As expats we are all well aware of the many attributes it takes to live in Merida, our adopted foreign home. Just to name a few: curiosity, a sense of adventure, compassion for others (and ourselves at frustrating times!), flexibility, the love of new languages (Spanish and Maya here)—but there is another attribute we may not be as well aware of, nor take credit for: Creativity!

Yes! It is no longer purely anecdotal: two psychologists have proven that there is a definite link between creativity in artists and writers and living in a foreign country.

William Maddux of INSEAD, a business school in Fountainebleau, France, and Adam Galinsky of the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago, Illinois, reported on their study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. One hundred and fifty-five Americans and fifty-five foreign business students studying in the United States

were given a test by the psychologists to measure creativity. Given only some matches, a candle and a box of thumbtacks they were asked to attach the candle to a cardboard wall so that no wax would drip on the floor when the candle was lit. (Of course all you creative people knew the solution: use the box as a candle holder and attach it to the wall with the thumbtacks.) The results were that 60% of the students who were either living abroad or who had spent some time doing so, solved the problem, whereas only 42% of those who had not lived abroad did.

Then 72 of the Americans and 36 foreigners had their creative negotiating skills examined in a subsequent study. Students were paired off, one playing the role of the seller of a gas station, who then needed to find a job, and the other the role of the buyer who would then need to hire personnel to run their business. The two were likely to reach a stalemate as the buyer had been told he could not afford what the seller had been told was his lowest price. However, when both negotiators had lived abroad, 70% reached a deal in which the seller was offered a position in management at the gas station in return for a lower selling price. When neither of these negotiators had lived abroad, none of the pairs was able to reach a deal!

To make sure they had not merely discovered that creative people are simply more likely to choose to live overseas, the doctors identified and measured personality traits like openness to new experiences, which is known to be predictive of creativity. Even after using specific controls to filter, the statistical connection between living abroad and creativity endured, signifying that it is something specific to living in a foreign place that fosters creativity.

It is not enough to travel to foreign lands: packing your sunscreen and Speedo for Barcelona does not a Picasso make! It is the actual day-to-day living that makes the difference, as we well know! So grab your pencils and paints and passports, you aspiring artists and writers—move to another country, become an expatriate and let the creative adventure begin!

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INSEAD School in France

Wikipedia on Creativity

Though the Working Gringos were doing their usually working, we are fortunate to have gotten reports and photographs from various people who volunteered their time to attend and assist at the various locations where the sterilizations were performed. Below are some of their first-hand accounts and below that, a link to the photo gallery with their photographs from this week.

Yucatan Living wants to extend a big WOO-HOO!!! to everyone involved!

First Hand Accounts

From Debbie Moore, who helped coordinate supporters of Evolución:

What an amazing last day we had! I think many of us have been pooped on, peed on, bled on, slobbered on and in some cases, even vomited on….if that isn’t fun I don’t know what is!

Well, today we were in Vergel 1, amore economically challenged area, and as everyone saw, the turn out and community support was just phenomenal. I think it is evident that these are the areas that need the most help. I can’t tell you how many people came up to me afterwards expressing their appreciation. What a wonderful experience.

And again, our turn out was overwhelming. Each clinic has the capacity to do 150 animals and we were up to 158 animals and had to start turning people away. The concern was that Xmatkuil was running over 150 as well, and they needed to insure they had enough supplies for the next 2 days at the beach. At the very end, Dr. Jeff gave the go ahead to do a few more – so we ended up sterilizing 167 animals. Additionally, we took the phone numbers of another 15 or so people. If there are enough supplies at the end of the campaign, Planned Pethood is going to try to do these for free. If not, they will offer a discount. (If anyone couldn’t help at the event, but would have liked to help in some way, we may consider trying to get donations together to pay for the ones who didn’t have appointments and got turned away…just a thought.)

I thought we had another day where overall, everything went very smoothly. The only really challenge we had was working in such a small facility (especially in the recovery room) – this along with the volume of people we had, I think made it more difficult than the day before. But we still pulled it off.

Additionally, we had two TV stations come out this morning to film our work in progress and interview Silvia Cortes about the campaign. Wonderful publicity (thanks Cherrie!). This helps get the word out, because of course we would like to do it again.

Also, if anyone would like to, please consider writing a thank you note to Planned Pethood.One person pointed out to me today how awesome the vets were. They were on their feet nonstop throughout the day working tirelessly on animal after animal. Several stayed late to help us with the last few animals that were allowed into the clinic. I am not sure what their overall plans are, but everyday these guys have been working hard with seemingly no time for any tourist activities in Mérida. Anyway, we want to be sure to express how happy we are that they came, and that we would like to have more clinics like these in the future.

And total thanks goes out to all of you. There would have been absolutely no way to pull this off without everyone’s help. I could see that everyone was tired…it was a long day, yet everyone was still enthusiastic and hung in there. I’m just so proud of our team. Let’s face it, we rock!

From Jill Benson:

As you know, we just completed the 3 days in Merida and it was hugely successful.  Each clinic had the capability to do 150 animals and yesterday we went over at both clinics.  I am not sure of the final numbers at Xmatkuil, but at Vergel 1 we had 167 animals.  The public support was overwhelming….I can’t tell you how many people came up afterwards thanking us….it was a great thing to be a part of. 

Incidentally, of all the locations, Vergel seemed to be the one where people were just overwhelmingly grateful.  You could tell that it was in these areas where this service is needed most.  And the vets were all wonderful.  They were on their feet working for hours on animal after animal with barely a restroom break.  They started at about 8:30am and I think the last surgery was about 6 or 6:30 pm.  Those guys are doing a fabulous job.

From Beryl Gorbman:

The 2010 spay and neuter clinics, held in various parts of Merida, Progreso, Chelem and Chuburna, were a roaring success this year. Many groups, local and foreign, contributed time and enormous effort to make this work.
Today in Progreso, people rode up to the clinic in their bike taxis, each carrying four and five street dogs. A stray dog wandered in and we grabbed him as well.
Earlier in the week, we worked at various community centers in Merida and for three days concurrent with the centers, at the UADY School of Veterinary Medicine in Xmatquil. There, we kidnapped the school mascot, an orange cat, and she’ll never have kittens again.
The lines were long, the human customers were patient and appreciative, and the vets and volunteers were exhausted but happy. We had veterinarians from several places in the USA plus the Dominican Republic, Guadalajara, and cities in Baja, California.
The totals aren’t in yet, but we sterilized hundreds of dogs and cats, both male and female. We expect this to at least make a dent in the proliferating population of feral animals in our area.
A special word about the volunteers. They were fabulous. They picked up and delivered pets to people who had no transportation, they helped Kim the injection lady by holding down anxious animals for sedation, they shaved and prepared dogs and cats for surgery, they assisted in the operating rooms, comforted waiting pet owners, tended to the pets in recovery, and registered everyone.
In Chuburna today, one of our American vets found tumors in a dog and worked hard to remove them. The owner was delighted that his dog, Hueso, had this surgery.
The only ones unhappy about this campaign were the dogs and cats. They screamed and hollered, but will now lead happier lives. That makes the whole team who worked on this project very happy. We look forward to next year.

From Cherie Pitillo:

I was quite impressed with the veternarians standing all day from 7:30 AM until  3 PM before they took a break!  Two were from Slovakia plus they brought one vet tech with them.  They only came to Merida for this clinic!  I was also impressed with how many volunteers were there, how hard everyone worked, AND the love and detailed attention given to all the animals in recovery.  Cardboard carpeted the floor, cats were put into cardboxes and covered with cloth; dogs were covered with newspaper and volunteers and vet techs monitored them. 

I will tell you I was amused at some of the pet carriers, especially the bird cages minus birds but with a cat or cat inside. Several cats were in bolsas, as requested.  As you probably know it’s so much easier to inject anesthesia through a bag.  People were so pleasant and most of the animals behaved well also!

I am astonished that 1300 appointments were made and even extra people showed up. It’s been an incredible amount of effort from those coordinating supplies, appointments, veterinarian housing, locations, etc.

For a first time effort, what an incredible success!  Planned Pethood, Evolucion, AFAD and whoever else was involved in organizing this massive effort should have a special place in heaven for this clinic and the animals and people they’ve served!!

From Martha Lindley:

What impressed me the most was the number and enthusiasm of the Yucatecan volunteers.  When I arrived at 7:30AM, they were already there and actively involved in setting up the place.  I was only there until noon; they were still going strong.

The clinic was well organized starting with the registration.  People came with their animals in mesh bags (like oranges come in), cardboard boxes, crates and anything that would contain them.  They signed in and waited patiently.  It was interesting to watch a sense of community grow among the people as they waited.  The next step was getting/giving more information about vaccinations, having the animal weighed,etc.  Then the animal was cleaned.  While that was happening, the technician in charge of the anesthesia was preparing the syringe with a sedative and another with the anesthesia. And so it went.  The veterinarians who performed the surgeries were Mexican, Czechoslovakian, and Americans.  Some people from the veterinary college came and did blood studies on all of the dogs while they were in recovery after surgery.  There were expats from Canada and the US helping throughout the process and there was a real sense of contributing to the welfare of the animals of the Yucatan.  The people who brought their pets seemed pleased to have the opportunity to have their pet spayed or neutered.

Thanks for suggesting that I take part.  It was fun.

A Good Time Was Had by Almost All

So it seems like everyone enjoyed the experience, except perhaps the animals. And though perhaps it wasn’t their favorite day, the fact that they are healthy, cared for and that there will be less animals in the future is good for them, good for their families and good for the Yucatan.

Bravo! We look forward to reporting on and supporting many more of these events to come.

*****

For more photos, check out our Photo Gallery (linked at the top right of every page)

Email Dr. Nelson and Dr. Tony here in Merida or check out their website
Email Dr. Jeff Young in the USA
AFAD Pet Shelter in Merida
Evolución Pet Shelter in Uman (just outside of Merida)

WHY we do this: Companions to None (not for the faint of heart…)

*****

And this will make you think (from here):

EXPONENTIAL GROWTH: The larger the quantity gets, the faster it grows. The social issue of dog and cat overpopulation is unique and must be dealt with using a
combination of spay neuter initiatives, ordinance measures, and animal control programs.

ONE FEMALE DOG
Keep in mind some dogs will have more than one litter per year and females often represent more than 50% of the litter. For simplicity here the totals are based upon 1 litter per year with females at 50% of each litter. Take the original mother and add to the females in each year’s  litter for a total of reproductive females. NOTE: The first year is four females of the six total puppies.

Year 1: 1 female dog has six pups – four are females
Year 2: 5 female dogs have six pups each – 30 puppies – 15 are females
Year 3: 20 female dogs have six pups each – 120 puppies – 60 are females
Year 4: 80 female dogs have six pups each – 480 puppies – 240 are females
Year 5: 320 female dogs have six pups each -  1,920 puppies – 960 are females
Year 6: 1,280 female dogs have six pups each – 7,680 puppies – 3,840 are females 
Year 7: 5,120 female dogs have six pups each – 30,720 puppies – 15,360 are females
Year 8: 20,480 female dogs have six pups each – 122,880 puppies – 61,440 are females

Now do this:
Take 100 female dogs spayed and multiply that number times the totals shown in Year 8
100 x 122,880   =    12,288,000 puppies would have been born that won’t be after spaying 100 females. 

Ours was the total opposite of hitting the ground running.

Flash forward to today. We have lived here for eight years. We know more than one way to pay our bills. We carry FM2 visas. We run a successful Mexican corporation with employees. We pay Mexican taxes. We have bought multiple properties, renovated a colonial home into an office and built a new house in the centro historico. We’ve bought a car, been sick and cured more than once, and traveled all over the Peninsula. We speak Spanish (mas o menos), a little Mayan, and we feel very comfortable here.

This transformation did not happen simply due to the passage of time. And it certainly didn’t happen because we are geniuses. Along the way, we needed help and received it from a variety of sources, including our real estate agent , our accountant, our neighbors, our employees and other expatriates who had lived here a while. We consider ourselves fortunate that we met the right people at the right time, most of the time, and had the time to do it.
Since launching the Yucatan Living website, we’ve met a lot of people who have moved here, or are planning to move here, or have started a business here, or have invested in property with the intention of renting now and retiring later. We’ve had hundreds of conversations with a wide range of expatriates and we’ve heard their stories. We’ve observed how some people have an easy time integrating and adapting. We’ve also seen how many people make mistakes in the process of learning how things work. Sometimes these mistakes are trivial and sometimes they are costly. Sometimes, they can be tragically wrong.

Over the past eight years, Mexico has changed. Mexico has adopted many of the accounting and legal practices of developed countries and it has implemented technology to become more efficient. It is no longer considered an emerging market but rather a “middle-class” economy, the ninth largest in the world. Its national debt is under control, which is reflected in the ratings its government bonds receive. Since we’ve moved here, the Mexican stock market has outperformed the S&P 500 by over 160%.

Merida, too, has grown considerably. Not just in size, but in sophistication. Merida and the Yucatan are quickly catching up to the rest of Mexico. Yucatan has Wi-Fi in the parks, modern hospitals, car dealerships of every kind, gourmet restaurants and is becoming a more and more well-known destination. As Mexico and Merida become more modern, some things about living here become easier, and some things become more complicated.

In short, this is not your father’s Mexico, the lawless land depicted in popular entertainment where money paid under the table will bring the results you expected. These days, it’s smarter to play by the rules.
Underlying all of this growing sophistication, the city of Merida, whose influence is far reaching on the Peninsula, still has a small town culture with a long-established social geography. As with any close-knit society, knowing the map doesn’t necessarily give you access to the territory. Around here, who you know is always as important, and often MORE important, than what you know.

So why are we telling you this?

Almost every day, we receive emails or comments on the Yucatan Living website asking a question that we are not really qualified to answer. A reader may raise a legal issue related to immigration or an obscure problem related to real estate taxation. Many times, somebody simply needs a referral, like whether we can take care of a problem here that they can’t manage directly because they still live outside Mexico. We try to help with most of the issues our readers send us, but we do not have the staff nor the qualifications to provide most of the resources requested.

Fortunately, for the past three years, we’ve been working with the people who do, and we’d like to introduce them to you. These are the people you need to know.

Meet our new affiliate website: Yucatan Expatriate Services.

This service is new, but the company wasn’t born yesterday. Far from it, in fact. Yucatan Expatriate Services brings together the expertise and skills of a team of very educated, experienced and connected individuals. They are Yucatecans by birth, who have traveled and worked on a global scale. Their clients in the past have included manufacturers, hotel groups and other professionals who have come to Merida to accomplish tasks ranging from building a factory to operating a resort. This team has taken care of these clients with great success.

Now, they are expanding their service offering to the web, and to individuals like us.

Yucatan Expatriate Services can be many things to many people. With its bilingual staff of project managers, accountants, lawyers and affiliated professionals, YES (that’s it’s name for short!) can be trusted to provide you with accurate answers to your questions and any services required to accomplish your goals. They are also publishing their knowledge in comprehensive guides about important topics such as immigration, insurance, finances, employment and other subjects expatriates in the Yucatan and Mexico need to know. These guides are full of detailed information and you can download them now from the YES website.

Click here for the Yucatan Expatriate Services website to learn more about YES services and the YES guides!

Which brings us to our point. Merida, until recently, hasn’t had some of the health care professionals that we took for granted in California. Over the last few years, the offerings in that area have grown considerably. Still, it’s not necessarily easy to find them when you need them.

A few locals had the brilliant idea of organizing an Alternative Health Fair, bringing all the alternative service providers that they could manage into one place. That fair happens this Saturday Nov. 14, from 10am – 1pm at the Merida English Library (if you don’t already know, that’s on Calle 53 between Calle 66 and 68 in the Centro).

You also may have read here in the events calendar that the fair was going to open with a ceremony from a group of Mayan Traditional Healers from here in Yucatan. Unfortunately for us, but luckily for them, this group of healers will not be able to attend because they have been asked to be part of a ceremony in Xcambo that day. The ceremony is in affiliation with the Wild9 conference being held here in Merida this past weekend and all this week. So we will be sad to not have them with us, but so happy for them to be part of such an internationally recognized group.

The Alternative Fair was conceived by an alternative practitioner of 30 years who felt like it was time that both the extranjero community, as well as the Yucatecan community, have an opportunity to interface with many of the alternative practitioners here in Merida. There will be over 20 practitioners participating in the fair this weekend.

There will be several different types of massage therapists, chiropractic, acupuncture, homeopathy, pilates, yoga instructors, herbalists and many others. This will be your opportunity to talk with people who deal with health from a different perspective than our traditional allopathic doctors. Many of these practitioners have spent years helping people heal conditions that are just not helped with allopathic medicine. Merida is a wealthy city in many regards, and the abundance of alternatives out there will definitely be reflected in the participating practitioners.

In the end, the community will determine if this is a worthwhile project. If you think it is, please spread the word to all your friends, family, coworkers, students etc. and come visit the Alternative Health Fair. We think this fair adds value to our community, and we’d like to see it become an annual event… what do you think?

Remember: Saturday at the English Library, Calle 53 # 524 x calle 66 y 68, 10 am -1 pm.

If you can’t go, but want to get in touch with an alternative healter, contact Kathie at kathieps [at] mac [dot] com.

If you think that Yucatan Living deserves this sort of acclaim (you do, don’t you?), then please click here or on that blue badge on the upper left side of the page, and go to Lonely Planet’s poll and vote!

There are some wonderful blogs nominated in all the categories… you could spend an hour easily (we just did…) going through them and exploring. They are all travel related, of course, and bound to make you start stroking your passport lovingly, eyes glazed over as you dream of giraffes and beignets and scuba diving and mountain roads and high speed trains and colorful saris and palm trees and… you see? There we go again. It doesn’t take much, does it?

So please, take a minute from your daydreams or your work and check that little box next to “www.yucatanliving.com”.

Gracias. Muy amable! and Vaya Bien!

DATELINE April 2 2009: Well, we didn’t win. Those brilliant expats from Spain took the prize. We really are, though, happy to have been nominated. And we thank all our readers and their friends and family for their votes!