Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up, let's go...

It's a funny old time to be in Sri Lanka just now. First of all, there's the fact that my internal thermostat is confused. Despite all evidence to the contrary, my body has been gearing up for the "inevitable" for a while now. I wake up each morning bracing myself for that icy wind to begin whistling and those nights to start drawing in. But, of course, it's not happening. And I can't deny that it feels weird to be in the tropics as Christmas approaches. Only this morning I found myself distractedly humming along to sleigh ride in my local supermarket as I sweated my way through the checkout.

Needless to say, there are no sleigh bells jingling or ring ting tingling here. There is a distinct lack of any snow falling outside and no friends calling "yoo hoo" either (not yet anyway!). However, there is no getting away from it, December has arrived (DECEMBER?!) and, at least for me, time appears to be gathering pace. If life is a sleigh ride, then Mr Claus has clearly been on the arrack and he's bellowing at those trusty reindeer to giddy up and get moving whilst pulling hard on the reins.

But it's a funny old time not just on account of the incongruous Christmas medleys, plastic pines and glitzy baubles in the shops. The mental health programme I'm working in will come to a close in just under 4 months. A few volunteers have recently finished up their placements and left the country. This week, another 4 jet off leaving an ever dwindling number of us here. Not only will they be much missed, but their departure is a reminder that the sleigh ride continues apace, and it wont be long before this particular leg of the journey comes to an end for me too.

Nevertheless, I must admit these past few days I have found myself wishing the ride would go a bit faster. I have been counting the days (18 now!) until a welcome slice of home arrives courtesy of a festive visit from some very good friends. It suddenly feels like it's been far too long, and I am beginning to get a little impatient. Are we nearly there yet?!

And yet, I've also found myself looking back with fondness at those first few months, when everything was new and novel; when there seemed to be plenty of time to make some serious progress, and when the bumps along the way did not feel so jarring.

But there's no turning back, and those reindeer can only go so fast. So, what to do? Perhaps I can somehow apply the brakes. There are certainly many things I'll miss when I finally leave Sri Lanka, and in the meantime, so much more I need to do, so much to see, and far too many Bollywood dance moves for a girl to grasp in just a few months. Perfecting the Bollywood "gallop" alone could keep me fully occupied for the remainder of my stay (more on this in a future blog post, no doubt). I clearly need more time! So, hold your reindeer Santa, you're going too fast! Any chance you can could slow down?

Nope, not sure that will work either. There's nothing else for it. I'll just have to sit back, hold on and enjoy the ride....bumps, baubles, and all. And if I'm really not feeling it, I guess I can always hop off and start galloping Bollywood style. Yoo hoo! Anyone care to join me? Giddy up, let's go...