Home › People › People ›

25 expat voices: Jeanne Chaussee

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: Jeanne Chaussee

Jeanne Chausee

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

Works at: Guadalajara Reporter

Website: guadalajarareporter.com

Originally from: I was born in Seattle, Washington and grew up there and in Missoula, Montana.

Lives in: Ajijic, Jalisco.

Living in Mexico: Most of the last twenty-eight years.

Why did you move to Mexico?

I came to teach at the American School of Guadalajara, and moved to Aguascalientes several years later. [Later] I moved to the Lake Chapala area, as my cousin and my best friend were living here by then (both died within two years of me moving here, which I thought was rude).

Tell us about your work as a columnist and writer for the Guadalajara Reporter.

I worked for the Guadalajara Reporter in the late 80s, with fellow reporter (now co-owner of the paper) Michael Forbes. He asked me if I would write theatrical reviews for productions at the Lakeside Little Theatre, the largest and longest-running English-language community theater in Mexico. Then I wrote about art projects around town. One day I opened the paper and found that I had a column called "Ribera Arts Review."

When my colleague Ruth Merrimer [left] the paper, I ended up with her Laguna Chapalac column, covering notices of meetings, lectures, news about charities, and such. I added space where I comment on "life here at Lakeside," or in general. Some call it my rant.

What other activities are you involved in here?

I belong to Democrats Abroad and the Ajijic Society of the Arts. By proxy, I'm very involved in my daughter Libby Townsend's project to aid the Tarahumara indigenous people of the Copper Canyon. Libby lives with me, and is the local office manager for the Guadalajara Reporter.

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

I knew I was home the minute I arrived in Guadalajara the first time...but it was really nailed down when a classroom of eighth-graders at the American School surprised me on my first Teacher's Day by standing up and singing "Las Mañanitas" when I walked in. It has been a love affair from the beginning...

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

The best part about being an expat (anywhere) is that we can chose to live the part of the local culture that we like and ignore the rest. The bad part is that when you live so far from family your grandchildren grow up calling you "Mexico Grandma," and you don't see them often enough. Of course, when you do it's a real celebration.

 

Share:

Bookmark/Search this post with:
  • Delicious
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • Yahoo
Submitted by Ed Hardy111 on January 14, 2010 - 00:14.

one day i went shopping outside,and in an ed hardy store,I found some kinds of ed hardy i love most they are Your website is really good Thank you for the information Abercrombie Fitch sale Abercrombie Fitch sale buy Abercrombie Fitch clothing buy Abercrombie Fitch clothing Abercrombie Fitch shop Abercrombie Fitch shop Abercrombie Fitch store Abercrombie Fitch store Cheap Abercrombie Cheap Abercrombie discount Abercrombie discount Abercrombie Abercrombie sale Abercrombie sale buy Abercrombie buy Abercrombie Abercrombie shop Abercrombie shop Abercrombie store Abercrombie store Cheap Abercrombie and Fitch clothing Cheap Abercrombie and Fitch clothing discount Abercrombie and Fitch clothing discount Abercrombie and Fitch clothing Thank you for the information

Submitted by niuniu2012 on January 27, 2010 - 00:41.

With this MP4 to MP3 Converter for Mac software, you can extract your favorite songs or dialogues from a movie very easily and quickly. Input the movie, choose the output format as the audio format you need, click the start converting button, that's all you need to do!So long as you want to convert MP4 to DVD and burn movie DVD for watching on home DVD players, this MP4 to DVD Converter is the ideal tool to meet all your needs. It also helps create DVD menu, edit videos, add subtitle and audio track, and other useful functions.

Submitted by mark456 on February 9, 2010 - 03:51.

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

Submitted by Ed Hardy111 on February 20, 2010 - 00:40.

Day after Ed Hardy day weather is more and more cold! Winter is coming! What can we do to have a good mood in such a season? Cheap Ed Hardy In my opinion, the simplest way lies in the clothes, although clothes are not as Ed Hardy Sale colorful as in summer. But, if you put your mind to artful arrangement and choose suitable colors for the Discount Ed Hardy clothing, you will be stand out in the cold winter.There is no doubt that Ed Hardy clothing has become popular Cheap Ed Hardy Clothing over the clothes market. The other important thing is that this Ed Hardy Clothing Sale clothing line has become a new street fashion. Walk on street, edhardy.com you will find that there are so many Ed Hardy stores and ed hardy clothes

Submitted by Ed Hardy111 on March 2, 2010 - 19:54.

Ed Hardy Mens Tops clothing seem to have the whole fashion world watching. Major celebrities like Sylvester Ed Hardy Mens Hoodies Stallone among many others have been seen in public wearing Ed Hardy Mens Jeans. The appearance of Ed Hardy men’s shirts are stoutly influenced by the tattoos of Ed Hardy Swim Trunks. The characteristic and intricate design of the Ed Hardy clothing can be seen on stars and celebrities Ed Hardy Mens Underwear all over the world .The inventiveness of Ed Hardy surely brings a big difference to the regular cut of every Ed Hardy Mens Shoes shirt sold by the name. Metropolitan culture and alternative lifestyle type art is tailored down Ed Hardy women Swimwear the sleeves of the tattoo-like Ed Hardy clothing . Because of its popularity today, Ed Hardy Womens T-Shirt clothing is very much accessible.