good and bad. It could be a friend, parents, siblings, pets, your favorite flowers, or music. My companion here is my pet, my puppies but big kids now. And I should say I am deeply attached to them now.   

It was one early morning on July 19, during the first lockdown, two little puppies, Haru (Jp: spring) and Nabi (Ko: butterfly) joined our family. I named them so as they seemed to have been born in the spring season. They were a few months old when they were found by the roadside, drenched by rain. Two little puppies came when lockdown soon started to make me get tired of people and I was drifting away from them. As soon as they came, my days started to get more hectic, mostly keeping sure they were in the right place. Also making sure they ate well and of course, cleaning up after them for a few months. After then it was busy potty training them and which was never a success soon before they started going out.   

  Although taking care of them was hard but I was at least engaging with some beings and that made me feel less stressed. They so miraculously did not even let me get stuck inside my room except during my class time. It was like they would call me out to play with them whenever I had free time. Along with that they also made me more sympathetic towards other friends and more compassionate too. I have started to check out friends living on the street and am empathetic toward them. Now, as they are starting to get older, I am getting more attached to them too, which worries me. They are also starting to be more attentive when we see each other and their excitement also lasts longer than it used to(hehe).   

They did play a significant role in keeping me away from loneliness and are still doing so. I hope I am also keeping them happy with me. Two years old friends’ update nowadays, Nabi turned out to be quite naughty, though I do not remember pampering them unnecessarily, was quite strict (the effect of too much watching dog training shows, hehe).