Destination: Goa
‘We discovered a strong artistic community’
Karen Peace, 57, couldn’t resist the lure of Goa in India. She has run her business, cheshire cat Jewellery, there for the past decade.
Growing up in rural Lincolnshire sparked a deep love of nature in me. I studied psychology in Manchester, followed by business studies in Amsterdam, where I managed a fashion boutique. By now, I had met my future husband, Kees, a Dutch jewellery designer. Although I enjoyed Holland, I yearned to be amid nature again.
Like me, Kees loves adventure, and we embarked on lots of travels. As we trekked through the Indian Himalayas, we began to feel strongly that our lives should be in India. But how would we manage to make a living? As we travelled to the beaches of Goa, we discovered a strong artistic community thriving there. We decided it was the perfect place to set up a business.
At first, we rented an old house on the beach, then we moved to the beautiful village of Assagao. It’s a popular destination for quality boutiques, so it was the perfect location for our handcrafted jewellery. We design and make our unique pieces in a studio at the back of our house, and our stones are hand-cut in Jaipur in rajasthan.
The biggest challenge was finding our way through the Indian system. In the early days I would have to queue up in front of a man at a typewriter in the hot midday sun, in order to pay our monthly VAT. Thankfully, most things can be done online now. Internet connectivity is another challenge – we have three separate providers and often none are working! We also have to keep on top of maintaining our home – monkeys run all over the roof throughout April and May, stealing fruit from the mango trees! Tiles get broken and everything has to be fixed before the monsoon season hits in July.
However, despite that, Goa feels like home. newcomers are always welcome and almost all Goans speak perfect English. I love running along the beaches and through the forests in the early morning before the rest of the world wakes up. I appreciate the endless ‘good mornings’ and the men on their bicycles tooting their horns to sell fresh fish or bread. To me, Goa means having quality time for one another and a genuine community spirit. It’s a true family feeling here.
Karen’s tips
✢ Live through a full year, including the monsoon season, before deciding to relocate permanently.
✢ Learn the meaning of ‘Susegad’, which describes the laid-back Goan attitude. It means don’t expect the plumber to come tomorrow (even though he promised he’d come today!). If you can step down the pace a notch or two from UK life, then you’ll get along fine. w&h
‘Monkeys run over our roof and break the tiles!’