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Salimbene

Aug 2, 2007, 10:00 AM

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Info requests living in Merida and Oxaca

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Hi:
In May/June I made a month-long fact finding trip to the cities of Guadalajara, Morelia, Guanajuato in preparation for a planned move to Mexico. Although I had hoped to make a decision by now, I find I'm not yet ready to decide (Having been a globe trotter, I'm hoping that when I do move, it will be the last move I make). I'm therefore considering spending a month or so each, in Morelia and Oxaca. Would any of you living in one of these places be willing to share your experiences with me?
As a language teaching professional, I can say that I'm about a low intermediate speaker of Spanish but hope to be a solid intermediate speaker by Nov or Dec. when I get down there. (I'm determined to achieve fairly good fluency) I've lived abroad about half of my adult life and have always tried to become part of the cultures in which I have lived. Right now, I teach US healthcare professionals about other cultures and health beliefs and have done a great deal of research on Mexican culture. I would classify myself as a "big city girl" (I was born and raised in NYC) who loves to visit museums, art galleries, go to concerts, ballet, and theater so I am looking for a place with a rich cultural life. Having spent 20 years in Greece, I'm also extremely interested in archeology, history, architecture and also love to snorkel.
I will not have much money (I'm a very energetic 68) and though I want to find a comfortable place to live (it must have a balcony, courtyard or patio--I'm an outside girl!) I do not intend to live in or spend the money for a "gringo palace." I would also like not to have to drive.
I've told you all of this about myself in the hopes that it will help you help me by telling me a bit about how and why you live where you do, cost of living, etc. Any recommendations about language schools would be helpful too.
Any information would be most welcome.
Suzanne

geri

Aug 3, 2007, 11:45 AM

Post #2 of 7 (2008 views)

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Re: [Salimbene] Info requests living in Merida and Oxaca

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I am about your age and moved to Oaxaca 8 years ago, not speaking the language! Looking back on it, I was very naive. Obviously I love Oaxaca, but only you can decide if it's for you. Morelia and Oaxaca are different in many ways. Morelia, in my opinion, is more cosmopolitan. I hope that's the right word. That opinion is based on only a visit of several days in Morelia. It is a beautiful city, with beautifu architecture and cultural activities.

Oaxaca is sort of a big little city, to me. But I'm a country gal (was). I like Oaxaca because in less than 30 minutes by bus or colectivo I can be in rural Mexico, where oxen pull wooden plows, famiies raise their own pigs, cows, goats and cook outside on wood-fired comals. Not everyone appreciates that kind of lifestyle. However, it gives me a good feeling, a perspective that I can't explain.

I am living in a house much like you describe wanting. It's within the city, so I don't need a car. I can walk to shops, museums, concerts, art openings. However, these kinds of residences are rare within centro Oaxaca. It took me almost three years to find the home I now rent. Many (most?) of the courtyard/garden style homes in the city centro have been divided into several apartments, or are still inhabited by Mexican families. Patrimony is alive and well in Oaxaca. That is the custom of passing homes on to the younger generations. My home is not for sale. When I asked my landlady, she was aghast, responding: ""No voy vender! Es mi patromonia!" As a result, it is difficult to buy a home in the city or to rent one with a garden/patio area. Difficult but not impossible.

As you know, Oaxaca has beautiful architecture and art. Music and dance fill the streets and the zocalo, as well as theaters and neighborhood parks. Almost all entertainment is free or very cheap.

Oaxaca has a larger expat "community," than Morelia I think. It's not as structured as the expat community of San Miguel Allende. Social life with Enlgish speaking people centers very much around the Oaxaca Lending Library, OLL, which has 300 members, 30,000 or more books, most in English, some in Spanish. Increasingly, Mexicans are finding their way to the OLL for English lessons and a chance to converse in English. I am ashamed to admit that I probably won't ever be fluent in Spanish, i.e. to carry on an extended/philosophical conversation. I never heard a word of Spanish until I was 60. (Lame excuse?). However, I continue to study and practice. I love the language and the people.

Oaxaca certainly isn't for everyone. Only you can decide if it's for you. C'mon down, give it a go and then decide. You will know if it feels right.

Geri

geri

Aug 3, 2007, 5:35 PM

Post #3 of 7 (1991 views)

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Re: [Salimbene] Info requests living in Merida and Oxaca

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Ooops, I re-read your post. You are considering Oaxaca and Merida, not Morelia. I don't know Merida as a place to live. Others on this forum will check in, I hope. I love to hear about life in Merida.

S & C

Aug 5, 2007, 3:14 PM

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Re: [Salimbene] Info requests living in Merida and Oxaca

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Merida is mentioned many times as a great place to live. 30 minutes from the gulf, many expats, English library, culture, close to ruins etc etc. One thing you must be aware of is that Merida is HOT! Temperature and humidity wise as well as cost of housing wise. It is a place in demand. One must visit for awhile before deciding to live.

Check out the MeridaInsider.com forums for more info on life there.
Stan

Salimbene

Aug 5, 2007, 3:28 PM

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Re: [S & C] Info requests living in Merida and Oxaca

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Thanks a lot. I will check out the web site. Yes, I didn't visit it on my last trip, mostly because of the heat. Still, since everything else about it sounds great. I'm planning to take a "look see". Granted, when I go, it will be winter so I will be there at it's best.
Suzanne

yucatandreamer

Aug 5, 2007, 9:57 PM

Post #6 of 7 (1939 views)

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Re: [Salimbene] Info requests living in Merida and Oxaca

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More than one person has bought in the beautiful winter only to sell in spring and summer. The advise given by S & C to spend some extended time checking out Merida is very good advice. We have two seasons, dust and mold. Home prices have risen considerably in the four years that I have lived here due to foreign buyers and speculation. There are still bargains to be had, but take your time. What I originally thought I needed or wanted in a house has changed more than once. You also need to know what your place will be like in the different seasons. Does your street flood? Does your neighbor's dog bark all night?
Did you buy in a cute neighborhood with lovely fixed up homes only to later discover that you live in gringolandia?

We have good cultural activities and many of them are free. You have to remember that some of them are repeating every week and you can lose the need to go after a few years. We have a excellent symphony(not free). We see several good ballet troupes a year(expensive)As for archaeology, well you and I will both die before we see all the sites nearby.
We have all the big grocery stores and several big box stores on the outskirts. The neighborhood markets and the main mercado are more interesting than pleasant places to grocery shop. We are not known for our artisans and once you have bought a hammock, a huipil and a hat, you have pretty much done it. I personally am not fond of the local cuisine and long for really fresh vegetables and variety, but if you love pork, fat, turkey, fat, habaneros, fat, you will be well fed. The Yucatecan people are as nice a group of people as you would ever hope to meet and Merida is known for its safety and tranquility. We discussed both Oaxaca and Merida before choosing Merida and we chose Merida for the welcoming feeling that we felt from the locals. I never felt particularly welcome in Oaxaca city. Oaxaca, which I know only as a tourist, has much better food, much better art and God knows a better climate but Merida felt more like home to me. Four years of living here has pretty much eliminated the romance of my move to Merida and I still choose to live here even in the heat. Maybe it's sloth.

I have found it to be more expensive than I originally thought it would be, but I don't make an effort to live particularly frugally. Again living here a good while will determine what items you need and how much you have to run the air conditioner. I find that the biggest saving over Canada is in the area of entertainment. However this means that we do a lot more than we would have done in Canada. These homes in this climate are a constant expense, but labor is still undervalued. So as your home crumbles, you can afford to fix it. If you have specific questions, I will try to answer. Merida Insider can be a good reference but many posters are still in the honeymoon stage or don't live here. Like all of these forums the advice you get is worth about what you pay for it.

yucatanliving

Sep 19, 2007, 1:59 PM

Post #7 of 7 (1799 views)

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Re: [yucatandreamer] Info requests living in Merida and Oxaca

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A lot of what Salimbene says is true but keep these things in mind too. The symphony is not free, but my goodness! It's very good (and getting better all the time) and it costs $10 to see a full program. In a very lovely setting reminiscent of Italian opera houses (it was designed by an Italian after all). There are a lot of regular things going on every week, but a lot of new things too. I know that because we work hard to provide a list of what goes on every week on our website. There's nowhere else to get a complete listing in English... and there are more things happening all the time: new art galleries opening, new museums, new restaurants. We just attended the opening of a cigar store with the largest humidor (walk-in size) in the Yucatan last weekend!

Yes, you'll be happier eating here if you like meat. But there are plenty of fresh foods available (and more all the time) for vegetarians too. Six years ago you couldn't find the WORD 'organic' anywhere in this area, now every grocery store carried some organic offerings. Merida is growing and changing quickly... with more opportunities and offerings all the time. And yes, that means that the prices are going up a bit, but they still are nowhere close to prices in the States or Canada or even other parts of Mexico.

Yes, air conditioning costs a lot...but no more than it would in Florida, and look at all the people who retired there! We have the same weather as Florida, with fewer hurricanes and faster cleanup when we do have one. And a lot more culture!!

One of the things we like the most about the Yucatan is that there is a lot to do. You can really make a difference here, because it's a small town of a million people. Want to do something in the arts? You can do that here and not feel shut out by the "establishment". Want to make the world a better place or help children or animals? There are a lot of opportunities where a little money or time goes a long way and really DOES make a difference.

I would suggest taking some of the banter on Merida Insider with a grain of salt. A lot of people I know here think there's a lot of negativity there that most of us who live here don't indulge in...there is too much to be interested in, busy with and thankful for!

(now climbing down from soapbox... thank you for listening!)