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Published: March 22nd 2023
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Goa attracts many foreigners. Some come for a 2 week holiday, others come for the winter season. some as yoga teachers, some as parents putting their kids in the local international school and others as seniors escaping winter in cold countries. Taylor and I are none of those....we are the unusual ones waiting here for the weather to warm up in the home of our hearts.
We could just stay in Montreal longer, waiting for spring. But despite Goa not quite feeling like home, it's still a way better place to wait out winter!! By February we've snowboarded, played in the snow and stayed inside building all the Lego we can.
So now, here we are, in the most beautiful interim place I could find.
It's been 3 years since we escaped a Covid lockown in India and a little part of me was hesitant to make the long journey back. It was only in the end of December that tourist visas were reopened so I had no idea of knowing whether any other tourists would make the trip. I imagined Taylor and I alone and isolated among the palm trees and ocean. I wondered if a 15
hour flight over the Atlantic plus 2 short flights on either end, resulting in the jet lag of the 10.5 hour time difference was worth it with an energetic 6 year old. He’s not quite an unpredictable 1 year old anymore, but a 6 year olds legs run way faster, way further! And I am no runner!! But in the end, all that got us back to India, so obviously I chose to do it! And what a difference 3 years makes....also a daytime flight, arriving at 6 pm made for a way easier jet lag. We used to arrive at 2 am to a miserable half night’s sleep. We didn't sleep much on the flights or layovers…too much tv and of course taylor made friends to play tag with through the isles of the large plane! so we arrived just in time to eat and go to sleep, making up for all those missed hours. It also helped that the first layover lasted 2 days...with the wonderful Millers in NJ...what a drastic difference to go from spending a day at LEGOLAND and in the comfort of the Miller's home, to 20 hours on planes/taxis and sleeping in a beach
hut with sand right outside our front door!
We of course slept in till noon that first day, which meant we stayed up till almost midnight that night. But the cool evenings, in a safe and small tourist town, made the nighttime strolls a perfect way to end each day. So I never bothered forcing that effort to shift our sleep schedule. It meant We only had half days at the beach but we also escaped the heat of midday so this year jet lag seemed to work in our favour.
There were a few moments of homesickness and discomfort as Taylor got used to being surrounded by animals again. The ants living in our bathroom were a huge deterent for him...he had to hose it down and wash them away or stand on my feet to pee the first few days!! And of course the many dogs and cows on the 1 lane road resulted in a lot of crossing back and forth to avoid any more head butts!
But he soon met friends at the beach and forgot all about the uncomfortable moments that made him ask me to book a new flight home. His independence
as a bigger boy, led him to befriend the adult neighbors, find his own favourite spots and quietly enjoy the silence rather than always being the noise! The first friend he made was a British guy…interesting that’s who he gravitated towards. I stayed far away!
He is such a fast walker now, that what used to be a 2 hour hike over to the next beach, only took 30 minutes this year. We made regular visits to neighbouring Patnem Beach, where some friends stayed, and to join Art or yoga classes. With our nights being open, rather than him going to sleep at 7, we were also able to enjoy movie nights and Circus performances. There are so many kids activities for a 6 year old to participate in, that I was oblivious to with a 1 and 2 year old. And I was happily wrong about being the only foreign family...with most of our old friends returning and finding new ones as well, Taylor never lacked a playmate. I loved seeing him rekindle those old connections, with friends if seen him love in the past. We even spent time with some good friends we'd met in Costa Rica,
who were here visiting family.
By week 2, I noticed the new feeling I had of being relaxed, rather than overwhelmed at chasing a toddler around. I used to feel like keeping Taylor alive was my main objective!! But he no longer ran down the beach without looking back until someone told him to go back to that lady frantically waving her arms around. He no longer was at risk for falling into the ditch where the side of the road was broken. (Except that one time he did to jump out of the way of a very non threatening dog…Amazing how with all his instincts, he'd still prefer to fall into a pile of garbage than come too close to an animal!) He walked (sometimes) or ran carefully....not like the toddler who'd run zig zagged along the busy main road, using his leash as a fire extinguisher. Locals still yelled out "slow down or "don't run" but I am not as nervous as them and just warned him to be aware of his surroundings.
I had a new feeling of being able to handle whatever came. Of enjoying myself, without having to worry or wonder what kind
of trouble Taylor could get into! I'm so happy I brought him here as a toddler, but bringing a child on a beach vacation who can actually swim, makes the water so much more enjoyable for a Mama!!! And what fun the ocean is for a child you can somersault, jump off my shoulders, snorkel and float!
The day after we arrived, I gave Taylor allowance for the things he wants to buy...ice cream, toys, souvenirs...there's no tax here or small change. So it's very simple to give him 150 rupees and work out how many ice creams he can buy if they cost 10 or 20 rupees each. (60 rupees to $1 for those who are curious!) Night 1, he bought us each ice cream because as he said, I paid for the flight! What a sweet gesture. So generous with his small allowance...except I need about 12000 more ice creams to call it even! After 3 weeks, he'd bought plenty of ice creams, a toy ball and a necklace he picked out and bargained for all on his own...it's way easier letting a kid bargain...no sane adult can overcharge a small child!!
Three and
a half weeks on the beach was more than enough. By mid March, the heat had risen, most of our friends had moved on and I was ready for mountain energy. Although it was fun watching Taylor discover skinny dipping with his friend in the evenings, Goa was still just a waiting place.
On the way to the airport, we stopped overnight at the beach where our friends from Costa Rica were staying, to spend one more fun day with them before flying to Delhi. With only a few hours there in the evening, we managed to take the subway to Pahar Ganj and visit my favourite spice store and the best paratha stand before catching an early flight the next morning to Dharamsala. In anticipation of the tiny plane being shaky, I actually got nauseous before it even took off! But miraculously, I managed to survive the one hour flight, and then one hour taxi up the mountain Without a vomiting incident!!
And then, I could breathe again. Almost 3 full years later, and I am back home… seeing almost all my old friends that first day, Many of them hugged me and said “welcome home.”
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Holly
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OMG the best here I was wondering where you were, how you were and dreaming of a day in the life of Trish ...and boom you delivered!!! Thanks so much for this dive into your beautiful life so happy for all the joy and adventure and the actual relaxation you are able to welcome back in now that Tay is so grown. Xoxoxox love u