- C. Coville
A few nights this week I was out and about for biz. Wow, is Merida incredibly vibrant in the evening or what! With signs aglow I found a whole slue of restaurants and quint cafes I can't wait to try. This is definitely a city for walkers. You just can't make the same kinds of discoveries tucked behind a steering wheel. For whatever reason, these little jogs beyond my neighborhood got me to thinking about all the teeny tiny small small things that make my life easier here. After all, this isn't a vacation anymore. I'm no longer camping out at the casita in my little fishing village. I FREAKING LIVE HERE! How fantastic is that?
When I was packing up the Scion for my move down I already had a fairly good idea of what I would need to make the casita feel more like living life than an all inclusive place to recover from a night of tequila shots. Contrary to popular belief, with most misconceptions coming from within the newly landed in our expat community, we can purchase table lamps, patio furniture and reading glasses. Merida has box stores - Home Depot, Costco, T G I Friday's, Carl's Jr., Pizza Hut, and a handful of other big names you would recognize from North of the Border. Wal Mart, McDonald's and Domino Pizza have all been in Mexico from the beginning of time. Sears and Coca Cola are big business all over the country.
Some locals that have lived NOB will tell you that living in Mexico is like living in a Third World country. I've been to Third World countries. We in Mexico live way better! However, it can be a little reminiscent of your camping days if you aren't aware of your choices. Instead of sleeping on a high tech lightweight self inflatable down pad, you could find yourself sleeping on a hard as rocks bed supported by cinder blocks.
When you make that final push to leave the US or Canada, consider the items you bring with you based on these three questions:
Do I have the resources to replace it?
Some things cost significantly more in Mexico. Electronics are the big hit. I'm not talking about hot water heaters, stoves, washing machines, and refrigerators as those are comparable in price. The hard water and humidity will probably result in buying several water heaters and washing machines. Back in Austin, I would have the water lines blown out and you can have the same done here with just a bit more mess. Computers, televisions, microwaves, and stereo systems will hit your wallet. Not only will your computers' keyboard be for Spanish speakers, every user manual is in Spanish. I found an English version of the users manual for my washing machine. A Betty Crocker cake mix had a temperature conversion table for centigrade to Fahrenheit!
What I brought:
What I brought:
- Flat screen television
- Net book
- Kindle
- DVD player
- Printer/scanner
- Cordless phone and Magic Jack
- Delphi/SkyFi satellite radio
- Microwave
- Paper shredder (I use this for composting)
- Bread machine
- iPod Nano
- Under the counter CD player
- Coffee bean grinder
- Automatic timers for lamps
- Battery charger and rechargeable batteries
- External hard drive
Am I emotionally attached to it?
Preparing to for this journey has little relationship to packing for a move across town or even across state. Most of the expats I know ended up ditching twenty plus years of accumulation. Disposing of the leavings of my children was the easiest part as they took their childhood things while I created photo albums for each of us. Don't wait until the last minute. There will be items that are emotionally charged and you will need time to process what you are doing. Really, you don't know what you are doing because most of us have never taken such a huge step. This activity gives you a chance to practice what the first year of your encore life will feel like. You will be euphoric, deeply grieved, exhausted, frustrated, undervalued, and back to rapturous. Have a garage sale and you begin to realize your things and your money were undervalued! You will need help so ask early on in the process. Seduce your friends with wine, hand rolled Cuban cigars, and a gourmet meal. Whatever it takes, get them over to your house! They really don't understand that you are leaving forever and watching your things be hauled off to the thrift store or community dump turns your adventure into one of the best reality television shows on the planet!
What I brought:
Although I hadn't bought my Merida house prior to moving here, I knew it would be considerably smaller than my Austin home. I also knew I would be shipping a contain of household items. That is a personal choice that won't do you much good when it comes time to decide what to pack in your vehicle.
Other odd things you will hear is that all the women wear clothing so tight you see their jelly rolls, and that Mexican men don't wear shorts. The poor and emotionally starved, regardless of what country they live in, survive on fat rich diets. This is a beach and tourist community for people living in Mexico, so yes, you will see men in shorts. However, you are unlikely to find linens and clothing made from 100% natural fibers. When you do, they will cost twice as much as they did in your home country.
What I bought and brought:
Preparing to for this journey has little relationship to packing for a move across town or even across state. Most of the expats I know ended up ditching twenty plus years of accumulation. Disposing of the leavings of my children was the easiest part as they took their childhood things while I created photo albums for each of us. Don't wait until the last minute. There will be items that are emotionally charged and you will need time to process what you are doing. Really, you don't know what you are doing because most of us have never taken such a huge step. This activity gives you a chance to practice what the first year of your encore life will feel like. You will be euphoric, deeply grieved, exhausted, frustrated, undervalued, and back to rapturous. Have a garage sale and you begin to realize your things and your money were undervalued! You will need help so ask early on in the process. Seduce your friends with wine, hand rolled Cuban cigars, and a gourmet meal. Whatever it takes, get them over to your house! They really don't understand that you are leaving forever and watching your things be hauled off to the thrift store or community dump turns your adventure into one of the best reality television shows on the planet!
What I brought:
- PaPere's sewing machine
- Christmas ornaments made by my children
- MaMere's strawberry pot
- My great grandmother's desk chair
Although I hadn't bought my Merida house prior to moving here, I knew it would be considerably smaller than my Austin home. I also knew I would be shipping a contain of household items. That is a personal choice that won't do you much good when it comes time to decide what to pack in your vehicle.
Other odd things you will hear is that all the women wear clothing so tight you see their jelly rolls, and that Mexican men don't wear shorts. The poor and emotionally starved, regardless of what country they live in, survive on fat rich diets. This is a beach and tourist community for people living in Mexico, so yes, you will see men in shorts. However, you are unlikely to find linens and clothing made from 100% natural fibers. When you do, they will cost twice as much as they did in your home country.
What I bought and brought:
- A Thule car rack system
- Tote-like Space Bags
- High count cotton sheets, towels, a quilted mattress pad and a down filled comforter
- Clothing (or at least I thought so!)
Good Luck Lovely Broads Abroad!
The Broad
7 comments:
I would add an extra pair of glasses, as getting them replaced without much spanish may be interesting. The other thing I could not find there was safety pins. I am sure my inquiries using mime and broken spanish were funny stories the local woman went home and told. Also some spices are hard to come by as well.
You didn't mention either artwork or books. Seems like those are the hardest to transport and require the hardest choices.
Good points and things I will include in a follow-up post. I did bring 3 pairs of reading glasses and have since bought a pair here as my dog ate one pair and the other was stepped upon. On books, the only I packed for the drive down was the Kindle. I sold around 1,000 books, and packed perhaps 20 that went into storage until the shipping container could be brought to Merida. Keep the suggestions coming. Someday I'll create a check list!
Once the dam broke and my custom furniture, incredible art collection and other assorted stuff no longer mattered to me - I just wanted to leave - I got rid of it all. I didn't want to live "the same life - new location" as so many do. Recreating the midwest or wherever in Mexico!
So, whatever would fit in a pickup truck owned by my Mexican paint crew (books and art) and in my Pathfinder - clothes and dog - were what I came with.
I had had a "perfectly designed" house in Houston - I never wanted to be perfect again.
I now have an exhuberant, colorful, whimsical house which defies stylistic description.
I just replaced my US computer with a Mexican clone with English installed which is way below US prices. There are alllllll kinds of ways to find whatever you want or need here without paying retail prices.
I can't tell you anything I wish I had kept that I didn't bring. It was all just "stuff".
And, as Janis Joplin said "Freedom is another name for nothing left to lose!" OH SO TRUE!
Right on Babs! I think that decompressing and deconstructing is a personal choice and thus the process will be different for each person. I'm still grieving little things that didn't make it down, but in reality, they don't matter. I packed a bag of love and every once in awhile I pull out a single treasure and remember.
great issues altogether, you just received brand new reader. What could you recommend in regards to your post that you just made some days in the past? Any positive?
Hi! Well, I'm not sure I understand what you are requesting. Are you wanting information on moving to Mexico?
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