From the Office to the Farm: A Year of Change Pt. II

Originally published in September 2018

The majority of my day is spent doing work around the farm, depending on the workload from my “real” job. I wake up early, drink coffee, eat breakfast, help with the farm chores, squeeze in some consultancies/translations in between, and tend to the 17 animals in our small but loving farm and, in general, do farm work. That part, living so close to animals, actually seeing them interact with us and with each other, and seeing them in their natural environments has been one of the most life changing experiences.

I’ve always loved dogs, and they have always been treated as part of the family. And while I thought cows were cute, I never gave them a second look. Not so anymore. Everything changes when you see them develop “personalities”, when you see how they establish hierarchies and structure in their own groups. They recognize us, and they recognize each other, they establish bonds with each other and with us. And, far from what I thought, they do actually feel connections and separation. Honestly, I could probably write a book about how I developed so much love for the animals in our farm, so much admiration and even respect, but I will narrow it to one story.

Maya, who is a baby cow, was born about a month after I got here, in May 2017, which is where she got her name. I saw her come into the world, I saw her start trying to get up, and I saw her take her first steps. I saw how her mom, Consentida, cleaned her, fed her, looked after her and protected her. Unfortunately for me, the common custom here is to separate and sell the baby cow three days after being born, which means the baby is with the mom for the most essential amount of time and no more. But that was hard for me to accept.

Then, Maya’s day came. Her mom was taken to another pasture and Maya was left behind. As I saw the whole thing from my window, I couldn’t hold the tears back. It’s a terrible sight to see how the baby sees the only security she has in the world taken away from her. It was hard for her mom, she kept looking back and trying to get back to Maya. But I think it was hardest on Maya. She pulled, she cried, she jumped, she kept looking for her mother. I know they’re not humans, but I cannot even imagine getting separated from my mom in such a terrible way. One moment she was with her mom, and the next, she wasn’t.

Of course, an argument could be that it’s a basic instinct type reaction. That her source of food was taken away, and that it was normal for her to react given the physical separation. But, there was more to it. I went to Maya, I hugged her, and I kissed her on her head and took her to a little shed. I stayed there with her as she laid down, as she curled up and didn’t look up. What a drastic difference; a few hours ago she was jumping, running, eating and clearly happy and now, a sad shadow of what she used to be. I stayed there for a while, talking to her and assuring her it would all be O.K., while inside, I wasn’t sure it would be. Her life – literally as she knew it – was over. I couldn’t stand it.

Fortunately the veterinarian came and I asked why she was like that, if she actually felt the separation and how long a baby cow should be with her mom, for her own health and wellbeing (not just for mine). And he said, to my happy surprise, that at least 3 weeks and that the reason she reacted that way was because she was in fact sad due to the separation from her mother. Side note: I later did more research and baby cows can stay anywhere from three months with their mothers, or even longer. As I’ve learned since then, it seems that longer periods of time are not actually good for the baby or the mom. The baby starts hurting the cow when drinking milk, and it does not actually need as much milk as the cow produces. So, if you don’t separate them, they both get hurt. This year, our other cow had another baby and we happily kept him –Tulip – with his mom for 2 months. Tulip was no longer dependent on his mom, and the mom was no longer as happy to let Tulip drink milk constantly. Maya’s mom, Consentida, also had another baby, Iris, who has been with her mom for three months now.

Anyway, the veterinarian’s fortunate answer was good enough for me. I immediately and successfully talked to my mom and lobbied for Maya and Consentida’s reunion. As I took Maya back to her mom, you could see the happiness. You could sense it. The same way you can tell when people are sad, upset or happy, you can see it in cows as well, at least in a reunion like this one. Maya’s actions changed immediately.

And there, with that one day, my life and outlook towards cows and by extension the rest of my farm animals, started to drastically change.

To me, they’re like the 5 dogs and cat we have (2 dogs in the U.S, 3 dogs and one cat here). They have a name, they react when they see me, they interact with each other, they’re smart, they get happy, upset, they’re comfortable with some people and not others, and so on.

Now, the 2 cows, 3 baby cows, 2 baby future bulls, donkey, horse, goat, sheep, 2 chickens are all part of the animal family in the same way my dogs and cat are. I love them in the same way. As a dog or cat owner can understand, you create a special bond with them; that’s the same thing I’ve established with the rest of them, especially with Maya. I hug them, I pet them, I kiss them. Personally, I think that animals, in many ways, are better than humans. They don’t judge. They bring you happiness. They bring you joy. They give you positive energy, and that, above all, is the number one thing I’ve gotten from them. Positive energy. Good vibes. Great things.

So, what happens when you create such strong bonds with them? When they are no longer just animals but important beings in your life? Well, what happened to me after many months of contemplation, is that I became vegetarian about 5 months ago. Yes, most people say, you don’t put a face to your food, or, the ones you eat are not the ones you love. But, it’s hard for me to make that distinction. The truth is, none of the animals I used to eat died without pain. I cannot think of how horrible I would feel to know that one of my babies is getting killed for food. And I cannot separate the thought of those very close beings to other beings. I can’t. I’m not asking others to follow, or to think of it the same way I do. No, for me, this whole thing has been a very personal experience.

It is a real contrast. I’ve never been a big meat-eater, but I do have to admit that my favorite meals (lasagna, for example) have meat. And when I moved to Colombia, I never in a million years thought that one of the biggest changes I would make would be to stop eating meat. But, once again, life takes you places you do not always plan, it teaches you new things or new ways of looking at life. And, more than anything, it is a very personal journey; this new perspective means something to me, where it would mean something different to someone else. I never planned on becoming vegetarian, but it became my reality.

Now, being vegetarian in Colombia… that’s definitely a whole different story…