Living in Mexico

When we tell friends and colleagues that we will soon be retiring and moving to Mérida, the reaction is usually "that's wonderful!" "Where IS that?" and "why Mexico?" What I want to say, but don't, is that "you probably wouldn't understand  unless you've been there." Most of our professional colleagues are younger, upwardly mobile suburbanites with children, new homes and vacation dreams of ski resorts and luxury cruises to tropical islands in the Caribbean.

Not that there is anything wrong with all of that, but those kinds of places have never been on our radar.
Give us fascinating history, glorious architecture, diversity and a rich cultural heritage. Our first visit to Mexico was a few years ago when we visited two friends who were staying the winter in the wonderful colonial city of Oaxaca. Arriving late at night, as our taxi drove us through the dark, deserted streets of the city, we were both thinking that this would not be a place where we would feel safe. We met our friends, settled in for the night and when the morning greeted us with bright sunlight, we discovered what so many others before us had found. We began to dream of moving there and living in one of the old colonial homes. Once back home in Virginia, we realized that this was not the time and Oaxaca was not the place for this dream to materialize.

Fast forward a few years to Mérida. We began the research a year before actually visiting the city, using the internet to read everything that had ever been written about Mérida and the Yucatán peninsula. We discovered all the good things people had to say as well as 'more than we needed to know' about an unfortunate situation within the expat community. Through the various blogs, however, we started getting to know some of these folks and discovered the valuable and useful information they have shared about their lives in Mexico. They are truthful about the difficulties of living as a foreigner in this country, but also marvel at the opportunity to be a part of this magical place. Were it not for these bloggers, who chronicle their daily lives in Mérida and other cities across Mexico and who tell the truth about Mexico,  our decision to make this huge transition might not have been made. It is with anticipation and great joy that we have begun this journey. Hopefully, along the way, other potential wanderers will read of magic and truth in these pages and strike out on a similar journey.