Home › People › People ›

25 expat voices: Father Vincent Schwahn

In their own words

By Inside México Original Print Publication: February, 2009

For the "25 Mexicans You Should Know" edition of Inside México (November 2007), our editorial team sat in a room for hours, proposing and debating names of candidates, eventually whittling the list down to a mix of well- and less-well-known figures, each illuminating some aspect of this country.

For "25 Expats," we decided to do something different. We put the word out. We invited you, our readers, to tell us who to highlight. E-mailed nominations poured in from around the country, and several of you even called. 

This inaugural group of 2009 finalists is a diverse bunch in terms of where they are from, where they live and what they do. You've helped us round up the expat equivalent of the "butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker." In this case, however, it is the activist, the developer, and the expat filmmaker...and the dog rescuer, the theater founder, the birder, and the book store owner. The list goes on.

The common thread running through each selection is the effort these people make to build community between expats and Mexicans.  We think that by doing so, they are helping to expand the definition of Mexico. That is what immigrants do. 

Expat: Vincent Schwahn

Organizations: Christ Church and The British-American Museum

Website: christchurchmexico.org

Father Vincent Schwahn

Related Multimedia

Ana Prado

We asked our 25 featured expats if they have a specific Mexico “moment” or memory—something that always makes them think, “Yep, this is home,” or “That’s what I love about this place.” View Slideshow >>

Related Articles

Originally from: [I was] born in Bismarck, North Dakota, grandson of German-Russian immigrants.

Lives in: One block from the Wax Museum, between downtown and the Zona Rosa in Mexico City.

Living in Mexico: Twelve years.  I now have dual citizenship (Mexico and USA).

Why did you move to Mexico?

Because I love Mexico and its people.  I lived in Guadalajara in the 1980s and had always wanted to return.

Tell us about your ministry at Christ Church and the British American Museum.

I have been the Rector of Christ Church for some eight years now.  I do a lot of work with the English-speaking embassies, and we try to be a point of union for the entire expat community.

The idea of the museum came out of necessity. We knew when the last part of the roof of the Old Christ Church in the Centro Histórico caved in that we could never afford to rebuild it again as a church.  

The English-speaking expat community that has lived here for many years is aging, and someone needed to keep the collective memory of their presence alive.  We needed a project that people of all faiths, or no faiths, could participate in, but also that went with the philosophy and ideals of the Anglican Church.  The Anglican Church is known worldwide as a church that cherishes art, culture, and music.  So it made sense to rebuild the old Christ Church as the British American Museum in Mexico.  

What other organizations, activities, or hobbies are you involved in here?  

[I'm] Chaplain of the St. Andrew's Society and the British Society, [and] I study German at the Goethe Institute in Mexico.

Do you have a specific Mexico "moment" that makes you think, "That's what I love about this place"?    

When I walk out of the door with my Golden Retriever Sebastian, and ride my bike on a Sunday afternoon around Roma, Condesa, and Juárez... those are the moments when I feel most at home—after a good lunch of my favorite Mexican, Chinese, or seafood cuisine, and a beer or glass of red wine.

What are both the best and the hardest things about being an expat in Mexico?

The best thing about being an expat in Mexico is the broad vision that you bring coming from another culture and experience. The hardest thing is when someone treats you harshly or unfairly because you represent something that they don't like in another culture or another country. This prejudice exists in every country, and it teaches you to be less judgmental yourself when you meet people for the first time. It also helps you to try and defend others who are the brunt of prejudice.  

 

Share:

Bookmark/Search this post with:
  • Delicious
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • Yahoo
Submitted by mark456 on February 10, 2010 - 02:43.

ucvhost is a leading web site hosting service provider that is known to provide reliable and affordable hosting packages to customers. ucvhost company believes in providing absolute and superior control to the customer as well as complete security and flexibility through its many packages. ucvhost Moreover, the company provides technical support as well as customer service 24x7, in order to enable its custome..thanks ucvhost