Imagine Mérida

Becoming Expats in the Yucatán

An encore for ‘Magic Made in Mexico’

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Joanna van der Gracht de Rosado’s “Magic Made in Mexico” is magical indeed.

I’m not alone in my opinion. Favorable reviews abound.

Further evidence of the book’s popularity: Reader demand has forced the publisher to re-ink the presses. “Magic Made in Mexico” is officially in its second printing. It’s also now available on Kindle.

“Magic Made in Mexico” works on a number of levels.

I bought it because I wanted to gain insight into the city’s culture and the nuances of its society. Mérida is also a stage for an epic love story, and for a series of life lessons about virtues like love, patience and faith — and the power to adapt.

If it were fiction, the story would be implausible, but it’s true, which makes this narrative all the more romantic.  The story begins more than 35 years ago when Joanna, an adventurous young tour guide from Canada, encounters a handsome young man and subsequently takes a tremendous leap of faith. They marry, and she finds herself with a new life and a new family, all in pre-NAFTA (pre-Costco, pre-Sears…) Mérida. What follows are stories of happiness, tragedy and triumph.

But the book also feels like a gift to any English-speaking person considering a move to Mérida. Seeing late-20th century social history of the city through her eyes is enlightening. (She is rightly described as “an insider with an outsider’s perspective.”) The author’s life in Mérida has been a success because she possessed the virtues we were all taught since childhood. Here we see what we miss when we forget how to adapt, how to be patient, and how to listen. It comes down to this: We can embrace the positive, or we can let negativity overcome us. This book demonstrates what’s possible on the high road.

The book in its present incarnation first came out in December 2010 and I bought a copy right away. I appreciated its escapist quality as I paged through during a treacherous January snowstorm. I found the author’s blog and sent my accolades, and I’m happy to say our correspondence continues six months later.

Occasionally you will find comments written by her on this blog. I consider her remarks major contributions to the dialog here. This blog is partly the result of Joanna’s encouragement. Eventually, I had the pleasure of meeting the Rosados at a social event in Mérida. You know how sometimes you get to know someone from a distance, but it’s a big let down when you finally meet face-to-face? I’m relieved to tell you that’s not the case here. Her writing reflects an authentic voice — she is every bit the sweet and engaging person you’d come to expect.

The new Mérida guidebook is naming names and taking no prisoners

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Let’s review. First there was “Living in Mérida.” Like I said before, the 2008 book, just recently updated, has a generally sunny tone, with nary a negative thing to say about anyone. It includes informally gathered lists of recommended people, places and agencies to pave your way. Proceeds benefits two charities.

Now there is new a guidebook, much more opinionated and accusatory.  It offers no fairy dust, in some chapters taking on the tone of a consumer advocate.

The book arrived yesterday, and I tore through it, skimming past the typical historical and cultural sections, the ABCs on driving or flying, the descriptions of the colonias, and the mores of everyday life. I went straight to the dirt. Mainly, I was promised a list of the three real estate companies to avoid.

Finally, after a long list of recommended agencies, there was a little box with the Big 3. One of them I hadn’t even heard of. The other two I had. Their presence on the list was explained only in the most general of terms, with nothing to substantiate it.

Later in the book, more poison darts are thrown with very little explanation. This adverse list is explained to be populated with prominent folks in the service industry who  “have been known to have complaints filed against them” and “they have been known to leave their customers unsatisfied.” Well, that’s a little vague. The list is also surprising,  not least to the bed and breakfast whose No. 2 ranking on TripAdvisor came as a result of 325 guests who bestowed them with five stars on average.

Elsewhere, dirt about the “scoff-law” Mérida English Language Library and the AIDS charity Brazos Abiertos — stuff that was brought up earlier only and strongly refuted by a huge chorus of supporters — is rehashed. A call to boycott Yucatán Today brings things way over the top.

Neither book has lists that are based on surveys or research of any kind. They are both the results of very personal biases, pro or con. The authors don’t feel the need to substantiate their findings.

Here’s the rub. The original “Living in Mérida” could get muscled out by this newcomer, mainly because it is not on Amazon. (In fact, if you type “Living in Mérida” on Amazon, this newer book with its similar title comes up first.) I can only find the first book on a PayPal link on this obscure website, and I really had to hunt. Worse, the PayPal link didn’t work today when I tried it.

The new book is much larger and more robust, cheaper (it’s been reduced on Amazon, now $14.96; it was $22 when I bought it), more accessible, and is more provocative. What if this new book became the dominant guidebook to the White City? Think of that.

Another guide for prospective expats

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“Living in Mérida,” an upbeat and encouraging guide, recently published its second, updated edition. Now a rival guide with a similar title, and possibly a darker, more provocative tone, is on its way.

“The Essential Guide to Living in Mérida” is scheduled to come out annually for 10 years, aiming to protect new arrivals from the “small cottage industry of hucksters that prey on foreigners,” according to editor Vince Gricus. Topics range from the innocuous “where’s a good Italian restaurant,” to the more biting “which are the three real estate companies to avoid?” Other topics: Which nonprofits are scams; which English library is recognized by the College Board for Teaching English. (Here’s an excerpt on the website of the book’s publisher, the Merida Bed and Breakfast Association.)

If you’ve been following Mérida blogs and websites for at least six months, these topics will sound familiar. Yes, this book will be a teensy bit divisive. (Update: I have read it and I can see I was right.)

I haven’t decided whether to splurge on the second edition of the original 2008 “Living in Mérida,” which lists recommended lawyers, property managers, markets and so forth, all things that can become dated pretty quickly. But the first “Living in Mérida” book had better start selling on Amazon if they want to compete with “The Essential Guide.” The book’s release date is listed on Amazon as tomorrow, and no reviews have been posted.

Online sources have been indispensable as well. Yucatán Today is online and in print, and their beautifully done maps are worn to tissue paper after one of my trips. (They also published the original “Living in Mérida” book.) Yucatán Living‘s Working Gringos’ first-person accounts of their home building — their enormous Ermita complex is now for sale — and their travels are engaging and enlightening.

Then there are services like Yucatán Expatriate Services or Yucatán Property Management, which will help you pave the way to paradise. You can pay for guidance every step of the way, from buying your property, to running it, to running a business out of it.

Right now, at home we’re considering whether our future new home will be a rental until we’re there full time. This is just the kind of service I’ll need. Who wants to fly down to your house to find the garden overgrown and burned out, or worse, some catastrophe like a break-in, a burst pipe, etc., etc. Right now I’m looking for someone to prevent any kind of etc., etc.

I wonder how many expat enclaves have the road ahead paved so smoothly. Does Ecuador or Panama have such a wealth of services? It’s stunning how many resources await gringos willing to spend the money for help living in a place where the cost of living is less.