Yucatan News: Expat Update
News Starting October 24, 2011
This week, we are going to depart from our usual state news roundup and let the news be almost all about expats. We think it is especially important to give a few praises to some special members of our expat community, as well as to let potential expats have a bird’s eye view of the life we live here in Yucatan. The Snowbirds are either back or on their way, so… Let the Season Begin!
Yolisto Merges with Yucatan Living
There are no words to convey how pleased we were to announce that Yolisto and Yucatan Living are now part of the same organization (Strategic Holdings, which also owns YucatanYES.com). Now, Yucatan Living will have live and up-to-the-minute feedback and suggestions for topics we need to research and issues we can help to resolve. Our ultimate goal is to create a conversation between expats, potential expats and residents of the Yucatan, across the entire Yucatan Peninsula, so that life and transitions will be as easy as possible for our readers. If you are not currently a member of Yolisto, we invite you to join the conversation today! Its fast. Its free. Its easy. Bring all of your questions and answers, and we’ll see you there!
The International Women’s Club of Merida
This week, we received a link to an updated album of a recent IWC coffee. When we went to view the pictures, we found 56 marvelous IWC photo albums online at Picasa. The International Women’s Club of Merida is a group of women of all nationalities, who are united through bonds of friendship, service and self-improvement. For those who are currently considering Yucatan as a place to put down roots, please visit the International Women’s Club of Merida website and do consider becoming a part of their community.
Halloween at the Merida English Language Library
Its been a long time since expats have enjoyed a costume party, but now the opportunity has arrived. This year, instead of Conversations with Friends, on Monday, October 31, the Merida English Language Library is hosting their First Annual Costume Party. Since there are so many English-speaking folks living around the library, there will be trick-or-treating for the children and games when they return. For adults, the party will be much like a MELLO-Nights, with the addition of costumes. Are you ready for Speed Mummy-Wrapping? We are always conscious of the fact that we have readers who are trying to decide if Yucatan could become home for them. We invite them to visit the Merida English Language Library website to learn more about the library and about the kind of lifestyle expats have in Yucatan.
How One Couple Lives: Set Free in Mexico
All of expat life in Yucatan isn’t made up of club meetings and parties. Sometimes, life in Yucatan is just another work day in paradise. Set Free in Mexico is a blog by expats Bruce and Mary. Are you wondering, if you take the plunge and move to Yucatan, will you be able to afford to eat out on occasion? Set Free in Mexico gives you pictures and prices, as well as introduces you to one of their favorite restaurant owners. What about minor medical treatment? Let Bruce tell you all about his and Mary’s latest experience in Yet another Mexican Med Story. This is only one of MANY wonderful blogs written by local expatriates in the Yucatan... if you are looking for information about what it is like to live here, there is a lot of it in the blogosphere!
Calling All Bloggers in Latin America
Merida is home to the Latin American Bloggers’ Conference.
This is an annual event and, no, you don’t have to be a Latino to attend. Blogging is often lonely work through uncharted waters, and its great to live in a city that not only welcomes writers of all kinds, but also gives bloggers every opportunity to hone their craft “with grace and tact, and not bore the pants off followers.” The 2011 Bloggers’ Conference will be on November 5th this year. For information about this year’s conference and to see pictures of the folks who attended the first three conferences, be sure to visit the Latin American Bloggers’ Conference website. We think the Yucatan Peninsula has one of the strongest blogging communities in all of Latin America and are very proud of the support they all give to each other and to new bloggers.
Chuburna Puerto Free English School & Halloween
This is the 6th year of operation for the Chuburna Puerto Free English School. The director is Sunny Snow, who has organized and carried out more than a few projects in the Chuburna area. The Chuburna Puerto Free English School is thanking everyone who has made donations of school supplies for the students, who range in age from 8 to 58! The school is happy to report that they are completely full and open enrollment will take place again next Fall.
The Chuburna Puerto Free English school also teaches cultural topics and, in an effort to give students a taste of how Halloween is done in the U.S. and Canada, they are going Trick-or-Treating on October 31. They will split the 40 students into small groups and go to pre-arranged homes between 6:30 PM and 8:00 PM. If anyone lives west of Chelem, especially from about Aruba to Chuburna Puerto and would like to have Trick-or-Treaters come to your home, please go to Yolisto.com and PM (private message) Nubinskis with your e-mail, phone number, address and questions if you have any.
Chelem’s Oktoberfest Funky Market: Tuesday October 25
Come one! Come all! To the Funky Market in Chelem. This is the place to find art and handicrafts from all over Yucatan. They close off the street, Coca Cola brings two big tents, and vendors start setting up by 8:00 AM or 9:00 AM, some inside with smaller items and others under the tents. Vendors come from Muna, Merida, Telchac and Progreso. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. They will cook up easy-walk-around fare so you can browse and eat at the same time. Since this month's theme is Oktoberfest, the food will probably be sausage and sauerkraut. They’re on the hunt for German beer to go with it. Since some of the vendors bake bread and cakes, no one should go hungry. …and a grand time will be had by all. If you want to go, get yourself to the TacoMaya restaurant at the north side of the baseball park in Chelem. Admission is free, of course.
Good Works At the Beach
Expats are not the only ones who are undertaking activities to help those who are less fortunate. Agrupación Enlazados Progreso is an altruistic group in the port city of Progreso that is working hard to see to it that the needs of the people are met before cooler weather sets in. They are especially helpful with such items as medicine, canes, crutches and walkers. They work with Luis Emesto Martinez Ordaz who, we understand, provides them with support for all of their projects. In addition, El Señor de la Misericordia (Our Lord of Mercy) is the soup kitchen in Chicxulub where they serve lunch to more than 60 people on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Most of those who come to eat are children and the elderly. We would like to congratulate El Señor de la Misericordia on its first anniversary and hope that the economy grows to the point where its services will no longer be needed. For now, however, we know that this soup kitchen is needed and very much appreciated.
Annual Cemetery Cleanup Begins
Is it almost the Day of the Dead again already? This is the time of year when all of Yucatan gets busy with cemetery cleanups in preparation for the Day of the Dead celebrations. If you are a fan of the altars, go to our Events page to find a list of several serious contests for the best examples of these unique cultural creations. The Plaza Grande, in Merida, should have quite a few and UADY’s contests ensure there will be plenty of altars on hand there as well. The El Corredor de Las Animas (Corridor of the Souls) on Calle 66 from Parque L'Ermita to the main cemetery is incredibly special as well. If it seems that things are a little quiet this week, you’ll know that everyone is getting ready for those two days next week. If you want to find out more about it, Yucatan Living has done several articles on this holiday and they can all be seen, with photographs, starting from our Hanal Pixan In Merida article (four previous and additional articles are linked at the end). We hope you enjoy them! Also, don't forget to also visit our photos of Day of the Dead on Screen Two in our Photo Gallery. Dia de Los Muertos, while once celebrated in Yucatan behind closed doors, is becoming a bigger and more wonderful public event every year. If you are in Merida, or even any of the smaller cities or pueblos in Yucatan, you won't want to miss it.
Benefits to Benefit the Animals
Some of the most active organizations in our communities here in Yucatan are the animal rescue and adoption groups. YAPA is an umbrella group, consisting of like-minded expats who may or may not have a lot of time or who may or may not speak Spanish, but they want to help. YAPA interfaces with Evolución (dog shelter near Uman) and AFAD (dog shelter near Cholul). Both organizations are run by people who work tirelessly to better the conditions and lives of our companion animals in the Yucatan. YAPA works with them to find out what they need and help them get it from the expat community. Evolución is having an annual benefit event on November 12 and AFAD is having theirs on December 3. You can find out more about both of them (in English) at the YAPA blog, as well as read about the different ways that you can help. As you will see, at the moment, the need is for food and wine donations to the AFAD event. Please take a moment to visit their website and do what you can!
Yolisto Community Service Listing
Even with what we have briefly listed here, there are many expat community service projects that have been left out. These include the animal rescue groups, the education support groups, and the Chicxulub Food Bank. Those, and many more, will go into the Annual Yolisto Community Service Directory. After the Day of the Dead celebrations are over, a rough draft of this directory will be posted on Yolisto. We ask that everyone read it and make certain that your organization’s information is correct and up to date. If corrections need to be made, please PM Yolisto-Khaki. Everyone is also encouraged to send her any photos you might want to go with your listing in the final draft. The final draft of the Annual Yolisto Community Service Directory will be published early in January.
