Comments on: Sueters

By: BruceC

BruceC — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:47:37 +0000

On the flip side — I’m sitting here at work in MI on April 2nd. Just out of nostalgia/curiosity I checked the weather for Merida and it’s — 106 F! Uay! No way I’d ever adapt to that, I think…and what’ll it be like in August?!?

Sure would like some cochinita pibil, though.

By: sophie

sophie — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:13:57 +0000

Yes, it is always interesting to observe the adaptation to the local temperature… we were just in Mérida about three weeks ago (to see your dentist, Jésus!): coming from wet and cool Vancouver, the heat of the city tempered with was seemed like constant breezes felt quite paradisey! But I was constantly shocked to see most locals walk around in jeans, left alone working or biking in the baking afternoon sun in them – while I could barely stand my light cotton shirt and skirt! Pfew… I would have melted like the witch in the Wizard of Oz if I wore jeans…

Little tidbit this reminded me of: the French usually refer to a sweater as a “pull”, pronounced with your lips in their trademark pout, from pull-over… which is weird for us French-Canadians, as we do have a french word for sweater: chandail. It’s kinda this ongoing thing we have, where they will accuse us “colonist” of diluting the language with anglicisms, while we find we usually actually do use french words for such things as their WC (water-closet, but we say toilettes) or when they laugh when we say fin de semaine for weekend (they say veekend-dheuuu)… grrrr.

By: Working Gringos

Working Gringos — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 13:00:39 +0000

Well, Sergio, we should point out that Merida actually has quite a diversity of architecture. While many gringos tend to focus on the colonial homes in the Centro, you can also find anything from traditional Maya huts of sticks and thatch to 50′s and 60′s era “retro” designs, to beach cabanas, to modern houses with the same aluminum windows and screens found in Gringolandia. The only thing you won’t find here much is wood framing and drywall – almost everything is executed in concrete and stone.

Many people who renovate the colonial homes do install screens, either in the doors and windows themselves or as an addition over the doors and windows. This is usually done with either a hardwood or wrought iron frame. A notable exception are doors and windows facing the street, which seldom remain open and are often covered with double-pane glass to reduce noise.

By: Sergio

Sergio — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 06:46:15 +0000

Are there houses in Merida which have screens on windows and doors? Because of the architecture there, I would think they would be hard to install.

By: Working Gringos

Working Gringos — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 03:14:33 +0000

Thank you, Lee. The mosquitoes are seasonal, but we think they might have more than one season. Not day and night, no. Just dawn and dusk. And night. You’re pretty safe from them during the day.

Our daughter has bad reactions to mosquito bites too. She had a few bad ones. Our final solution was bug spray, coils (you burn them in the room like incense) and air conditioning (makes the mosquitos cold and allows you to cover up with blankets).

The severity of the mosquitos also depends on where you are (city, jungle, beach) and how well insulated (and screened) your house is.

There are definitely more of them here than back home in California!