One Month in Merida!-Things I've learned so far

One Month Findings in Merida 

I thought maybe this could be an ongoing series of me just checking in after a certain time period and discussing my findings on living here in Merida.

So, here we are, one month in! Our family is on an adventure living in Merida. How's it going you ask? Overall I'd say it's going well! We've hit a few topes but we are pushing forward. So keep reading to see what I've learned/discovered so far.

    1. One errand can take all day. Between the traffic and lines in certain places, you can go to do one thing and before you know it it's 3 in the afternoon. I don't know what happens! Maybe there's just so much to see so I get distracted going places. 

    2. Getting a rental and buying a vehicle isn't so cut and dry. When getting a rental, not only do you pay 1st month's rent and a deposit, but you pay a second month's deposit if you don't have someone in Mexico who will vouch for you and take over your payments if you default. That's 3 months upfront. Having to check water pressure, internet speed, whether there are a/c units in main areas and bedrooms, checking to see if you can flush the tp- All these things are not typically what you have to worry about in the United States.

 Buying a car! Thank goodness we have friends here who can help us. Thank goodness we bought a car from a friend. If you don't have a friend to rely on, there are people whom you can hire to look for cars for you and deal with all of the transactions. They check all of the things off the list such as making sure the miles haven't been rolled back, the car is legal and not stolen, the paperwork and taxes have been paid and done legally, the plates are in the Yucatan state/be able to do the paperwork to change the plates, etc. 

    3. Everyone is nice. Mostly. You occasionally get an irritated, overworked person who has no time to slow their speech so you can understand or laughs at you because you probably sound like a 2 year old toddler, but overall most of the people here have been very kind and patient with us. We are trying our best to learn Spanish and are working towards speaking fluently. It's refreshing when a local thanks you for attempting to speak their language or even commends you on how well you speak(this cracks me up because I feel like I'm terrible). We really enjoy the locals here though! 

    4. Hanging things on the wall is not so simple. You would think drilling into the wall with anchors and 3 inch screws to hang a pull up bar should be simple but NOOOOO. You, in all actuality, need 5 inch screws because for some reason the houses are built with 4 inches of sheetrock. I asked the hubby how long the screws were to finally get the bar hung. He said 3 feet.

via GIPHY

    5. You initially will spend a lot when you move here. It's a huge thing moving to another country with nothing but 9 suitcases for a family of four. Little things like towels, shoes for the kids, fans, candles, clocks... it all adds up quickly. There is a lot here in our rental that was already provided, but you still need items to make it yours and to feel comfortable.

    6. There are no clocks. Seriously, I guess time doesn't matter around here. Maybe that's why no one show up on time. So that's where the manana factor comes in! 😂 Everywhere you go... no clock. Rental house? No clocks. Hotel? Nope. Do stores sell clocks? YES! We have purchased one so we now can check the time easily. 

    7. What may be at one chain store-isn't at another. Just because both of the signs on the outside of the buildings say Selecto Chedraui(local grocer), doesn't mean the same one across town will be stocked with the same canned cat food that your picky cat only eats. Or that you will find that specific ingredient you need for a recipe. Just because it's Walmart doesn't mean they'll stock the same things. Which leads into the next finding.

    8. Just because it's Walmart-doesn't mean they'll have it. In the United States, Walmart has everything you could need. Here, not so much. Want needle and thread? Too bad. Want safety pins? Keep moving. We still have yet to find these little suckers. 

It's funny because a lot of department style stores you go into seem to have everything under the sun(except above mentioned). Motorcycles, furniture, household items, clothing, shoes, tools, and pet supplies. One store in the mall has all of this. It can have a display of toy cars and in that same area have delicious looking chocolates behind the glass. It's very entertaining. 

    9. Things can be cheaper here. Things can also be more expensive. If you eat at all of the restaurants that cater to foreigners, you will spend like you are in the US of A. Electronics are more expensive here. Clothing in stores that are also in the US can be more expensive. Amazon can be a tad more expensive, depending on the item. I look forward to seeing what we are spending now that life isn't so hectic and we are getting into the groove of things. Hiring people to do things is surprisingly affordable. You can get your house cleaned for 600 pesos($30), you can get your pool scrubbed and cleaned for 180 pesos($9), you can get a gardener to mow and weed and plant for you for 300 pesos. You can get your nails done for 350 pesos(Acrylics!), you can get a 1 hour massage in your home for 400 pesos. Pretty handy! We are more diy kind of people if we can, but we do have the pool people come by since we don't have the appropriate tools to manage a pool. I'm still considering getting someone to come by once a month to just do a deep cleaning-but that's still up in the air.

    10. It's awesome here. Has everything been smooth sailing for us? Definitely not. Have I questioned our decision to move here? Yes. But that's all normal when moving to an entirely different country. There are ups and downs and always pros and cons to moving anywhere. Here, everything is new and the language barrier can be frustrating sometimes. The way things are done around here sometimes just doesn't make sense to us but the people are kind, the culture is intriguing, and this experience is something we will never forget... something our children will never forget, whether we are here for a year or longer.

So there you have it. I look forward to sharing with you more things I learn as time goes on!

~Bee

Here are some extra tidbits of information that I get asked a lot. I was going to make a separate post but figured this was along the same things that I've learned so far and things that may be helpful to double check for yourself as well if you are moving to Merida- mainly pertaining to flying and arriving here ❤️

-How many checked bags does your airline allow? Not something I never thought to look at, but since we are bringing everything we own on the plane, it would be useful information to know this before we show up with twelve thousand bags to check and then get denied. United allows 2 checked bags per person and you have to pay an arm and a leg for more.

-What are the vaccination requirements to get into Mexico? Oh, good one! Mexico actually doesn't require any proof of vaccinations in order to get into the country. Getting back into the US however is another story. I believe currently they require a test 24 hours before travel.

-When you land into the Merida airport it's good to know that only taxis are allowed to pick you up. No uber drivers are allowed. If you don't have a friend or taxi you must walk to the streets outside of the airport property to catch your Uber.

-What grocery stores are available? I like cooking, baking, and grocery shopping so I always need to know what stores I will be able to shop at. Costco, Walmart, Chedraui, Soriana, Aki and fresh, open markets are available to shop at throughout the city. Also, I have seen specialty shops such as vegan and Asian shops. I mainly shop at Selecto Chedraui, Walmart, and Costco. These 3 stores generally have everything I need.

-What is the time frame for visas? By this I mean, once you take those first steps to getting your visa in your home country, how long till you have to be in Mexico? Once you get your sticker in your visa you have 180 days to get into Mexico. Once you are in Mexico you have 30 days to start the second part.

-What if you get into Mexico to start the second step of visas and you can't get an appointment within the 30 days? I recently had to ask this. Mexico is currently booked out a month in advance and I was told that as long as they see you have scheduled an appointment, you are good to go.

-When you fly into Mexico and are going through customs make sure you show them your visa sticker in your passport and that they don't mark you as a tourist! They should check the "Canje" box which starts the 30 day clock on finalizing your Visa.

-During this process you cannot leave Mexico unless you get a travel letter from Mexican Immigration. There is a fee and it's a one time deal. Hopefully you don't have to do this but anything could happen.