Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller offers expats a range of practical tips and insights for living in Latin America. He begins by discussing the importance of securing essential documents, such as passports, and introduces solutions like RFID-protected pouches and custom plastic sleeves to protect against heat and moisture. He also shares his 'decoy fanny pack' idea, a small, unobtrusive item for carrying non-sensitive items like a pen, address book, and small amount of local currency. Johnny emphasizes the need for security, privacy, and streamlining daily routines for expats.
The episode also covers Johnny's methods for creating memorable phone numbers and passwords by transposing digits or adjusting numbers in a consistent way. He describes his fanny pack, a small, discreet item he has refined over time, and mentions the benefits of his Expat Insider Seminar, which includes information on residency in Guatemala and a John Galt tour. He shares a story from a participant who attended the seminar and later used the hospital he recommended during the seminar.
Johnny recounts his experience visiting an emergency room in Guatemala City, emphasizing the contrast between the cost and quality of care compared to the United States. He discusses the cultural interactions he had with locals, the cleanliness of the hospital, and the relatively low cost of the visit. He also reflects on the broader implications of healthcare accessibility and the differences in medical practices between countries.
The segment transitions into a discussion about the cost of emergency room visits in the U.S. versus Guatemala, with Johnny's brother's experience in Chicago being highlighted as significantly more expensive. The conversation then shifts to cultural stereotypes, including how people from different countries perceive each other, and touches on topics like Amazon box injuries, tetanus shots, and the lawsuit culture in the U.S. Finally, it ends with a humorous remark about tampon machines in male bathrooms at universities.
In the final segment, Johnny humorously discusses the absurdity of modern life, including the free flow initiative at Bowden College, the defecation incident in a tampon dispenser, and the challenges of assembling IKEA furniture. He critiques the quality of IKEA furniture and its accessibility in Latin America, contrasting it with the craftsmanship of local carpenters. He also shares a personal anecdote about learning carpentry during college and a humorous story about Norm McDonald and Bob Villa's feud at a home show.
Topics
Security for expats in Latin America, Passport and document protection, Practical solutions for daily life, Privacy and encryption techniques, Memory techniques for phone numbers and passwords, Security and concealment of personal items, Expat Insider Seminar and its benefits, Real-life experiences of seminar attendees, Healthcare accessibility in Latin America, Cultural interactions with locals, Hospital hygiene and practices, Cost of emergency care
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:59 The Problem with Ziploc Bags in Hot Climates 00:03:00 Why Ziploc Bags Are Not Ideal for Expats 00:04:16 Introducing the Decoy Fanny Pack 00:05:29 Creating Memorable Phone Numbers and Passwords 00:06:11 Johnny's Fanny Pack and Security Measures 00:07:01 Expat Insider Seminar and Its Benefits 00:08:10 Participant's Experience with the Seminar 00:11:12 Estimating the Cost of the Visit 00:11:31 The Third Option: Seeking Help from a Stranger 00:13:05 Critique of Hospital Hygiene and Carpet Use 00:16:37 The Final Cost of the Emergency Room Visit 00:16:57 Medical Care in Guatemala vs. the U.S. 00:17:13 Conversation Starters and Social Interactions 00:17:37 Cost of Emergency Room Visits 00:17:44 Cultural Stereotypes and Perceptions 00:18:41 Lawsuit Culture and Amazon Box Injuries 00:22:17 Tampon Machines in Male Bathrooms at Universities 00:22:54 The Absurdity of Modern Life and the Defecation Incident in a Tampon Dispenser 00:24:09 IKEA's Expansion to Latin America and the Psychological Toll of Assembly 00:26:31 Learning Carpentry and the Influence of Scandinavian Craftsmanship
Transcript
Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.
[00:00] South of the border, down Mexico way That's where I fell in love when the stars above came out to play and now I wonder Hello there all you expat wannabes. I'm Johnny Mueller and you're listening to The Expat Files living in Latin America The show that tells you just what it's like to live work play and or retire down here in Latin America It's a mix of the good the bad the ugly and the great and it's all right here. So let's get started You remember last show or maybe it was a couple shows ago I was talking about passport pouches the ones I recommended use how the good ones are RFID protected So they can't be scanned from the outside and almost all of them are made to be able to breathe a little bit
[00:45] You know so that air gets in and out and things don't get too stale in there and how I said That's good and a bad thing The bad thing is if you're near the coast or in lower Elevations where it's really hot and sweaty that pouch is gonna get saturated with sweat And if you got your passport or anything else in there, that's paper like for example your crypto currency wallet keys Intent or even a tiny thumb drive which I always recommend you carry in that pouch because it'll have all your data on there Encrypted scan of your passport drivers license credit cards, etc In case you lose your pouch get it stolen falls in the drink goes to the laundry, etc Anything can happen. Then you could just pop over to any hotel computer or cafe Internet Whatever and print out copies of your documents and you're all set again But you knew that already by the way
[01:31] If you want to know the exact RFID blacking passport pouch that I'm using send me an email The expat files at gmail.com could be the best 14 or 15 bucks you ever spent now The point is I mentioned how I created my own little plastic sleeve to carry my passport and money and stuff that fits in My passport pouch so that when I am in the hot climbs and sweating It doesn't affect money passports or paper documents In other words, I have my own little hack or a problem that happens all the time as you're going through the hot climates in Latin America then after I said that I've got some emails from people saying Johnny Why don't you just use a good old Ziploc bag? Put your paper stuff in there passport documents and stuff and shove that in the passport pouch and you're good to go
[02:16] Well that it's logical and good thinking I used to do that a long time ago, especially when I was at the beach But here's what I found out a few times today Especially when you're traveling you will have to dip into that passport pouch or the money pouch Whatever you want to call it when you're in a bank grocery store ATM Whatever and believe me, you don't want to be conspicuous You don't want to fidget around with your belt flip out that passport pouch so that it's out in the open hanging from your pants Then open up your passport pouch Fumble inside pull out the Ziploc bag fumble with the seal top or plastic slider on that thing Then when you're done pulling out your license credit cards or making change Then when you're done having to repack that thing close up your passport pouch and stuff it back in your drawers Well, you can't do all that in just a few seconds in conspicuously. It's almost impossible
[03:05] Talk about drawing attention to yourself The problem is when you're in a store or at an ATM or in a bank You're always in front of people when you have to do those machinations Which is why I ditch the Ziploc bag idea a long time ago And now I make my own little plastic sleeve and I mentioned how to do that on last week's show Hey, I've been down here doing this a long time and I'm always improving on old methods that work But are in need of streamlining now about that little thumb drive that should be in your passport pouch There's always a little hole in the flash drive to put it on a keyring or whatever and I always run a little rubber band And a tiny little safety pin and clip it to the inside of the passport pouch So no matter how many times I open the thing or even if the zipper somehow is snagged open I'm never gonna lose that thing. So logically when you're traveling you want to carry your passport and money pouch
[03:55] But you don't want to dip into it much at all That's why I always carry a tiny little camera case that loops into my belt and hangs there It's small only about four inches by three inches by maybe an inch and a half deep Just a little bit larger than a pack of cigarettes really small and in that thing I have a tiny little address book a pen and that's where I keep maybe 50 bucks in the local funny money I call that thing my decoy fanny pack. It's so small and unobtrusive You can't really see it when you wear your shirt out like I do most of time However, if you twist the wrong way or the winds blowing right or the lights and shadows are right or you're standing In just a certain way. It could bulge just a little bit through your shirt The thing is you're gonna open that thing up all the time because you've got things in there like the address book pen notes
[04:41] Business cards rubbers Zoloft and a couple of joints Just checking to see if you're dozing off, but seriously in there You'll always have a little bit of funny money just enough for the day But it's got nothing really important in it if someone wants to steal it. That's why I call it my decoy Let them have it. All I'm out is maybe 50 bucks at most Plus a cheap pen and a tiny address book But I've got all those addresses written down copied or scanned elsewhere and any of the things had jot down in there like email addresses phone numbers Passwords etc are of no use to anybody because I've got my own system of long-hand encryption For example when I write a phone number down right after the country code. Let's say it's 503 come the other usually eight digits Right. Well, I take the first two numbers. Let's say it's a two in a one
[05:29] Well, I'll flip those so I'll write down 1 2 instead of 2 1 and I'll do that for every single phone number in that book I'll flip the same two digits first or second digit third or fourth But you have to transpose the same two numbers all the time in that book. That's your system That makes it very easy to remember. I do that with passwords, too There's another way to instead of flipping two numbers in the sequence pick one number Let's say the last in the phone number or the first in a phone number and add one to it Or maybe subtract one do it all the time and you've got your system And if that little book gets stolen or falls into the wrong hands, no problem Who's gonna figure it out same thing with emails and passwords you get the idea anyway Just know that I've got this little decoy fanny pack business down to an art been doing it for almost 30 years now
[06:18] And back then I started out with a rather big fanny pack and I've whittled it down to a tiny little one That's just a little bit bigger than a pack of cigarettes In fact, it's a tiny common camera case the kind you put through a loop on your belt Also around 15 to 20 bucks and I've been using the same one for at least three years now So they last a long time. I know I know some of you are thinking a thief could walk up and just tear that right off Your belt. Well, that might have been possible, but I hired an indigenous Seamstress lady give her four bucks She reinforced the backside with an extra thick loop to go around the belt and now it would be very difficult to grab it They'd have to take me and the belt with it. Of course, all you guys and gals come into my July 2019 Expat insider seminar, you'll get to see that stuff up front and personal. You'll see all the things I use speaking of the seminar
[07:08] Let me throw in a little plug here If you go to www.thenewexpat.com and click on Johnny's seminar link there You'll find the sign-up sheet loads of information the dates the itineraries and everything you need to know about killing two birds with one stone That is come to the seminar and get your temporary or permanent residency started in Guatemala too at the very same time And how to sign up for the famous John Galt tour which starts the very day after the seminar ends So again, just go to www.thenewexpat.com click on Johnny's seminar link and check out the early bird discounts And yes, we have repeat offenders. In fact, like I've said we had some people repeat the course three different times So if in the back of your mind you're wondering is Johnny's seminar worth it Think about why people have come down multiple times to repeat the seminar speaking of seminar repeat offenders
[08:00] Here's an email that just came in on April 7th You got to hear this especially if you're interested in healthcare insurance doctors clinics, etc. This is from mr. D Says hey, Johnny I just got back to San Diego from Guatemala yesterday and have I got a boots on the ground story for you When I was there in Guatemala, I went to the emergency room, but not just any old hospital emergency room It was the very same emergency room of the very same hospital that you took us to during the expat insider seminar Funny thing he says I didn't really need to go to the emergency room for my problem. Turns out it's kind of an embarrassing Situation that I even went at all you'll see why but anyway, here's the story I came down to Guatemala and rented a room at an Airbnb
[08:45] I forgot to get shaving cream and I was too lazy to go out and buy some so I just put some hand soap on My face and started shaving mistake number one because my skin is really soft and cuts very easily Mistake number two. I was in a hurry and my mind wandered when I was shaving you guessed it I felt the blades of my triple bladed razor sink deep into my face. Damn it to hell I said to myself not because it hurt but because I knew it was gonna leave a nice big bloody gash Man, do those kind of cuts bleed and they sting blood was running down the left side of my face like a gusher It was a big gash All right A deep one to staring at me right in the mirror So I did what all guys do I rinse the blood off the best I could Stuck a wata toilet paper on the cut the old standby which usually works
[09:34] But soon I had a big thick wata bloody toilet paper stuck to my face Thinking all the while man This is gonna screw up my day because my plan for the day was to visit the Korean Neighborhoods in Guatemala City to look for clients for my new business. I teach English to Koreans online by the way, Johnny I know you've mentioned the Korean districts in Latin America on your past show So I wanted to meet up with some of the business owners in person I also had plans to meet up with some señoritas later that evening But not with this wata TP stuck to my face So I thought how am I gonna go out with this giant bloody gash on my face? It'll just keep oozing too I'm sure so I thought rather than just going out buying band-aids and some antiseptic and doing it myself
[10:20] I thought well, maybe unattended this will heal like crap show enough vanity kicked in and I thought it might be better to Get some professional help. So I picked up my cell and looked for nearby clinics and pharmacies Well, wouldn't you know it being that I was in a very nice neighborhood The nearest facility was the exact hospital you took us to during the expat insider seminar just two blocks away Yes, I realized going to that emergency room was definitely overkill especially for this kind of problem But there were two things going on in my mind Surely they do a very good job of closing the gash and making it look less obvious and help it to heal faster Secondly, I was curious as to the actual experience This hospital would be as a walk-in patient not just as a spectator slash visitor on an expat insider tour
[11:07] I figured it couldn't be too terribly expensive. So let's go for it So I did some cipher in in my head and estimated it would cost around 50 bucks for a visit surely no more than a hundred I thought yeah I know I could have gone to a little corner clinic or a pharmacy and had someone help me for way less money But I wanted to see what the emergency room experience was gonna be like going through it on my own Without any help from anyone else then he said Johnny, you know, there is a third option when something like this happens I could just buy a bandage and antiseptic and stop a stranger on the street to help me Senorita perhaps I have no doubt even a stranger would help because people are so nice here. All right me Johnny here Just a little comment. He's talking about Guatemala City in a really nice neighborhood
[11:53] Way off the gringo tourist trail, so he's got that gringo advantage going in full force He is absolutely right being a gringo You could stop pretty much anyone on the street hand him some band-aids and antiseptic and they'd help you out Guess what that encounter would be the highlight of conversation at the dinner table that night matter of fact I wouldn't be surprised and this has happened to me when I've stopped to talk to a Latino on the street In fact countless times. I've been sitting in a little cafe having coffee all but I loaned some soon enough if you're like me You'll be talking to the guy at the table next to you That is if you can speak Spanish suddenly you're getting invited over for dinner meet the family go to a quinceaños party I'm not kidding those kind of offers and they are sincere happen when you're off the gringo tourist trail
[12:42] But don't expect that's gonna happen to you when you're in Costa Rica Cancun or pretty much anywhere in Panama or Mexico And if it does I'd be just a little bit more than worried that you've been signaled out for some kind of scam But if that kind of thing happens to you when you're well off the gringo tourist trail Innocence prevails and they genuinely like to hang and talk to gringo. But where were we? Oh, yeah Mr. D goes on to say something that really impressed me during the seminar when I first visited this hospital was that there was no carpet Anywhere in my local hospital here in San Diego, there's carpet in the lobby and carpet in the patients rooms, too How stupid and unsanitary is that? To put carpet on the floors in the hospital after all the saliva blood and bodily fluids, etc, etc
[13:30] Is it any wonder why some first world hospitals have so many incidents of infections like MRSA? How do you really clean and disinfect the carpet? You can't it's impossible. Oh, but it looks so nice and color coordinated To pay some hefty fee to an interior decorator at the expense of hygiene and true cleanliness People don't talk about it much, but there's something wrong with that picture So I walked in went up to the desk and pointed to my bloody wad of toilet paper still stuck there on the left side I said can you help me with this? Now even though i've been to latin america a bunch of times and teach english to koreans My spanish ability is at an intermediate level. Well, at least on a good day So I felt confident I could communicate with the hospital staff well enough So rather quickly a nurse walked me over to a room and she sat me down
[14:18] Everything in the hospital was just as I remembered from the seminar clean and very modern She attached a device to my finger to take my pulse etc And put a thermometer in my mouth and put the cuff on my arm to take blood pressure readings Usual emergency room stuff then a doctor a real doctor came in and I told him what happened He applied an antiseptic and removed my bloody wad of toilet paper Which was a real treat because it had become somewhat cemented to my face He replaced it with some kind of gauze pad and had me hold it in place then he left Then as expected came the administrative paper pushers a lady walked in and asked me for an id I gave her my guadamala national id card which I had because I'd started the residency process Right after the seminar with the seminar attorney in the back of my mind
[15:06] I was hoping that because I had a national id the hospital would not charge me gringo prices They charged me local prices and would not try to pad my bill. Otherwise Let's face it latin america is filled with stories like that Well, I sat around for around 30 minutes before another doctor and nurse showed up Now the weight didn't bother me much because I knew there were people there with much bigger problems than my shaving accident Then another nurse came in and wanted to put some painkiller gel on my face I said, no, I don't need it doesn't hurt Meanwhile, the doctor had me lie down on the bed and put some antiseptic on it and said he'd bandage it again Well, thankfully it wasn't too big But then he put a large clear bandage over my left cheek that made my skin look like it was about to peel
[15:51] After a sunburn not a good look then about halfway through this consultation The doctor started speaking english to me his english was pretty good Sure, he enjoyed the chance to practice with an actual gringo because you know off the gringo tourist trail I'm sure these doctors don't get to interact much with real english speakers So then after a little of this and a little of that I was told I needed to wait for a while as they calculated the bill After 20 minutes or so my name was called the moment of truth had arrived What was this gonna cost me a gringo walk-in to a private first world hospital emergency room? without any health insurance at all I was handed the bill and it was 695 quetzales its local funny money as you say johnny, which is about 91 dollars in u.s
[16:43] Fiat dough. Well, it was a little more than I imagined but not bad for an emergency room. I suppose Certainly much less than an emergency room visit in the us for a guy without any insurance So what did I learn from all this? Well, I can now say through my own life real boots on the ground experience that this hospital gave me the same level of care I would have gotten a hospital in the us Minus the unhygienic nasty carpeting on the floors And as far as that clear but obvious bandage on my face It actually worked out pretty well for me and meeting those koreans. It made for a great conversation icebreaker, too They wanted to know exactly what happened. So I explained it all to them and we started talking and we're old buddies in no time It was also a great conversation starter with the senorita I met later that day
[17:31] Well, johnny as for backup proof for this little incident. I attach a copy of my bill here So back to my original question, johnny, did I pay gringo price or did I pay the same price a native? Guatemala or latino person would pay signed a future repeat offender. Mr. D from san diego All right. Good one. Mr. D Just one thing my brother just went to a chicago emergency room for a big gas She sustained on his leg while cutting through an amazon box You gotta wonder how many thousands of amazon box opening incidents there are each day Hey when that amazon box arrives every day is christmas, right? Everyone gets at least a little bit excited to get that box open get that new iphone bows speakers candy coated butt plugs
[18:19] Whatever it's inevitable that a lot of people slice themselves open in the process I bet it's happened to some of you listeners out there. It's happened to me though. Not with butt plugs Kind of sorry. I mentioned those but they are attention grabbers when they come up in a podcast, aren't they? Oh, and what about the untold millions of dermal infections from the paper cuts incurred while opening amazon boxes? Hmm, let's see now that smacks of class action lawsuit material. Don't you think it's the american way, right? What with jeff bezos and amazon having some of the world's deepest pockets It's amazing that hasn't happened already or maybe it has speaking of jeff bezos. What an odd looking guy He is he's been all over the news lately with his divorce and all and that brings us in a roundabout way to discuss
[19:04] Cultural stereotypes and how those stereotypes about other people change depending on where you live For example, the other day I was talking to a 20 something latina about security household security And I said to her what would you do if all of a sudden at two in the morning? There was a knock at your door and there was a person outside that said Can I please use your phone lady? My car broke down and she said well if it was a gringo I'd probably let him in talk about the gringo advantage, huh? Unless he sounded or looked like a pure evil pervert or something Then I said what about a canadian and she said she'd most definitely help a canadian out by the way We north americans can generally tell a canadian by his accent though. I've never met a latina or latino
[19:51] Who could tell an american from a canadian a anyway? She said a canadian no problem an american probably a latino Never unless it was a latin woman maybe with a kid How's that for finger in the mails in your own culture? Then I said what if it was jeff bezos knocking on the door and she says who's he and I showed her on the internet What he looks like and she said nope something's not right about that guy Which again gives more weight to the stereotype that canadians Pretty much have a reputation amongst the rest of the world Anyway as being the nicest and most trustworthy of people even though I know a few gringos and expats who've been ripped off by canadians In fact i've been ripped off by two different canadian guys in business deals Though i'd say in general the canadian good guy stereotype rings true, but they are catching up
[20:38] Though i've heard some people say canadians are americans light, but I digress man that I digress Anyway, I was talking about my brother went to the emergency room for an injury sustained while cutting open an amazon box He said he spent about four hours there. No stitches required. Just a nice tape up job and Prescription and antibiotics and a tetanus shot even though he'd had one a year earlier By the way, i've never ever in my whole life heard of anyone who's ever had tetanus Have you now I asked an md here in latin america where they almost never give tetanus shots and people are getting cut and scraped all the time if she'd ever seen a case of tetanus and she said Nope, so could tetanus shots be another vaccine scam could be
[21:24] Anyway, so my brother got the emergency room bill 970 bucks and he swears he never saw a real doctor Just nurses and nurse practitioners techs and a couple of administrators and paper pushers He had insurance, but it didn't matter because his deductible was 2500 bucks. He ended up paying the whole 970 bucks out of his pocket So mr. D in the end you paid 91 bucks for an emergency room visit in guatemala and my brother Who went to an emergency room in chicago got himself a walletectomy? In fact paying around 10 times what you paid You know earlier I was talking about amazon because that's how my brother injured himself Of course, I was making fun of americans who sue for virtually anything. It's a lawsuit culture
[22:09] But it seems the rest of your society up there is out of control, too Now I don't know what planet you guys are living on up in the states But I just read that at yale university a venerable ivy league school all male bathrooms now have tampon machines Just in case, you know, while you're letting it all hang out you suddenly identify as a female having her virtual period In fact i'm reading from this article. It says Bodewind college is one of several universities including university of wisconsin maddison brown university cornell and others That now provide tampon and pad machines free of charge in all male bathrooms Though it says not all college students agree with the free flow initiative at bowden It appears someone defecated in one of the new men's room tampon dispensers
[22:59] I guess that's one way to vote against what's happening up there Though I think it's much better all round to vote with your feet than to vote with your sphincter The point being nothing up where you live in the first world surprises me anymore In fact, I think probably the hardest job in the world is being a stand-up comedian You can't save anything funny cryptic controversial because it's all so hurtful, isn't it? Anyway even worse than slitting your wrist cutting open an amazon box Which would be a relief and a quick way to go for some people Can you imagine how many people have been damaged psychologically in the ikea furniture assembly process? I know I know you've been working all afternoon sunday building that ikea shelf and you've hit a dead end It's just not going as planned They say a six-year-old should be able to build these things and you've been at it all afternoon
[23:48] You've got leftover screws too few bolts corners broken feet missing You got pissed a few times use too much force over tighten some screws beyond their limits Of course, there's the lady in the house. She's popping in and out giving you that look in the silent treatment You've got those beads of flop sweat on your forehead I'll tell you assembling a do-it-yourself project is the fastest way to lose points as the man of the house I know I mention this because ikea is now coming to latin america I'm seeing it in most all the big cities and i'm thinking if your average gringo has trouble assembling this stuff Think about the latinos now i've been to a few ikeas here in latin america They do have their instruction sets in spanish, but they're never great translations. Anyway, wait a minute. Hey, here's a gringo money making idea How about an ikea last resort help hotline?
[24:35] 10 bucks a half hour you walk them through the assembly process 10 bucks a half hour to retain your status as man of the house and maintain your self-esteem That's a small price to pay. Oh, and by the way when you're at an ikea in latin america You'll find no low class or poor people there Just check out the parking lot for all those high-end suvs and bodyguards Yep, I have to admit ikea is a big hit with the gringo wannabe crowd So there's another first world franchise. That's absolutely cleaning up and the price is well converted to the local funny money the same as they are in the states Which is why the average latin american making 300 or 400 bucks a month can't afford to shop at ikea And really ikea's got crap quality furniture At least everything that's made out of wood cabinets stands dressers chairs tables
[25:23] It seems ever since china's got into the act Furniture has gone downhill. I remember as a kid in young adult There used to be scandinavian design stores all around chicago in the midwest They had fine wood furniture solid teak, but now forget about it. That's over ikea You know is like the retarded stepchild of those old high quality scandinavian design stores Now all that furniture is made in china out of laminated plywood and pressboard all infused without gassing toxic glues and epoxies Solid hardwood furniture up in the states that's only for the very wealthy But here in latin america, there are thousands of little carpenters that'll make you practically anything out of the best wood you've ever seen Or you can settle for that cheap made in china junk that 95 percent of latinos end up settling for because it's cheap
[26:13] And you find it everywhere So if you're coming down to latin america and you plan to stay in a place Permanently or more or less permanently do give those local little carpenter guys your business. You won't regret it Oh, and it might surprise, you know that I actually made much of my own furniture throughout my life All hardwood really nice stuff, too I learned a bit of that trade one summer vacation during college working as a grunt slash helper to a guy who made fine kitchen cabinets He was a scandinavian guy too. His name was oscar arnsen Yep, I learned all the basic cabinet making and carpentry tricks used to watch this whole house a lot, too Remember that actually went to a chicago home show in the 80s at mccormick place to see Good old bob villa and norm mcdonald his sidekick, you know the guy who did all the work
[26:58] Remember those guys? I guess they had a falling out when bob villa got a big sears commercial contract and norm got screwed out of the deal So anyway, me and my buddy went to mccormick place at the home show and norm mcdonald and bob villa were there Feuding and wouldn't appear on the same stage together. Yeah, right. Imagine that big egos They thought they were home depot rock stars or something My buddy told me later that night. He was sitting next to norm getting drunk at the bar norm Dist bob said he was a poser and slung a hammer like a girl a cruel cruel insult in the lowest of blows for a do-it-yourselfer You've been listening to the expat files living in latin america If you need some help with your own plan b, you can schedule a one-on-one phone call with me But first download my free plan b questionnaire at
[27:44] New expat.com better yet if you want to get your plan b going from right up there in the states Just sign up for my nine hour expat essentials course Get the perfect plan b blueprint by going to the expat files.com Academy most famous