Every other day or so, when we arrive at our office in the morning or come home at night, one or more bits of paper are either slipped into the door or under the door or between the doors. These are advertisements. Often, they are highly-produced and brightly colored flyers selling pizza or fast food; other times they are Xeroxed notes from local entrepreneurs hawking their services for housecleaning or pest control.
Tonite when we came home, we found a white slip of paper with bold lettering that totally charmed us, so we thought we would share it with you. We would like to point out that the entire note is the first we’ve seen written in English (sort of), so they must know that gringos live here. Yet another sign of the market adaptations and social changes happening in Merida these days.
The note reads (exactly):
REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE OF STOVENS (FIRES) IN GENERAL
If we say that your fire has not repair, we have all for your stovens, fires.
- Maintenance yearly
- Valves (keys)
- Burners.
- Pilot light.
- Leak.
- Electric system.
- Doors of ovens.
- Protection against mouses.
Note: We give service to home and warranty.
Phone: 923-70-86. Celular - 044-9991-91-32-84.
Street: 66 # 430 x 49 y 47a. Col. Centro. Merida, Yucatan, Mexico.
Actually, we were more than charmed by this note, because we’ve been living with a finicky electrical starter on our “stoven” for quite some time. So tomorrow, you know who we’re gonna call.
(Please rate this article)
Loading ...
Who you gonna call?
Ghostbusters!
I always wanted to say that
I’m proud to see “my people” reaching out and trying to learn a foreign language to take some advantage of this immigrant gringo invasion.
I always knew that day would come. That’s why I studied English since I was a little bear cub… so when the invitation comes I can say:
“Welcome to Merida!!! I’ll buy the first round!!!”
What a precious note… and how homesick it makes me. Am stuck in a “lap of luxury” “gated community” in the States… so the stoven repair man would never have gotten past the gates. Nobody up here understands why I love Yucatan so… It’s really quite simple… because we have no stoven repair man here.
Funny isn’t it? When was the last time some gringo in the US put together a note in Spanish to try and sell their wares? Other than big business. With all the ranting here in the states about Hispanics needing to learn English … kind of gives new meaning to entrepreneur.
Mouses! I’m completely charmed, too. Three cheers (and hopes your stoven is fixed soon). You have a beautiful front door, by the way.
I could have used them in the house we rented. We actually had a mouse skeleton in there. Arvi had to clean it out with a big pair of gloves! I’m so glad to read more posts so I can still feel like I’m there.
Oh you guys! I am so “homesick”. We are back home in Arizona and this post makes me cry. I cried like an idiot all day today missing Merida. It’s just awful. I can’t wait to get back. I’m trying to pack already and I haven’t even unpacked from the journey.
Hang in there, Andrea! You’ll be back before you know it. And the Yucatan (and Merida) aren’t going anywhere. You seem to be one of those people that Merida “chose” so just be patient
Another charming post…. Love your blog. And I love “stoven,” sort of a portmanteau of stove and oven. Makes me want to use the term myself.
Kim: We’re using it. But is it pronounced “stoh-ven” or “stuh-ven”?
WONDERFUL! NO WONDER I AM LOOKING TO RETIRE IN THE YUCATAN. JUST 9 MORE YEARS AND (I HOPE) A SIMPLE CITIZEN STATUS. I AM NEW TO BLOGS (IS THIS WHAT THIS IS?) BUT I AM SLOWLY BECOMING AN ADDICT OF THESE SIMPLE HEART WARMING NOTES ABOUT REAL LIFE IN A LIVING SOCIETY. PS I LIVE IN WASHINGTON D.C IN AN AREA THAT IS VERY HISPANIC BUT NOT QUITE THE SAME THING. WILL CONTINUE TO READ ABOUT THE AREA AND WITH LUCK WILL BE PURCHASING NEXT YEAR.
JOSE
We’re planning a 16 day Peninsula road trip next year on the March Break and I’m the datadigger. The more I find sites like this, with their beguiling blogs, the more I WILL partially retire in Mexico and, at the distance of half a world, snicker safely at snow forevermore. Thanks for the reading. PS: is it cheaper to rent a vehicle in Merida, to be picked up at Cancun Airport and left there?