Girlcation Part 1

I had soooo much fun! I'm doing this as a two part installment because unfortunately my camera wasn't working while I was there...I didn't charge it or have memory space...ok?!?!? My fault entirely. My dear friends all had theirs up and snapping and one even generously copied some onto a CD, but I can't figure out how to get it onto my computer...figures. So there will be another post...with pictures.

For this entry I want to focus on the benefits of a girlcation and why everyone should have one.

I don't believe I could have been with a more affable and charming group of women. We got along famously and I hope that when we are 80 we are still doing this...with embroidered fanny packs! We took the "what happens in Goa stays in Goa" approach. This leant itself to gossip. Ouch! I know...I'm going to start with the questionable behavior first. I am not a gossiper. I avoid it at all costs, plus I'm a snob. I think that I am too smart to let someone else decide the way I think. In addition, I think that as a group, women by and large simply misjudge situations and people and have very limited points of view. HOWEVER, I was with intelligent ladies and the kind of gossip we shared wasn't the normal "he said, she said" stuff. I don't even know if you can call it gossip as most of it was about ourselves...but it felt SO good just to talk and feel comfortable that our ideas weren't clashing and to also know that these women felt comfortable enough around me to share. I think as a whole, women don't share enough...and we got to learn all sorts of things about each other, human nature, choices...I was in paradise as far as the conversation was concerned. My mind was working and I was able to indulge my sense of curiosity for once. Because of our openness we were able to explore some really tough topics...topics that there are no straight answers for, and it was fascinating to hear everyones thoughts. I found my own point of view affected and shift at times...which is always nice to happen because it means that I'm open to ideas. It means that I'm not so set in my ways that I am closed to change...of course, one would think that living overseas would mean that you had to be a pretty open person, but that isn't always the case. So, on my list of reasons to go on a girlcation is that you can have great conversations....which leads to the number two reason:

We can have great conversations because we do not have children with us! We don't have to censor ourselves or feel unable to think clearly because we have to be on full-fledge momguard against the world...we can just relax and take care of ourselves. We can eat when we want and what we want. We don't even have to go to bed at any certain time...and we didn't! We can sneakily drop yummy LUSH bathbombs in the hot tub and not have to worry about setting a bad example for little ones. Ooppsss...did I just reveal something that should have stayed in Goa? Sorry girls!

The third reason: You literally can talk a vendor down in price by smiling prettily and batting your eyelashes.

Reason number 4: You return from your girlcation refreshed and not like you have just been rolled over by a bunch of toddler bowling balls or as if you were used as a jungle gym the entire trip.

Reason number 5: If you are standing in line at the airport and you are ALMOST to the checkin desk and the guy announces that they will be closing that line and you will have to subsequently go to the back of the next line...and you all inhale and then say "NO!" (which of course multiplied by 4 sounds like yelling!) ... you don't get in trouble for it...they actually keep the line open and listen to you. A husband couldn't get away with that.

Reasons 6, 7, 8 and 9 all kind of blend in with the above reasons...so we will skip them and get on to reason number 10:

Reason number 10: The best reason of all! I feel closer to my family. That's right. I had an excellent time without them, but when I returned all the kids had missed me and were cuddly...and the dear husband who had worried and given so selflessly for me to have a break was waiting with open arms to wrap around me and I guarantee the exchange rate on the goods coming back were far higher than he had expected. Enough for him to say "you need to go on a girlcation more often!"

All of these reasons combined make it bearable to return to Doha, the land of the hazy, yet still squinty-bright, no sun sky.

Next installment: Meet the Goa Girlcation Galpals and our adventures in India!