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So What’s Going On Behind the Scenes

Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans…

Two unexpected offers for my housesitting services came up while I was in Bulgaria.

The second was from my parents. It’s still not officially official, but there is a strong chance that I will be heading to Quebec at some point in March for six to eight weeks.

This brings me to the first offer, which would justify that very early return to North America.

This offer came from lovely blog readers who live full-time in Mexico and want to get away for five months during the 2017 summer. So they asked me to come watch their place (and possibly a dog). This was obviously not something I could pass up! I am expected around May 15th in Chelem… a suburb of Mérida. Yes, the very city that I planned to move to!!!

It’s rare that the universe so glaringly tells me what my next move should be…

So come April, my intention is to present myself to the Mexican consulate in Calgary to request my residente temporal visa. If I am successful, I will go to Haven and pack up much more definitely. I do not know yet if I’m moving anything to Mexico and, if so, whether I’m taking a truck and trailer or flying in with what I can get on a plane. I don’t want to get into that discussion yet, please. And, no, I cannot make my request from the consulate in Montreal. 🙁 I hadn’t planned to move to Mexico this soon and I would have liked more time to get myself sorted, but capere occasionem!

I mean, it seems nonsensical to me to not at least make the attempt to get the residente temporal visa so that when November comes, I can just stay in Mérida. Worst case, I’ll have the summer to find winter accommodation and then have to go to Belize for a bit to reset my clock and get a fresh 180-day period. Either way, I’ll know if being in Mérida year-round is a good plan. I could finish the summer and decide that I’d rather go to a mountain community with less extreme weather. Who knows. But this opportunity is one I know I cannot pass up.

After just a few short months of travel, I am even more convinced that Mexico is the country for me and I can’t wait to get home. 🙂

Now, I’d better get to work making an April appointment at the consulate!

 

9 thoughts on “So What’s Going On Behind the Scenes”

  1. How exciting! I love how the universe has been throwing you opportunities at the perfect time – you are definitely on the right course 🙂

  3. Exciting news that you can now make public! Merida is very hot and humid in the summer but the beach areas of Progresso and Chelem is where the residents go to cool off. It is an easy, cheap bus ride into Merida for some more refined culture, entertainment and dining when and if you get the urge. We are very happy for you and your living costs (except for travel) are going to be low again next year! You live a charmed life!

    • This place will be ideal for getting through a Mérida summer — I will have a pool in the yard and the owners were very smart and put solar on the roof. Therefore, I can run the ACs all day.

      Progreso will have everything I need in terms of services and a good immigration office. Mérida is about 30 mins away.

      Financially, though, you’re not looking at the big picture. If I choose to move my belongings to Mexico, then I calculated that could cost me up to five grand in terms of setting up my truck to tow a trailer and buying a trailer, plus the gas, tolls, and accommodation to get to Mérida. If, instead, I decide to go in with what I can get on a plane, I’m still looking at two grand easy. I’ll have immigration fees if that part of the plan works out. I’ll have to pay first and last month’s rent, plus a deposit, on an apartment or house. I’ll need to set up house keeping (furniture, appliances, etc.). And I’ll want to buy a vehicle at some point when I get there if I’m staying.

      So this is why I wanted another year to get my finances in order before making the leap. But that said, I would have five months upon landing with very low expenditures to help me save up for the housekeeping setup costs.

  4. Wow, lots of plans! Just fyi Ryanair has cheap flights from Malaga to Manchester on the 6th of Jan , even cheaper on the 8th of January according to google flights https://www.google.ca/flights/. In general the accommodation in Malaga (outside the tourist area) is much cheaper than Madrid. Madrid is worth visiting though if you decide to go that way. Malaga was very easy to get around by bus (especially as you speak Spanish, we didn’t and still managed it very easily) and Madrid has the excellent metro system (traffic is bad so wouldn’t use taxis and buses unless you have to)

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