Texan says 'adios' to life in Mexico City

Jesus Chairez, a native of Texas and longtime activist in Mexican American and gay rights causes, reflected recently on his decision to leave Mexico City, where he savored the expatriate life for nearly three years.

After first getting an apartment in the megalopolis in late 2007 and then discovering the charms of the Santa Maria la Ribera neighborhood, Chairez says that life here was in many ways a "culture shock." "Time to start another chapter in my unscripted lifestyle," Chairez writes in an "adios" post at his blog.

More:

The word  Latino and most especially Hispanic does not exist here.  The whole time I was here I never heard these two words used to identify one, unless it was by a visiting friend from Texas.

I found it fascinating how I had been such a Latino activist in Dallas and then when I moved to Mexico City I was now considered a GRINGO -– no kidding.

I often got the nickname gringo and or güero, two common words I, as a Latino, would call white folks back home. I found my nicknames most interesting because I didn’t ever consider myself white, but those words have nothing to do with being white.

In his time in the Mexican capital, Chairez became somewhat of a fixture in the vibrant U.S. expat community, frequently hosting parties at his apartment in Santa Maria la Ribera, with plenty of domestic help.

"I will miss living the life of a rich white woman," he jokes at his blog, where he posted on art, food, and his neighborhood.

Chairez says he plans to write a book about his experiences, and tells La Plaza that he is settling smoothly back into life in Dallas.

-- Daniel Hernandez in Mexico City

Photo: A view inside Jesus Chairez's living room in Mexico City. Credit: Flickr, via JesusChairez.com

Comments

[thegirlnext-door]

It is a shame that Jesus Chairez forgot to pay the last months of rent, leave a great mess in the department, and leave without saying good bye. Mexican people trusted him, and he betrayed us, running, and posting bad things about the people who love him all this years. Hope in the next country he visits, he will learn to act as a trustable men.

[CoronaNative]

I have had a similar response from family and friends in Mexico. I was born in Mexico but was raised here in the states ( I am a naturalized citizen for all you latino bashers out there). When I visit they call me "gringo" and "gabacho" and the like. They say my speach, my culture, and most of all my perspective is different. Funny that no on here considers me a gringo...just another "Mexican".

[gtoya1331]

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[Jesus Chairez]

Love the picture of my living room you selected. Viva México. Thank you for the posting.

Jesús Chairez
http://www.facebook.com/jesuschairez