I was in Savannah, Georgia, on this day 10 years ago. Like today in Mérida, it was hot and very humid. What a great day I had visiting Bonaventure Cemetery, Fort Pulaski, and then frolicking on Tybee Island. I was living “The Life” then, debt-free, with a great job and a secure future. But something was brewing because I was so unhappy.

By this point, I was toying with making two major changes. One was throwing everything away, buying an RV, and hitting the open road. The other was simply changing cities, and I had my eye on Winnipeg.

When I returned to my hotel that evening, I had an e-mail waiting for me with an offer to come to Winnipeg to interview for a dream job with the Manitoba government.

I cut my holiday short, raced home, and got on the first plane to Winnipeg to do that interview.

In the weeks that followed, I had a lot of time to reflect on whether I did or did not actually want that job. Folks who attended my seminar at the 2011 Early Bird RV Show (or downloaded it) will remember me describing this period as being THE watershed moment of my life. I still think it was.

Ten years later, I reflect on the decision I made to throw everything away, my lost decade out there in the World, and the price I paid to find myself. Because even without having any regrets, one can mourn the things that were lost to find others.

I see so many friends my age who are asking themselves at near 40 questions I asked myself at near 30 and I’m glad I got a head start on my midlife crisis. It’s incredibly difficult to start over at 40. I don’t know if I’d have the strength at 50.

But I’m not starting from scratch and I have certitudes I didn’t have a decade ago. I’ve come to realise that “normal” isn’t that awful with a lot of caveats — I need to be my own boss, I need to live somewhere that I can feel wealthy on a small budget, I need heat and sun, I need a proper home.

I have to take a break now to pay back what my journey of self-actualisation cost me. My Bonita has a huge role to play in that — keeping me grounded so I can focus on earning rather than spending for a few years. I’m not stopped forever. It’s been six months since I moved and I already have the itch. What’s changed is that I can ignore it now. I’ve fed the beast so much that it can rest for a bit and let me enjoy being here discovering Mérida and the environs.

I’ll be getting up and going again, of course. I look forward to taking advantage of super inexpensive (less than 100CAD roundtrip if you shop) fares to go spend long weekends in Mexico City and other destinations. The quickest path to citizenship for me would be to pretty much stay put in Mexico for five full years because you cannot leave Mexico more than 180 days total in the five years preceding your application for citizenship. Five years is four on temporal, one on permanente. I’ve got a year down. The next four will fly by, especially with a whole country to explore.

That’s not to say I’m giving up on international travel. HA. I have a friend who is moving to Dubai and I’d love to go visit her there. I still want to climb Mount Kilimanjaro by the time I’m 50. I want to eat sushi in Tokyo, hike the Inca Trail, walk the Great Wall of China. I haven’t lost sight of any of that, but I want those adventures to be proper holidays where I don’t have to work. Just as I couldn’t have seen what I saw in the last decade if I had been living a “normal” life, I can’t see what I want to see in the next couple of decades without that sort of stability.

And with that, I’m off to start sorting out my visa and customs renewal paperwork. It’s going to be a very full and quite stressful week or two, but after that, I’m home free for the next three years!

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I thought I would introduce you to my favourite bit of Mérida today!

One of the things I wanted when I moved here was to live in a village within the city, one with its own “centro” and vibrant market scene. I get that in spades here in Chuburná de Hidalgo — as long as I go at the right time of day (Saturday evenings are particularly dead, for example, but Sunday mornings tend to be super busy!). When I moved here, the market and the whole area around it was undergoing a massive refurb. So while the market was still open, it really wasn’t a fun area to go to because of all the construction noise and dirt. It’s a completely different world now and I love going there a couple of times a week for breakfast, to pick up veggies, and to see what else might be going on. The market is about 800 metres (0.5 miles) from my house.

On the way, I always grab a quarter kilo of tortillas (4.50 pesos) in case the tortillería is shut on my way back.

His tortillas are sooooo good. They are made from yellow corn, not masa. Think of round yellow corn tortilla chips, but not fried. They have a very strong corn flavour and are charred around the edges. I always have one piping hot out of my bag to get me to breakfast. 🙂 Pretty much all I do with them at home is make chihuahua cheese quesadillas with them, served with a side of Mexican-style guacamole mixed with salsa verde. Comfort food at its best!

Of course, I forgot to get a picture of the outside of the market itself. This is one from November 15, when the construction was in full swing:

The food stands are outside the market and there’s a row of them. I always go to the one at the far left — it was the first I went to, the food is consistently good, and the service is great, so I see no reason to change. 🙂

I usually get two relleno negro tacos, but wanted a change today so I went for cochinita (shredded pork). I always add a cold fresh pressed orange juice. Breakfast is 40 pesos, plus a 5-peso tip.

There was a tianguis (flea market) today, so I spent more time than I’d planned going through all the racks hoping to find some clothes. I came home with a pretty dress! These are just two stands on the outskirts. There were dozens, but there were too many people around to stop and take pictures without impeding the flow of traffic!

Final stop was inside the market. A little while ago, I found a vendor all the way at the back who consistently has good zucchini, so I picked up two of those, plus a carrot and two onions for 20 pesos. While waiting for my change, I snapped a picture of the meat market. The lady behind me apparently has very good turkeys — I helped an expat lady buy one from her. Looking in this direction, the stands are to the right outside and to the left inside are a few other veggie and grocery stands. It’s not a huge market, but you can get a lot. I found some wonderful foamy sandals at this market in November that barely show any wear despite being worn daily.

Becoming a real local takes time, but now that I’m shopping a lot more in “downtown Chuburná,” I’m starting to get recognised as “belonging” here and not being a tourist. There’s a man who always sits outside his beer store when it’s open that I exchange pleasantries with, the gal at the food stand at the mercado knows my order and just asks what kind of tacos I want to day, and various neighbours and I stop to chat about little things (it’s amazing how much the locals talk about the weather!). Oh, and the tortilla man now gives me a huge smile instead of being confused by me — huge progress. 🙂

So that was my Sunday morning. Hope yours was just as lovely. Time to get to work!

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