(Post 45 of 193. Thanks again to those who participated in the Fundrazr!)

Life continues with sticky monotony in Yucatán. Thanks to all the proactiveness by the state and municipal governments, we’re looking at restrictions beginning to be lifted at the end of May. This is miraculous considering just how stupid people are being despite all the information being disseminated. I am biting my tongue on a rant about the absolutely ridiculous things I’m hearing from within my own network, but I’m not going to burn any bridges in case this lockdown does actually end one day. I will say that there is a huge lack of understanding of context and that the reason things haven’t gotten out of control here is because we were made to stay home from very early on. Yes, I’m hearing people say that the restrictions are ridiculous since we clearly don’t have a huge problem here. 🤦‍♀️

The lockdown restrictions really are strict now. I had to go out on Tuesday and got pulled over three times by police in less than 1KM. The first time was to tell me that I need to wear a mask even if by myself in my vehicle. The second time was to make sure that I was still wearing my mask. All three times, I was also asked why I was out, where I’d been, and where I was planning to go before returning home. My reasons were fine, and I was actually really glad that action by the police matches statements by the SSP (Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection), but it sure didn’t want to make me want to make extra stops!

So thank goodness I’m so happy being home. That said, it is very hot and I wish I had looked at getting a pool last summer as they are really not that expensive. But now that I’m only guaranteed one more summer beyond this one in this house, plus income is so reduced, I’m loathe to splurge on such a luxury. It’s frustrating that I can’t even find an adult-sized inflatable pool or tub to at least have some cool water to soak in. I’m running a lot of fans (and have another one incoming). I do run the AC all night in my bedroom — as long as I get a good night’s sleep, I can get through anything.

Because of the very low numbers in Yucatán, I still feel very comfortable order food for delivery and am doing my bit to keep my favourite local restaurants open. Plus, it’s too hot to cook! Take this lunch I ordered from one of my favourite cocina economicas when I got in on Tuesday. 40 pesos, plus a 10-peso tip. Pile of tortillas, bowl of black bean soup, rice, chicken breast with ham and cheese, lettuce, grated carrot (I love raw carrots and they are so much sweeter in Mexico), tomato, and lime. I could not make that meal for that price. Just based on how the delivery driver is handling deliveries right now, I know the kitchen is adhering to extra strict hygiene protocols. I order lunch two or three times a week from them. Sometimes, it’s a special of the day (the previous order was mole chicken!), sometimes it’s a custom order like this.

Work is still thankfully steady. I have two large-ish orders in the queue to keep me busy for the next month. Not full-time, but enough to help pay the bills and to ease the stress levels.

I continue to feel so lucky to be going through this where I am. I know other states aren’t faring as well, but Yucatán has got to be right at the top of the list of places that get an A+ grade for their management of the crisis.