Turtles Turtles Turtles
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What is it with turtles and me?  Well, recently I discovered that this turtle passion was destined to be =)  You ask why?  Because about half a year ago my Mom made three frames with our (my sis, bro, and I) baby info. such as weight when born, date of birth, etc.  The frames also included the first shirts we ever wore... and... and, yup you guessed it.  My shirt had a little TURTLE on it!  I never even realized this until just a few months ago - what a coincidence!

Anyways, so my interest in turtles began way before realizing what was on this little shirt... When I was a child, we used to have turtles of all sizes who used to live in our garden.  My Mom tells me that I used to play with them - bouncing them off cars, giving them rides in the wheelbarrow, knudging them so their little heads would pop out, etc.  No, I wasn't an evil kid... I was just a curious little kid who was intrigued by turtles. 

Honestly though... think about it.  Aren't turtles totally out-of-this world creatures?  They carry their homes on their back.  Now, how many animals do you know that do that?  They can survive in water and on land.  And, sometimes the shell makes it look like they are wearing hijab (a scarf) on their little bodies or head.  Now, don't laugh...

All my experiences with turtles haven't necessarily been positive ones.  They have actually been quite sad.  My first turtle, U. Polu, was found in the river of Chiniot in Pakistan.  The poor one was missing a hind leg, so I wanted to take it home as a pet.  What I didn't realize was that the heat in our car could be too much for U. Polu to bear despite the fact we had placed him in cold water.  As we returned home, he was dying.  I tried whatever I could at that time (whatever I knew about turtles) to try and save his life, but U. Polu died in my hands.

After that traumatic experience, my passion for turtles started developing.  I didn't know why, but whenever I would see a turtle object I would want it.  Slowly, my turtle collection started to grow as my friends found out.  My family and friends would all give me turtle objects as gifts. 

Then, during my sophomore year at Johns Hopkins, I went to the airport to greet my friend who was returning to school after her winter vacation in Dubai.  She had been joking around with me on the phone before coming back about how she had a surprise for me.  I thought it would be something like a turtle necklace or ring.  Little did I know!!!  When she returned, after the hugs and kisses, she told me to close my eyes and put my hand out.  I did so, and I felt something very tiny crawling on the back of my hand.  I instantly opened my eyes to the biggest surprise ever!  She had brought me back a REAL turtle from Dubai.  Damn, I thought.  How is that possible?  Is this for real? 

Well, it was for real =)  A real turtle in my hands, and I was its owner.  It was mine.  This turtle was the most beautiful turtle I had ever seen in my life - it had to be a 'she' =)  She was gorgeous.  She was very tiny... maybe a little larger than a quarter.  The colors on her were gentle.  There was a very intricate design on the bottom side... almost as if I was looking at a marble piece with a beautiful light green design pattern.  Now, I wish I had taken a picture.  Unfortunately, I only have one picture of her which really doesn't do much justice to her.        
I named her Kainaat, which means 'universe' in Urdu.  She was my Kainaat for the time I had her.  She lived in my dorm with me, and sometimes I'd take her to the HUT or other places on campus so she could watch my friends and I study =)  My friends all became fond of her as well... people enjoyed playing games with her, and she was one friendly little turtle (well, as friendly as a turtle can be).  I didn't know her life would be so short, but Kainaat was only with me for a few months.  She died, and I never knew why or how.  Maybe the new land didn't suit her needs.  I felt horrible when she died... as if I had killed another poor turtle.  Maybe turtle and I just weren't meant to be.  I have been reluctant to have another pet turtle, but if I do someday decide to take on a turtle I will make sure to have more time for it.  I think being a college student and having a turtle is a difficult situation to be in.  Turtles need more attention than we think they do... so my passion for turtles still lives on.  It's not something that dies with a turtle or two...