It's been a while since my last blog, 14 days to be exact, but that's Goa for you. I've been here for nearly 6 weeks now and the whole thing feels like a blur. This wasn't helped by the last couple of weeks; mad just doesn't even cover it. One of the great things about being in Goa for longer than a fortnight is that I'm meeting new people and making new friends all the time. Usually during my time here during the Christmas holidays I spend all my time with the already established friends and family gang that we have going on out here so venturing outside of that circle is certainly a new thing for me. But venturing I am and last week during a night out with my new Goan bestie, Gazelle, I met a boy. Correction, I met a man. But we won't go into that. Fast forward a week and I'm officially retiring from the party scene in Goa until at least Christmas. I have never been a big 'going out and getting hammered' type of person, I'm more the stay at home with friends, a box set and a bottle of wine type of gal so partying like I was eighteen again was certainly an experience and I think something that I really needed to do. I'm sensible, responsible, cautious - spontaneous is not a word that many would use to describe me - but since coming to India I think I'm finally learning to relax a bit and be less hard on myself. I've embraced having curly hair (an occurrence which only happens in this kind of heat unfortunately), I'm going out on the town in flip flops, I'm sleeping for as long as my body needs and I'm really really enjoying myself. Last week I danced, I drank, I danced some more, and then some more (seriously, I forgot how much fun dancing until 6am can be!) for five nights straight and I've had THE BEST time but today I'm returning to being 25 and accepting that I can't handle a hangover like I used to. My big sister Kim arrives on Christmas day (which unbelievably is only 10 days away) so I'm going to be good until then, give myself a well deserved rest before the family starts arriving.
Speaking of Christmas, I really can't believe it's less than two weeks away. I wake up every morning to a clear blue sky, searing sunshine and no clue what day of the week it is never mind what the date is. I've gone from being Miss Filofax to Miss (trying to) Go with the Flow so Christmas creeping up on me was definitely a surprise. My world has turned from a universe where Christmas couldn't possibly exist with all the palm trees and cocktails to suddenly being flooded with evidence of the holiday. I heard children singing Christmas carols yesterday, Christmas decorations are suddenly appearing everywhere I look and I've spent the afternoon decorating the tree in our friend Graham's garden. This was no mean feat as the tree is over 10 feet tall and the ladder I was using was tied to a branch overhanging the river - I had to get over any height issues pretty quickly to reach the taller branches! Discussions have started about Christmas day lunch - are we cooking at dad's this year, what are we eating and sorting out the guest list. It all suddenly seems to be just around the corner and I'm totally unprepared. It's also sparked a wave of homesickness that I haven't felt for a few weeks - I close my eyes and I can see London in December - mulled wine and ice skating and present shopping. Luckily I've got my own little Christmas fairy sending me reminders (thanks again for the Covent Garden Christmas tree photo!) but it feels strange not to be there for the build up. It's odd because I've actually spent the last five or six Christmases in India so it's not like I'm not used to it, I think it's just that I'm missing everything else that goes with it - Christmas music in shops from October, the Coca Cola 'holidays are coming' advert, sending out my Christmas cards (because yes, I'm one of the dying breed who actually still send out cards) and the work Christmas party. This is a big one for me because for the last three years, I was in charge of organising it. It feels strange to know that so many things are carrying on without me being there - I know I'm being slightly self indulgent in presuming life wouldn't go on with me on another continent but humour me - I miss it. Of course, I shouldn't really be complaining, I'm having the most amazing time here, I think slowing down and having the freedom to do whatever I want is agreeing with me. Plus it's over 30 degrees here and it's mid December so I really should shut up!
One of the things I was hoping to do more of during my time in India is reading - the reality is that I've been so busy with other things that I've really been neglecting the huge pile of books sitting in my room here. So far I've read some Rushdie, some Steinbeck and a few holiday reads but I brought a suitcase full of books with me so I really need to carry on and not let myself get distracted by the delights of Goa. After being used to only really reading during the 25 minute journey to and from work it's quite a treat to be able to sit for hours with a book, allowing myself to get completely lost in it without worrying about missing my tube stop. Having the time for a luxury like that is something I need to fully appreciate, especially before I set off on my travels again. The plan is to be in Goa until after Tor and Mo's wedding at the start of January - after that, India is my oyster. From tomorrow, the rough guide is coming with me everywhere so I can properly start to plan the next three months of my trip. There are so many things I want to see, so many places on my list to visit, I'm going to have to accept that doing it all won't be possible but I'll give it a damn good try.
My plans for the next week include watching some fantastic live music, lunching at a fabulous French bakery, lounging by the pool with frozen margaritas (which is as dangerous as you think, it's like an extremely alcoholic slush puppy), possibly working at the Saturday market and a trip to Maharashtra with our friend Danny on the back of his massive motorbike. And I can't wait.