Name: Gary DeRose
Age: 56
Nationality: American
Living in: Merida, Mexico

Five years ago, a chance encounter with another guest on a Caribbean vacation led to a conversation about the Yucatan Peninsula. He suggested I take a trip, using the city of Merida as a base to visit the Mayan sites and towns around the area. Advice taken to heart, I did exactly that. Slowly, almost unconsciously, I began to fall in love with Merida and its people.

I had lived in San Francisco for 25 years. I always tried to keep a hand in my first love, music, but the cost of living in California ruled out the likelihood of my ever making an income from it.

I wasn’t thinking of relocating at the time, but I was looking for a vacation home, so I organized a meeting with a real estate agent in Merida to begin looking at properties. I saw several both in and around Merida, and settled on a 200-year-old colonial house in Merida’s historical Centro District.

The more I flew to Merida to work on my new vacation getaway, the more it started feeling like home. From that point on, I started to think about moving to Merida full time.

I examined my financial situation and thought about how much money I’d need to live the rest of my life without working. In Mexico, you can live on a lot less than you’d think, depending on your lifestyle. With a few exceptions, life is cheaper here.

I struggled to get by in California on a six-figure-plus income, yet here I live comfortably on less than $1,600 per month. This includes someone who comes twice a week to clean my home, pool, and tend my garden. I eat out or go to the movies whenever the mood strikes me.

My annual health insurance is around $300. Home Owner’s Insurance is not even a consideration as burglary and crime in general is nonexistent here in Merida. My annual property tax dropped from $6,000 to $90.

I moved all my furniture, kitchenware, electronics, and musical equipment from the States. I had it shipped to Monzanita, and it was then taken by truck 3,000 miles to Merida (although I could have bought everything I needed here). Once the furniture and household items were on their way, it was time for me to move…bringing my two dogs with me.

There are two main routes to Merida from the U.S., and both have their advantages. The coastal route skirts the Gulf and offers beautiful scenery and dicey roads. The inland route has better roads but a relatively boring view for the first half, but a wonderful trip through the mountains and jungles after Mexico City.

I chose the latter, where you do encounter one unavoidable issue: Mexico City. It is entirely possible to get lost for hours simply trying to navigate your way out. In my case, three harrowing hours before I found the proper highway leaving the city.

Whichever route you choose will take you a minimum of three days from the Eagle Pass Texas border to Merida, so enjoy the ride. Common sense still applies, even in Mexico. Research your route and don’t drive at night. Stay on the main roads and don’t try to do too much in one day. Know where you’ll find reputable, comfortable hotels.

When I arrived in Merida, I set about setting up home. Things move at a slower pace here, so I try to remind myself that the slower pace was one of the reasons I decided to move in the first place. In Mexico, manana generally means anything but “tomorrow.”

I take advantage of everything being offered to me here. I play tennis three times a week and occasionally play golf. I’m helping a friend write a musical and I’m giving guitar lessons to young children. I’ve gone on excursions to various Mayan sites such as Uxmal and Edzma.

Merida offers lots of artistic events during the week such as art openings and theater. We even have our own baseball team, The Yucatan Leons, and nothing’s better than a night at the ballpark. With the Gulf of Mexico only 30 minutes away, I can take hours simply walking the various beaches with my dog.

I would advise anyone moving abroad to meet your neighbors, explore your surroundings, become part of your community, volunteer and take language lessons. Take the opportunity to reinvent yourself—to pursue the dreams and ambitions that you put on hold back when life was busy getting in your way.

I left the “rat race” in my early 50s. I am now once again the struggling musician I was in my younger days, and I am happier for it. If you’re in town, catch my act—I play in venues all around Merida.

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Learning Spanish in Merida

Below are four Spanish-language schools to help you get started:

Institute of Modern Spanish, website: www.modernspanish.com.

Viva Language School, website: www.vivaschool.com.

Habla Center for Language and Culture, website: www.habla.org.

Ecora Language Institute, website: www.spanishschoolecora.com.