Hello Seyé

This week's update:

• We leave Mérida and rental properties behind, finally, I hope.
• Xena makes friends in rural Mexico.
• Herman swims naked.

Leaving Mérida

The last week in the rental house, was a mixture of anticipation, stress, excitement, insecurity, impatience and boredom. We found out one week before moving out that the owner wanted the backyard clean of weeds, but did not make the necessary arrangements. Let's just say that we worked hard to get the place presentable and leave it at that. We could not wait to leave.

Since we packed everything in for an early start on the 1st, on our last night in Mérida, we treated ourselves to a Chinese dinner at a local restaurant. It was the first meal that I didn't prepare since May 25, so it was absolutely fantastic.

Starting in Seyé

As in Canada, Mexican home owners do not normally rent out the property to the new owners prior to the closing date. However, with the delays we are experiencing and the multiple rentals we have had to arranged during the wait (added to the seller's eagerness to get some income on his empty property) we managed to reach an agreement to rent the property until the closing date. (The closing date is still unknown, however, our rental agreement is monthly, so if it closes after a week, we still pay a month's rent.) We decided that this was acceptable, considering the alternative.

We set some personal priorities for being able to live here until we officially owned it, which included internet access, a fridge and a stove. We realized that moving in on a Friday in a small rural community in Mexico, may delay some of our expectations. But we are tranquila now, so no biggy. We can bob and weave and roll with the punches with the best of them.

On September 1st, we had to meet the owner's representative at the house at 9am, so we got up super early to get the car loaded and able to head out on time. Herman did his tetras trick again and fit everything into the trunk, only this time, Xena was on my lap and the tree was bent over to fit into the car.

We arrived at exactly 9am and the owner, his representative and a handy man were there to make sure that everything was in order at the house. After some basic instructions on the pumps and some help clearing some plants from the gate for our car to enter, we were ready to unpack and get things set up.

We unloaded the car, took a quick dip in the pool, and set off to find the internet store and buy a fridge. On an earlier visit, we found a furniture store and noticed that they actually sold the model of the fridge we were interested in. We headed down and found out they only accept cash and probably didn't deliver, so that was a bust. We decided to aim for internet connectivity and do the fridge the next day at WalMart.

We found the internet provider right away. We met a young man Santiago, at the internet café who helped translate some of the questions we had about the internet speed etc. He then also agreed to become our Spanish teacher, since he also wanted to practice his English. We paid for the installation and first month's service. No contract required and they assured us that the installation will take place on the following Tuesday. Things were looking up.

Santiago informed us that the local gas company does not supply tanks and we would have to purchase this in Mérida. After contacting our real estate agent for clarification, he said we would need to install a tank on the roof. That's a whole different ballgame, so we decided to hold off on any large installations until we have had some time to think about it, and actually own the house. We took another swim and drove to a grocery store for some barbecued chicken. Our first night in the new house came and went without incident.

Saturday morning we headed out to the WalMart in Mérida to purchase the fridge, microwave and electric frying pan, which we deemed sufficient for our food preparation needs. We were impressed with the excellent service we received at the store. With my limited Spanish I managed to organize same day delivery to my house (that doesn't event have an address yet) and at exactly 2pm the delivery van stopped outside the house.

We set out to the stores and local farmers' market to get some groceries, cleaning supplies, gardening tools and other household items we needed to get the basics sorted. We are also a little careful not to buy too much in case something happens and we find ourselves house hunting again. Even then we will still be keeping it simple with minimal furniture purchases and it will be a work in progress for the next few months. This is difficult for me, because I like to GSD. But there is always wine...

Life (so far) in rural Mexico in a nutshell

Herman found out he loves swimming naked. I just like swimming and Xena doesn't mind water. So far we are enjoying the quiet rural life. It is simple and the nights are filled with night sounds, and not city noise. It seems to be a typical small town, and we are definitely a curiosity. Our water is still delivered to our house and we take the motorcycle taxis to and from the market. Our internet installation was on time and professionally done. Most things can be found in the town, and we hope to only have to go to Mérida every three weeks or so. Xena has settled in after a couple of days of shock induced lethargy and has a playmate that jumps the fence for a quick "jol" every day.

It is all extremely exciting, scary and stressful to move to another country. Emotions are sometimes overwhelming. However, so far Herman and I enjoy the simple things that we were looking forward to for so long and we are thankful that we seem to balance each other out with alternating highs and lows.

Next time, we will share international money transfer mucking about and Mexican bank accounts.