25 expat voices: Susana Trilling

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 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: Susana Trilling

Susana Trilling

Business: Seasons of My Heart

Website: seasonsofmyheart.com

Originally from: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Lives in: Oaxaca, Oaxaca.

Living in Mexico: Twenty-one years on the 17th of January!

Why did you move to Mexico?

I was living in Australia and decided I no longer wanted to return to live in the US. I had visited Mexico previously and loved it, and had a connection in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Tell us about being a chef and teacher at Seasons of My Heart.

I had been a Chef since 1976 and started with my cooking classes right after. In Oaxaca, after four years living here and after the birth of my first son, I started to teach cooking again. After a big party, many of my friends asked me to teach them the recipes I had served.

Now, I teach day- and week-long classes throughout the year here in Oaxaca, and do culinary tours around Mexico.

What other activities or hobbies are you involved in here?

Yoga, dance, and meditation workshops.

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

During the fiestas when everyone is dancing and eating wonderful foods, drinking and singing to live music... these are the moments that make me happy to be here: Carnaval in Mérida; Spring Equinox in El Tajín, Veracruz; dancing with the Muerteros during Day of the Dead in Oaxaca; the Wednesday markets in Etla, Oaxaca...many moments.

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

Best: It gives me an advantage as a cooking teacher. I can go in and out of either world. I have the perspective of both cultures, which allows me to translate the recipes and share them with people from all over the world.

Hardest: Fighting pre-conceptions Mexicans have of us gringas...

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Submitted by jimb12345 on January 16, 2010 - 13:29.

Its is so good to hear about a great teacher. We definitely need more teachers like you.
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25 expat voices: Susana Trilling

In their own words