Some of the most fun work I do is transcribe raw audio used in the movie editing process. I have worked directly with some directors and producers and also indirectly as a subcontractor. It was really exciting the other day to get confirmation that I got my credit for all the work I did on Freedom for the Wolf:

But even more exciting are the movies I get to work on as a subcontractor. These are major movies, often in franchises that I love. I get to transcribe hugely famous actors and see how they behave in candid situations. As if that wasn’t sufficiently rewarding, these jobs pay really, really well.

When I first started with this transcription firm, I had to prove myself. I didn’t often get assigned these jobs. It was only last summer in Bulgaria that I got a chance to do any significant work on one of these projects and since then, I’ve steadily gotten more. Now, I’m at the point where I can request as much of this work as I want and it’s given to me! I must have proven myself!

This past weekend, I worked mega overtime finishing up work on one of these movies and made enough money that I knew I could go hunting for both a fridge and a washer this week. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to pull off getting both, but I knew it wasn’t an entirely impossible mission as I had a budget of $9,000 (about 600CAD) to work with — yes, my rent amount, coincidentally enough!

Money from my PayPal accounts finally landed last night and so, after completing my most urgent work of the day, I headed off in search of my appliances. I’d done tons of online research and had an idea of what brands and models I could expect to find and their rough list price.

A very nice lady who lives on the other side of my neighbourhood and who has been here for about 30 years told me that I should start my search at the Coppel department stores, not Walmart or grocery stores like Chedraui, and certainly not the favourite expat destinations of Liverpool and Costco. She explained how Coppel makes its money from offering credit so there can be deals to be had for those paying cash. She further narrowed things down by saying that the Coppel at Plaza Dorada generally has a good selection and that there are other stores all around it where I could look if they couldn’t help me.

So off I went to the Plaza Dorada Coppel today. I had a look at their fridges and was disappointed because there was nothing for less than $6,000. Not a problem for the fridge price, but there was no way I could swing an automatic washer as well. A twin tub model like I have at Haven, no problem, but I really want an automatic.

I flagged down a clerk and said I was looking for their cheapest, most basic fridge-freezer. I knew that both Mabe and Daewoo have a 9-cubic-foot one for around $5,000 that looked good on my computer screen and that Coppel carries, so I hoped that maybe they had a warehouse.

Nine cubic feet is quite a bit smaller than I planned on getting but is going to be just fine because I’ve… drumroll please… decided to keep the other fridge! It came to me the other night that I should, especially since I have room for it and I know how it behaves. The hot season is going to come before I know it and I am going to struggle with not enough cold space. I know I can trust the freezer on the used fridge, so there goes my need to buy a deep freezer. The fridge itself can hold all manner of things that won’t be harmed by freezing and that won’t last on the shelves next summer, from cheese to chocolate, nuts to flours.

So back to Coppel today and my fateful meeting with the man I will dub the Appliance Faery (AF for short). AF sized me up and said, “Would you mind one that’s dented?”

“Show me, please,” I asked eagerly. He took me to a different part of the store and pointed to the fridge in question.

It was uuuuugly. Oh my goodness. It wasn’t just dented. It had scratches and there was rust and bubbling around the water dispenser (further reason to ignore it). But I was assured it was new, came with the same (piddly) warranty as any other fridge, and that the defects were all cosmetic.  And at 11 cubic feet, it was the perfect compromise between my huge current one and a disappointingly small basic model.

So here is what a brand new one looks like. It is a Samsung:

The price? $4,249. Full price is almost $9,000. 🙂 Delivery tomorrow between noon and 5PM included!

Buoyed by my luck, I asked about washers. Best they could do was a Whirlpool for about $6,500. That was never going to happen! So I said I’d just take the fridge.

AF left me in the capable hands of a cashier and once the transaction was complete, I went back to look for my fridge to take pictures. AF apologised and said it was already on its way to the loading dock! Which reminds me of the other reason I was told to go to Coppel — their deliveries are efficient!

I thanked AF again and went next door to check out a store called Elektra that appeared to have some appliances. A clerk approached me and I asked if they had any inexpensive basic automatic washing machines.

She took me to a cute a 16KG Mabe that Coppel was selling for $7,000 so I said that it was too expensive. She looked confused and pointed to the price tag. They were on sale this week for $4,599!!! But I was cruelly disappointed when I was told that that price did not include delivery. I stood there for a moment trying to decide if I was going to go through the trouble of arranging a flete (mover) or if I should look for something else when the lady said cautiously, “If you don’t mind paying $100 more, we can arrange the delivery for you tomorrow.” Let me remind you that “$100” is about 6.76 CAD. Done and dusted for $4,699!

It’s quite small, but should be perfect for a household of one as I rarely do big loads when I have my own washer and the ability to wash as I go.

Extraordinarily pleased with having come in under budget, I celebrated by spending part of the $52 left over on some very nice ice cream. 🙂

I should have both appliances sometime tomorrow. Which means I can start catching up on laundry and go grocery shopping Thursday morning!

I am so happy to have been able to get both machines today as they were the missing pieces to fall into a proper homekeeping routine. I should be able to get a stove next month and then the house will really be like heaven. 🙂

The stove has involved some really hard research, but I’m pretty sure I finally found it, although I have to go check it out in person to confirm it has a broiler. The first test of quality for the stove will be that it have cast iron burner grates, which eliminates anything by Mabe. I thought the next brand up in terms of quality and price was Koblenz but I discovered that there is an in-between brand, Acros! I thought Acros and Mabe were equivalent, but Acros is definitely a bit higher end and they have several ranges with cast iron grates and ovens that seem decent. Their top-end model is several thousand pesos cheaper than the cheapest Koblenz. So once I verify in person what online research tells me, I should be able to get myself a stove around this time next month. Woot, woot. 🙂

The final thing will be a mattress, but, again, there’s absolutely no rush on that, which is lovely indeed.

I definitely shouldn’t drop any more significant amounts of money this month, but boy is good to be over the hump and on my way to a comfortable life here. I am feeling very, very grateful.

I got in and not even a minute after I’d come into the house, my doorbell rang. It was one of my Amazon packages. Talk about timing! I’m incredibly amused by how both US and Mexico Amazon decided to send out each piece of my orders separately so I’m expecting a present to myself most days this month. Rather like an Advent calendar, I suppose. 🙂

Which reminds me, if you’re going to do any shopping at Amazon.com this month, could you please do so through my affiliate link? It won’t cost you anything extra and will greatly help the family to which I donate the gift certificates. I’d love for them to have something to be grateful for as well in this quite challenging time of the year. Thank you!

I had quite a bit of transcription to do this morning and so I was at up and at ’em rather early to get it all done by about 11AM. This would give me time to go run a few errands before a 3PM Skype call with a client for training on my new position.

I was chained to my desk all weekend, so I was desperate for a leg stretch. I decided that I would go to HSBC to make a withdrawal as I literally had only 50 centavos (3 cents CAD) on me and while there, I would pay my internet bill. I would then walk to a Pollo Feliz (Happy Chicken!) restaurant since I’ve been very curious about them since I first came to Mexico and yet never made it to one. I’m not thrilled with the couple of chicken stands near my house since I find they’re not very good value so I thought I’d see how a chain restaurant compares.

Here’s my route. Yes, I use the beer store around the corner as a landmark. What can I say, it’s convenient. 🙂

HSBC’s ATM was feeling generous today and gave me almost only 50s, saving me the step of having to convert bills. I then went to a teller to pay my bill for Izzi (internet). I knew I would have a fee doing it that way versus going to their store, but this was way more convenient.

First thing that happened is that the teller rifled through a bunch of notes and then scribbled things on the piece of paper I gave him with my “reference” (not account) number for Izzi. He would later hand it back to me to see that he’d added a transit code and other information to make it easier for the next teller to take my payment.

He then asked me if I’m a client of HSBC. I said yes and passed over my card. He swiped it, tapped some keys, and then asked for how much I wanted to pay. I told him $600 and passed the bills over. He processed that and then told me there was a cost for the deposit. I can’t remember if it was $10.70 or $17.10, but whatever it was was less expensive than the time and gas to go to Gran Plaza.

That was it! Izzi’s “how to pay” web page says that a payment at a bank should reflect on my account within 24 hours. So I made a note to double check my web app. When I paid at the Izzi store last month, my web app immediately updated with the new payment.

I headed north up the Prolongación Paseo de Montejo and eventually turned west to go back to Calle 60. Along the way, I was puzzled when I passed a random carambola lying in the middle of the sidewalk.

I looked up and was awed.

I had no idea that carambolas grow in Mexico! I always thought they were a Southeast Asian fruit!

I got to Pollo Feliz and was surprised to see that it is both a proper sit down restaurant and a takeaway stand — it’s the Mexican Nando’s! I chose to eat in since I was famished. A half chicken was about $75. The server said it didn’t come with anything, but there were already totopos, salsa, two kinds of onions, and tortillas on the table so I declined a side. He rather pushed and I decided to try “cebollitas,” which, based on the grocery store, I expected to be be green onions.

Well, the onions were small regular onions grilled just the way I like them. OMG. 🙂 Now that was quite a find! The chicken was absolutely wonderful. Between paying $75 for a scrawny chicken with sides I’m not fond of and getting this meaty bird, there’s no contest. And, yes, they deliver. 🙂

Needless to say, I took home leftovers. The purple veggie is pickled onions Yucatecans eat the way that Sinaloans enjoy chiles curtidos, but they’re not spicy. Between those, regular raw onion, and grilled onions, I was in heaven! I had two very reasonably priced lime agua frescas ($20 each) with this as well. With a tip, I came out at $160. Very reasonable, especially for the quality of the food. I was most impressed. I also have to remember their desserts as someone came by with a tray with slices of four different cheesecakes that looked wonderful. I could see myself walking all the way up there one evening for such a treat. 🙂

Heading south on Calle 60, I passed this wonderful place selling Christmas trees and poinsettias — so pretty and it smelled like Canada. 🙂

One thing I love about walking around a city is how you find things that you miss when driving. I took so many notes on my walk of places offering things I need. I was delighted when I passed on store that had something on my “YOU REALLY NEED THIS ASAP!!!” list. I call it a vadrouille:

In European French, that’s a mop, but in québécois, it’s a a big shaggy broom for collecting dust. I have something like 2,700 square feet of floor to upkeep (yes, yes, that’s ridiculous, my house is huge, I know, I know!) and a broom isn’t cutting it. A vadrouille would let me quickly dust all the floors every day or two to cut down on how often I need to wash them.

The vadrouille was only $95. The man asked me if I speak good Spanish. After I said yes, he explained that I have to treat the mop with this product (spraying it on) and then let it dry for four to five hours before using the vadrouille or it would not work. I figured it had to be some sort of oil to attract the dust. The product was $50. So $145 all-in, which sounded like a good price and I liked that I was buying from a little shop in my neighbourhood instead of a chain store.

I came in and treated the vadrouille. The product was foul. I still can’t place the smell although I know I know it. It’s almost like an oily turpentine and it took a lot of work to get the smell out of my hands! Needless to say, I treated the vadrouille outside, where it is now drying. I just did a search and “tratamop” is a an actual generic product here so I should be able to find more easily if that shop were to close down.

It was then time to head home and get back to work!

I’m taking it easy with transcription this week since I’m training and I also hope to be able t0 go buy a new fridge and, once it arrives and has had time to settle before being plugged in, go get some much needed groceries. I was shocked and rather disappointed that a transfer came into my HSBC account in just two business days when it’s normally at least four and that I’m still waiting on a transfer to my Scotiabank account because it would only be two and it’s now been four…  But of course! Anyway, maybe I’ll get to go fridge shopping in the morning and if I’m really lucky, they’ll be able to deliver in the afternoon so I can get groceries on Wednesday…

Well, back to work I go. I thought I’d be done by now (5PM), but I decided to get this post out instead. 🙂

I can’t believe I’ve been living here a full month now! With my lease having started in October, that means only 22 months to go!

My first month here has been wonderful. 🙂 I know, I know, I’m in the honeymoon period and the glow is going to wear off, yaddi yadda, but, really, it’s been great.

The house is very comfortable, even with it not being fully set up yet, and it doesn’t seem immense at all. It really doesn’t feel like I’m rattling about in a half-empty mansion, although some spaces are echoey. I am pleased that I am making use of most spaces and enjoying all the perks the house has to offer. I was a bit afraid that having lived in small spaces or a few rooms for so long that I would end up spending all my time here in one room (namely my office), but nope!

My landlord is stopping by on Saturday to give me a primer on the water system that I should have asked for before moving in. I’m pretty sure I figured it out on my own after running out the other day, but it will be good to get confirmation that I know everything. I love having potable water in that I can rinse my veggies and my toothbrush in it. I still prefer to use the water from the jugs for actual cooking and drinking, but I’ve gone so far as to rinse my rice with the tap water and not had any issues.

I am disappointed with the hot water system in that there is no hot water to the kitchen and it takes ages and ages to get hot water to my shower. It might make more sense to pay to have a “regadera electrica” (hot water on the demand thingy) installed in my bathroom, but I’m waiting to see my next water bill before I make any decisions. My host in Chelem suspects that the water here is not metered and if that’s the case, then running the shower to get hot water won’t be as much of an issue. Yes, I need hot water at this time of year! It’s really brr in the shower in the evenings. 🙂

The electrical system has been working fine and my surge and brownout protector appears to be doing its thing. I’m expecting my first real power bill any day now and that should be revelatory.

As for the internet, oh my goodness. 🙂 I had one outage, early on a Sunday morning, and Izzi dealt with it in minutes! I’m getting the promised speeds and I have good coverage on the ground floor. Needless to say, I’m super happy. I will be getting a WiFi extender so I can get service upstairs as it is non-existent to poor (not a surprise). I thought I’d be able to live without WiFi upstairs, but I’m setting up my hobby and craft area in the landing and I like to be able to check my emails first thing to see if I need to rush or can take it easy.

I also really appreciate my landline and being able to call Canada and the US as well. The landline is so much more comfortable than talking on my iPhone, plus I don’t have to worry about signal strength.

As expected, air flow in the house is fantastic and between the doors, windows, and ceiling fans, the ambient temperature has been very comfortable and not super humid. It will be interesting to see the difference next summer since we’re definitely going into winter, with the nights sometimes actually being cold!

Now that the rooster situation has been dealt with, I’m finally sleeping well. I’m still using the little twin bed and it is very comfy and definitely easing the pressure of getting a new mattress.

I’m learning my neighbours’ routines and adapting my own to theirs. For example, the mechanic next door tends to work late and can be very noisy between about f0ur to as late as ten, depending on the day. My street, being a rare two-way thoroughfare, gets a surprising amount of traffic. Deliveries tend to start around ten and are quiet through the Mexican lunch hour. So I do my work that needs the most quiet first thing in the morning and in the middle of the afternoon.

The location is just as good as I expected. I have nearly all the convenience of being in centro and none of the headaches, like infrastructure problems, parking, noise, and being surrounded by expats. Just about everywhere in Mérida is near to me and I’m slowly expanding my use of buses.

I am getting a true immersion experience since there are so few expats in this neighbourhood and the few that are here are like me, here to actually live in Mexico and are therefore proving to be a good resource. One gave me a bunch of links to community Facebook pages so I can know what is going on and learn about various nearby services. I’m slow to get on the Facebook pages bandwagon, but starting to realise that many, many businesses use those in lieu of a website and it’s worth looking for a business page if only to get their hours of operation.

I haven’t done nearly as much exploratory walking as I expected to have done, but I do go out for short strolls at different times of day right in my immediate neighbourhood to see what is open when and to slowly figure out a logic to everyone’s schedules and to find out what food is available at what time of day. Tonight’s walk took me a few blocks south of home where I found a torta/hamburger/hot dog place that I’d like to try and, improbably, an authorised Apple repair store! I just checked out their website and it’s not clear if they do work on the actual computers or just software stuff, so I’ll give them a ring to ask if they do simple things like repair keyboards. It sure would be more convenient to walk a few blocks than to go to Gran Plaza or Altabrisa!

I appreciate living somewhere that I can get things easily delivered. I could have set a clock by the water delivery guy today — he told me last week that he’d be by at the same time today and he was! I’m enjoying getting food delivered some nights, especially from places that are open when I want to eat and that locals aren’t eating since service is super fast and the food arrives hotter and fresher. I ordered a pizza the other day and it was out their door in under five minutes and to me in under twenty! I have no idea how they pulled that off, but, yes, it was absolutely fresh and piping hot. I am going to want to try other places just to get a comparison, but with their current deal of a huge one with three toppings for just $100 (plus a $10 tip) and their really good crust, I’m in no rush. 🙂 I also like getting tacos delivered as I get enough for two full meals and a snack for $70 + $10. I haven’t ordered sushi yet for delivery since I’m two blocks outside of their delivery zone and I have to order $125 worth of food. Their prices are low enough that that would mean leftovers and I don’t have a fridge I’d trust with sushi. So I’ve walked over there for a few lunches. 🙂

My goal for the end of December is to have my fridge and a pantry built up. That will leave a stove and island for me to call the kitchen done. The stove I want is on mega sale all month at Home Depot so if I have any surprise influx of cash, I may figure out a way to get it, but I’m not holding my breath since the holiday season could be very slow. Frankly, I’m more eager to get my washing machine! The expat lady who sent me the Facebook links gave me some really good fridge buying advice and I’ve decided where I’m going to go look next week once my PayPal payments for this week land in my bank accounts. One thing that I figured out on my own is to not get a fridge with the built-in water dispenser. As it turns out, the pump to make it work with the 5-gallon jugs costs over $3,000! I can get a separate cold water dispenser for less than $1,000!

Once the big stuff is sorted, I’ll be able to start getting the little bits that turn a house into a home, like wall art, rugs, and plants. It will be lovely to be able to go stroll through a market and to buy something that catches my eye rather than saving that money to put towards a more expensive purchase. Speaking of markets — the city of Mérida got good news recently. The market in centro is getting cleaned up! Hopefully, it will become a place that I enjoy shopping as it would be a great place to look for cool things for my house.

I’m still a little breathless at being here a full year earlier than planned, but I’m glad that I didn’t have that year in limbo after all as I have one happy month down and many more to go. I cannot wait to see what other secrets my colonia gives up and to start taking advantage of all that Mérida has to offer.