Realizing that for most, winter was not an obstacle stopping life, he made efforts to explore his neighbourhood. After all, there was no danger around each street corner here. However, becoming accustomed to walking on icy roads was a challenge he thought he would never overcome. Whenever he went for a stroll, he felt like a toddler learning to walk ,and people stared at him with curiosity.
Before long, he realized that the hidden patches of ice under the snow made everyone walk cautiously like a duck, with feet spread – as if stepping on invisible marbles – and, at times, balancing by extending the arms out to the sides. In his mind, it was funny, like an attempt to dance and walk with sore feet in undersized shoes. Quickly, Amani realized that it was better to imitate the locals to avoid falling in embarrassing ways.
The curiosity never ended. On one of the outings, on a frosty sunny day after a snowstorm, he saw many people out, as if everyone was just waiting to get fresh air. Until then, he had never realized how many people had dogs. They were of all sizes and colours, some tiny like a large rat, others tall and stylized like a valet dancer, and even others round like balloons with small feet. Moreover, the most intriguing aspect was that all the owners carried small plastic bags in their hands.
Walking behind a couple, moving and stopping at the will of the dog, he was surprised to see that a minute coat covered the animal and even tinier red rubber boots wrapped its feet.
-“That is definitely something,” he thought, while the image of small children without shoes in the streets back home flashed in his mind.
Little did he know at the time, but he would soon learn how much people adored their pets in his adopted society, and how far people would go to keep them safe and happy. They had a special bond with their dogs. People would have full dialogues with them while walking. At the same time, they would look at him suspiciously and avoid eye contact.
-“This is definitely a curious culture,” he though sometimes. “It seems that people trust their pets more than their neighbours.”
Where he came from, pets were, most of the time, a luxury. People did not have enough to eat themselves, much less to share their meagre resources with a cat or a dog. A bunny, a spoiled pet here, was often the best part of the menu at big celebrations at home.
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