Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller dives into the unique challenges and cultural nuances expats face in Latin America. He begins by discussing the cultural phenomenon of gringos (expats) in the region, highlighting how they adapt to the inefficiencies and how these are often turned into advantages. He also explores the ironic and nostalgic presence of English-language coffee mugs and sayings in Latin American offices and cafeterias, which are often misunderstood by locals but appreciated by long-term expats. Johnny humorously suggests that translating these sayings into Spanish could be a profitable venture, as the cultural context and humor may not translate well.
Next, Johnny discusses the inefficiencies and frustrations expats face with customer service and bureaucratic processes in Latin America. He uses the example of drive-in banks, where the process of making a deposit or withdrawal is slow and cumbersome, often requiring multiple interactions with tellers. He also shares a personal anecdote about his experience at a new automated parking lot at a Guatemalan international airport, where despite the technology, human guards are still present to assist with the process. Johnny emphasizes that while these systems are designed to streamline operations, they often result in delays and frustration for expats, and he offers advice on how to stay calm in such situations.
Johnny then recounts his experience at a large airport in Central America, highlighting the inefficiencies and peculiarities of the system. He describes the process of exiting the parking lot, where an airport guard manually processes his ticket instead of an automated machine. He then discusses the broader implications of this inefficiency, suggesting that automation is unnecessary and that the system relies on human labor. Johnny also contrasts the high cost of parking in this airport with similar costs in the U.S., noting that the lack of efficiency is a common theme in Latin America. He further elaborates on the low wages and poor benefits for workers in the region, including the meager retirement payouts and the informal economy. Johnny also shares his experience visiting a national health care hospital in Guatemala, where he was treated with special attention due to his status as a foreigner, highlighting the stark contrast between the treatment of gringos and locals.
In the next segment, Johnny discusses the disparity in healthcare access between private and public hospitals in Latin America, highlighting the lack of resources in public hospitals. He shares a photo of a bulletin board in a teaching hospital's doctor's lounge that warns medical students about the lack of supplies. He also addresses a letter from Dr. H, a doctor living in Puebla, Mexico, who defends Mexico's reputation as an expat haven, citing data from Internations.org. Dr. H argues that Mexico is a great place for expats despite its shortcomings in transport, safety, and health, and criticizes Johnny for not giving Mexico enough credit.
Johnny then addresses the common misconception that expats can live comfortably on a $1500 monthly Social Security check in Panama, arguing that it's not feasible due to high electricity costs for air conditioning and other necessities. He also critiques the lists of top expat destinations, noting that many writers who promote these places haven't actually lived off the Gringo tourist trail for extended periods. He emphasizes the importance of language skills and cultural integration for true off-the-trail living.
In the final segment, Johnny discusses the challenges of living in Panama, including high electricity costs and the maintenance of a pool. He contrasts this with the Altiplano region, where living conditions are more favorable due to cooler temperatures and no need for air conditioning or pools. He then shifts focus to the concept of being 'off the gringo tourist trail,' emphasizing that most people who claim to be off the trail are not actually isolated from other expats. Johnny provides statistics comparing the number of gringos in Mexico and Guatemala, highlighting that Mexico has a significantly higher concentration of expats. He also critiques the media portrayal of Latin American celebrities and their views on Trump, noting that many of these figures are uneducated and hold negative views toward Trump due to his immigration policies.
Finally, Johnny discusses his recent experience sitting with a Latin family during Christmas, where he overheard them express strong negative opinions about Trump. He explains that these families often have illegal family members in the U.S. who send money back, and that many of the rappers (reggaetoneros) who are popular in Latin America were once criminals, including gangbangers, who were caught, served time, and then became successful musicians. Johnny highlights that these rappers, except those from Puerto Rico, often admit to having been in the U.S. illegally, which contributes to their strong dislike of Trump.
Topics
Cultural adaptation of expats in Latin America, The irony of English-language coffee mugs in Latin America, The business potential of translating English humor into Spanish, Customer service in Latin America, Drive-in banks and their inefficiencies, Automated systems and human interaction, Expat experiences and frustrations, Airport inefficiencies in Latin America, Cost of parking and automation, Worker wages and benefits in Latin America, National health care systems in Latin America, Treatment of foreigners versus locals in health care
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:49 Gringos and Their Advantage in Latin America 00:01:42 The Popularity of English Language Clothing and Sayings in Latin America 00:04:20 The Business Potential of Translating English Coffee Mug Sayings into Spanish 00:04:59 The Business Idea of Translating Mug Sayings into Spanish 00:05:28 Drive-In Banks in Latin America 00:06:53 Walking into the Bank is Faster 00:07:58 Expat Experience at a New Airport Parking Lot 00:09:50 The Parking Lot Experience 00:10:11 Efficiency in Latin America 00:10:49 The Government's Automation Efforts 00:11:30 Parking Costs and Inefficiency 00:12:01 Health Care System in Latin America 00:13:41 Treatment of Gringos in Hospitals 00:14:53 The Bulletin Board Warning for Medical Students 00:15:08 The Divide Between Private and Public Healthcare 00:17:02 Mexico's Reputation as an Expat Haven 00:18:36 Clarifying Misconceptions About a Former Critic 00:18:51 Discussing the Top Expat Retirement Lists 00:19:33 Living Off the Gringo Tourist Trail 00:21:16 Critiquing the $1500 Social Security Living Myth 00:22:11 Electricity Costs in Panama and Pool Maintenance Challenges 00:22:34 Advantages of Living in the Altiplano 00:23:09 Defining 'Off the Gringo Tourist Trail' 00:24:24 Gringo Population Statistics in Mexico and Guatemala 00:26:01 Critique of Latin American Celebrities and Their Views on Trump 00:26:42 Johnny's Experience with a Latin Family During Christmas 00:27:03 The Connection Between Reggaetoneros and Their Past
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 that 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 know every time you run into or sit down with a gringo or expat down here You're gonna hear some complaints about Latin America You know, mostly the inefficiencies, lack of detail, stuff like that But the longer you're down here, the less you complain because you just start to accept it
[00:47] And you realize it's part of your gringo advantage Because that's why gringos do so well when they start businesses down here We take those Latin inadequacies, inefficiencies and lack of details We use them or the lack of them to our advantage And it makes all the difference in the world when we do our startups And the funny thing is Latin Americans know that gringos take care of the details They admit it And even for the ones of us who are slackers, Latins give us the benefit of the doubt In fact it never ceases to amaze me every time I go into an office A lawyer, a accountant, a banking office and I'm sitting down with someone Talking about average common offices and executive offices too Or even in the cafeteria around the coffee pot at the business You'll see people sitting around at lunch and break time And if they're not in their company uniforms, they'll have casual clothing
[01:33] A lot of it with cutesy English language letters and sayings Now the people wearing that stuff don't know what the letters mean They don't speak English Yes, it's true Any item of clothing with an English language saying on it is all the rage down here But that's not all The same people you'll see drinking from their individual coffee mugs With, get this, gringo cutesy Hallmark coffee cup humor sayings That they don't get either because they're in English too Now the average new or fresh gringo expat walking through an office like that Is not going to notice But long term expats will get the irony Yes, in Latin cafeterias and offices everywhere where people don't speak 20 words of English You'll see the same kitschy pathetic time worn Hallmark coffee mug sayings
[02:19] That were so ubiquitous and mundane back in the states in the 80s and 90s You'd have thought they'd all been broken by now Or ended up in the big dumpster in the sky No such luck Well, it looks like tens of thousands of them anyway Got recycled through Goodwill Salvation Army or St. Vincent de Paul And now they're showing up all over the place in Latin America So, like it or not, you're going to get hit by an oldie moldy wave of bad nostalgia Get ready once again for those coffee cups that say, world's greatest dad I hate Mondays I love cats Clock watcher And the single most depressing one of all, have a nice day So when you see that tired relic and you know you're not going to have a nice anything It suddenly gets worse
[03:05] You start seeing coffee mugs with Disney logos and characters on them So now you know what to bring down for the cleaning lady next time you go up to the states, right? In fact, right before Christmas I was at an electrical supply shop And I complimented the secretary on her coffee cup It said, it is what it is And the other secretary had a cup that said, I love New York, you know, with the heart on it Clever, huh? And there was another one sitting there that said, I love, with a heart, my jammy God, what brain trust thinks these things up Then I saw the ubiquitous Mickey Mouse cup And I was just about to bite my lip When I noticed on the back it said, shit happens Wonder how that one slipped through Goodwill Then just for laps I asked the lady who had the cup that said, it is what it is
[03:51] Of course I was nicely testing her I said, nice coffee cup, what's it mean? And she shrugged and gave me a kind of an embarrassed look So I didn't pursue it any farther, but you get what I mean Why hasn't some gringo, because that's what it would probably take you now Ship some cups down and translate the sayings All those kitschy, campy, crappy, coffee cup, stupid humor sayings That we're all so, so sick of looking at Translate them into Spanish Man, you could make a mint down here I think the lag time is perfect right now They'll finally understand some of these old sayings You won't have to invent anything Though you probably can't literally translate a lot of them That are supposed to be kind of clever, like it is what it is Or life is a four-letter word that just won't translate, they won't get it
[04:39] Now, here's something that cracked me up I saw a Latin cop with a coffee mug at the driver's testing station It said so very appropriately when pigs fly I mean, come on, was there ever a more perfect coffee mug saying than that? I wish I'd have had my camera Anyway, you get what I mean Why hasn't someone translated all these bad mug sayings into Spanish? You can make a mint! So there you have it with a business idea again You don't reinvent the wheel, you just spin it a little faster and you polish it a bit But speaking of typical frustrating Latin inefficiencies That most new expats and green gringo seem to complain about all the time Here's a little example that doesn't seem like much But when you accumulate five or ten of such events in a given day
[05:26] It gets to be kind of frustrating Now, like everywhere in the world, they have drive-in banks all over the place here in Latin America And when you drive up, you're going to either deposit something, right? Or you're going to withdraw money Or you're going to pay a bill So naturally when you drive up, first you go past a little stand that's got the deposit and withdrawal slips Then a foot or two ahead, there's the pneumatic box with the tube to send to do your transactions Only in Latin America, that little stand that's got the deposit and withdrawal slips and stuff, it's empty Many drive-in banks have done away with that little stand altogether That means when you pull up, you have to press the call button Ask to telephone a deposit or withdrawal slip That would be a deposito or retiro slip And send the canister on down
[06:11] Wait about five minutes or so for them to process that brainstorming request You'll get it back You'll start filling it out, whatever And you'll make a mistake and you'll have to have another deposit slip because they'll never send you two They'll just send you one of each, I'm not kidding So by now you're there maybe 15 minutes because nothing happens fast in Latin America Not to mention, there are other cars in different lines being served at the same time In the drive up, autobanko, that's what they call them, autobankos So all in all, by the time you've made a simple deposit or withdrawal You might be playing tube tennis with the teller five or six times So anyway, I figure you're much better off just parking your car and walking into the bank To do your business because it turns out most times it's faster than the autobanko
[06:57] I know, I know, it doesn't make sense, but this is Latin America Oh and by the way, over the years I've been with gringos who've been very pissed off at customer service in Latin America And they explode In fact, I've been with two different gringos, two different times Who blew up at the autobank and insulted the teller Yeah, I admit, I'm guilty of that, but it was a long time ago for me So then, how do you stay calm when stupidity prevails? And mark my words, it will prevail one hundred percent of the time If you're standing in line at a government office Well, I do what Expedetti says He says when you're about to blow up about some customer service issue Just remember, you're driving a car and whoever you feel like blowing up at Is more than likely riding home in a chicken bus So don't make his or her life any tougher Good advice, it works for me
[07:44] That means even if you walk into a brand new first world style building That's outfitted with all the latest and greatest first world technology You're still likely to face disorganization, chaos, manana time and bad customer service In fact, just yesterday, I encountered exactly that kind of thing I was at the new Guatemalan international airport Meeting some of my Latin seminar attendees because the seminar starts this week I was driving alone and I pulled up to the new underground airport parking lot It's brand new and fully automated so you press the button, get the ticket and the gate Lifts automatically and you drive in Then when you're ready to leave you go to a little machine You shove the ticket in plus your money You get your change or whatever and you get a stamp ticket And on your way out you stick that validated ticket into the machine
[08:33] The gate lifts and you drive out Just like any old first world parking lot Except this is a Latin American airport parking garage So when you pull up to the parking lot entrance gate And there's a little box and you press a button to get that ticket There's a uniformed airport guard standing there And as your car pulls up he presses that button for you The ticket comes out, he pulls it out and hands it to you And he gives you a little Buenos dias and a smile Because you know everyone's happy down here Hard to believe I know since his job is such a brain teaser But the question is why do they need a guy standing at an automated machine like that The machine is supposed to eliminate manpower, right? Anyway, I met a couple of people went back into the parking lot Walked over to another automated machine to pay my money and get my ticket validated
[09:22] Guess what? There's another uniformed airport guard standing right at that machine And when you walk up to it he takes your ticket, puts it in Tells you how much money to put in even though it's flashing right there on the screen Then the ticket pops out He grabs your ticket and your change and hands it back to you And you're on your way Again, nothing too unusual about that I guess Except for the fact that automated machine is supposed to do away with manpower So naturally on my way out of the parking lot I have to stick my validated ticket in another automated machine So the gate will lift and let me out Yep, you guessed it, there was another uniformed airport guard standing right next to that machine He took my ticket, stuck it in the slot, the gate opened
[10:08] He gave me a wave and a smile and a buendia So are you beginning to get the idea that in Latin America There's no such thing as efficiency So I'm thinking in this case why even have that kind of automation Just let these three poor guys do the work Take the tickets and get their salary Welcome to Latin America Now remember, this is the second largest airport in all of Central America That's why I was told by a well-dressed Latin businessman The government spent all that money to automate the place first world style To impress international travelers and prove once and for all that Guatemala Is a modern country and not a banana republic Note he said, as he pointed to the airfield The obvious lack of monkeys, snakes and toucans running across the tarmac
[10:54] Anyway, we're talking about the second largest airport in Central America Even so, you won't believe the cost of parking in this new lot When I saw the sign I couldn't believe it myself First 15 minutes free Then it said, from 15 minutes to 15 hours $2.50 Now, that's what it cost to park per hour at O'Hare Field in Chicago or LAX in Los Angeles And even then you're not close to the terminal You have to take a 10 or 15 minute shuttle to get there Whereas at the Guatemala airport It takes about 2 minutes to walk from the parking lot to the terminal So again, we're talking third world Latin prices That's $2.50 for up to 15 hours of short term parking So are they operating at a loss
[11:40] Because they've got to let manpower and all that technology I doubt it because they pay those uniformed airport guards around $300 a month And in the States, a uniformed guard at an airport Probably around $2,000 a month minimum Plus benefits So what about worker benefits here in Latin America? Sure, they've all got the national health care system But if you do get sick and have to go to the hospital You might as well bring your own gloves, syringes and paper towels Then cross your fingers and pray a lot if you believe in those things And yes, there is a mandatory social security system too In every Latin country In fact, people working on the books Have a sort of a FICA percentage withdrawn from their check every month too Generally it's around 2% And the retirement payout in countries like Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay and such
[12:28] Is around $100 a month So that's what poor Latin folks on the books have to look forward to in their golden years Remember I said on the books About 40% of Latin American workers are in the informal economy So that means they're off the books and don't pay in So they can't look forward to that windfall $100 a month retirement pay And by the way, I'm a big believer in looking at bulletin boards all throughout Latin America There are fantastic deals to be found And you see a lot of cool and funny information In fact, the other day, I held my nose And purposely walked into one of those big national health care hospitals This time in Guatemala Because I'm doing my seminar in the next few weeks here I wanted to get a couple of current boots on the ground photos To prove just how decrepit and crappy these third world national health hospitals are
[13:15] And certainly I saw at least 500 stressed out hurting patients And probably another 100 nurses, doctors and government slugs And when I walked in everybody kind of looked at me Hey, visiting gringo Do-gooder first world doctor with freebie bottles of Ritalin and vaccinations maybe Well, no such luck But having that gringo advantage super strong Where there's no gringos at all They treated me like a visiting dignitary Yes, there's nothing that opens doors faster than a person who's a foot taller than everyone else In fact, I kind of rolled out the red carpet And a nurse escorted me through the whole place Asked me what I wanted to see I told her I was a corresponding Which means a foreign correspondent Which opened the doors even wider for me Because she thought she was going to be on TV or something
[14:00] And it didn't matter to her that the whole place smelled like vomit That urine and impending death And that windows were broken and the whole wing of the hospital had no water She still gave me that guided tour with a smile So we weaved through the sad looking patients Who were leaning against walls and lined up in cots in the hallways And that was the hospital waiting room for patients who hadn't been admitted yet Then I asked her if we could see the doctor's lounge And in that lounge they had the usual bulletin board You know, with cars and motorcycles and appliances And houses and rooms for rent After all, this was the bulletin board for doctors Not the patients or the rest of the staff But when I caught this one particular posting I had to take a photo And here's what it says And I'll translate Now remember, this is a teaching hospital too And it's affiliated with a public medical school
[14:47] So the students come through and do their rotations, etc It says, attention all medical students Please be advised that there are no gloves, paper products, or disposables available So you should try to bring your own, please Thank you for your cooperation, the medical staff And yes, I got a real nice photo of that It's just too bad it's in Spanish So anyway, about 90% of the average Latin public Never sees the inside of a private hospital The ones that gringos go to You know, the ones that are so first world You can't tell them apart from your own private hospital In Cucamonga, Sarasota, or Cleveland However, there is one big difference With first world private hospitals here in Latin America There are always many, many more staff members Than patients in the hospital In fact, last time I took a seminar group
[15:34] To a first world Latin hospital We were all outnumbered about 5 to 1 by staff So the 90% of Latin Americans that can't afford private hospitals They go to the public free national health hospitals And get what you might call medieval medical care without the leeches Though I might be wrong, there could be leeches somewhere So anyway, I got a nice photo From the bulletin board in the doctor's lounge And you can see it on my YouTube channel I've got one now Remember, just go to the expat files or expat files on YouTube And you'll see the slide presentation that goes along With each expat files audio show And when you're there, don't forget to subscribe It's free Now, since we're talking about hospitals and doctors Let's take an email from a doctor This from Dr. H He says, Hi Johnny, we love your show
[16:20] It gives us so many tips And we love both your humor and your iconoclastic take on Old vomit land, etc. Your theme song with Dean Martin singing about Mexico Is always great to hear But you never give Mexico its due credit We always get the feeling Somewhere south of the border Means Guatemala, Costa Rica, etc. You rant about how Costa Rica and Ecuador Are no longer good spots for expats But you don't give Mexico a fair chance We live in Puebla, just 100 kilometers east of Mexico City We're definitely off the tourist trail But occasionally we stumble into it For example, we had New Year's at San Miguel de Allende With 12,000 gringos And of course, axala is gringos are us Not sure if you know this But Mexico is now considered the second best expat haven in the world
[17:06] According to www.internations.org Mexico tops the charts in the Ease of settling in department index Due to the easy going culture and friendly populace It sure is easy to get used to the local culture What's not to like about the kissy, kissy locals? Mexico also ranks second in the friendliness index It's easy to make local friends Expats are happy with their life in Mexico Which ranks third in the personal happiness subcategory After Ecuador and Costa Rica Of course you have to take the good and the bad with the ugly As you say, it has low scores in transport and health Safety and well-being But you can overcome all that on a social security check Many gringos have made Mexico Their permanent home, you know It's a good place to hang your sombrero
[17:53] Another good thing is that you can drive from the states To see your family from here We drove from Puebla to Dallas in 18 hours Crossing the borders now is a breeze If you have the FM3 residency permit So despite what Trump says We love Mexicans here and back home They seem to be hardworking, clean, religious, upbeat And very colorful people And speaking of Trump When are you going to talk about his racist rants? You diss Obama about every show But you don't see anything about Donaldism Well that should give you some grist for the mill I hope we can attend your seminar next year Kind regards, Dr. H Okay Doc, let's take some of this point by point First of all, I haven't dissed Obama at once this show Just to set the record straight I never once called him a rotten, lying, thieving, sociopathic scumbag
[18:43] In fact, these days he's my second favorite person in the whole world You know who my first favorite is? Everyone else And about that top 10 expat retirement list You're talking about Every year, International Living, AARP And a lot of retirement rags come out with their lists For the past few years The top five spots have been held by the same countries Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico And now Colombia At least the big cities in Colombia Now in fact, I've met a couple of writers here and there From some of these rags like International Living and others Yet, I've never met a single one who's actually lived off the Gringo tourist trail For any length of time Oh yeah, they've been off the Gringo tourist trail They've passed through and hung out And some have even stayed a few months
[19:28] But actually living for an extended period of time off the Gringo tourist trail I'm at least 20 years off the tourist trail myself And I know expats 30, 35, even 40 years exclusively off the Gringo tourist trail And you know what? A lot of people think they're living off the Gringo tourist trail Or say they are But how could you be off the tourist trail And blending with the locals if you don't speak Spanish pretty well And that's what I find People write these articles Who's Spanish is maybe a five or a six And you have to be a eight or a nine To understand the locals Their culture Their customs Their dialect And their acceptance of you in the community I realize it took me five years off the Gringo tourist trail Before I could understand what people were saying in the elevator When I'm standing right next to them
[20:14] Now you might think I'm straying from the point a little bit here But the thing is When you read International Living Or any of these big reports I saw one on Yahoo News the other day The top 10 best Gringo expat destinations for retirement again And same countries popped up Good for them And of course like I and so many long term expats I've always said As soon as the Gringos start coming in The prices go up immediately That's when wannabes, gonabes and would-be expats Say Just a minute there, Johnny I want to be where the Gringos are Or at least where there's a pretty good sized community of Gringos Because then I'll have all the amenities Good roads Good water I'll have first world technology IT Healthcare Internet First world shopping Starbucks Walmart Costco Sears Office Depot Radio Shack Then I say just
[20:59] Why not stay in Cleveland Now what most people don't know is that No matter how far off the Gringo tourist trail You can get pretty much everything you want and need Always Much cheaper than when you're on the tourist trail too Let's get down to cases That report I just saw in Yahoo News Saying that Panama was the number one Gringo expat destination for retirement And it touted the fact that You could easily live on a $1500 a month Social security check and such Well I'm here to tell you That isn't quite right I don't care what AARP or Yahoo News Or International Living says You're not gonna live a first world life On a $1500 a month Social security check in Panama For one thing You'll need whole house air conditioning all the time And that's gonna cost ya Unless you don't mind your clothes being Permanently humid And having a thin coat of sweat on your 24-7
[21:47] And if you don't air condition your whole house Your shoes and your clothes And your furniture are gonna get Seasonally moldy And that's pretty nasty I know most things in Latin America Are very very cheap Electricity is not one of them And that's what it takes for air conditioning And for your pool by the way You're gonna need that too Because you know Panama is mostly at low sea levels Very hot and humid And by the way Electric rates are 3 to 4 times as much as Your rates up in the states And about that pool It's a high maintenance item I had one on the coast once myself And it was costing me $100 a month 25 years ago Remember there's the pump The maintenance, the chemicals, etc Now of course if you live in the Altiplano Like Dr. H does He's around 7,000 feet at Puebla He does not need a pool or air conditioning
[22:34] So there's a big advantage to living in the Altiplano But like I said before There's much less than 5% of Latin American land mass In that perpetual spring called the Altiplano What I'm trying to say is Most people who hear the term off the gringo tourist trail Think they have an idea of it But they really don't I hear gringos tell me they're off the tourist trail When there are really gringos all around them If they had to They could find one in 2 or 3 minutes Down at the shopping mall A couple miles away At the gas station You're not the only gringo in the neighborhood Your subdivision has a couple of gringo families at least That said Here's my definition of being off the gringo tourist trail No matter how big or small your city is Or how close you are to it On any given day you could walk for hours Even in the biggest shopping malls and shopping centers
[23:21] And not see a single gringo So my first question to people who say they're living off the gringo tourist trail is Are you constantly speaking Spanish 24-7 Because no one else will understand your English Well then you're definitely off the gringo tourist trail And I applaud you Alright let's do some simple numbers here Mexico's got a population of 127 million right And they've got 1.5 or so first world American gringos living there That means technically one in every 85 people in Mexico is a gringo Now let's take the country immediately south of Mexico That would be Guatemala A country with 16 million people According to the American State Department figures for 2015 They say there are 6,417 Americans living permanently in the country of Guatemala
[24:10] Now I don't believe that number because I meet a lot of gringo expats who are kind of off the grid So let's say we increase that amount by 20% or more 8,000 gringos living permanently in Guatemala That means for every 2,000 people you meet you run into one gringo That makes 24 times as many gringos per capita living in Mexico than in Guatemala So that brings a whole new meaning and brand new light to the phrase off the gringo tourist trail doesn't it? So in Mexico you've got one out of every 85 persons a gringo And in Guatemala one in every 2,000 people And you know what according to the US State Department that Guatemala's citizen to US citizen ratio Is about the same in Honduras, Salvador, Paraguay, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brazil
[25:00] Just to name a few lesser gringo occupied Latin American countries Now since I'm an equal opportunity offender and Dr. H mentioned Trump let's talk about him for a second Personally I'd never vote for Trump I'd never vote for any of them They're all a bunch of thoroughly corrupt sociopaths Trump too I mean look at how he got his dough By manipulating real estate deals in New York and getting government aid and sweetheart deals on the taxpayers tab too Not to mention anyone who votes is giving a thumbs up to a thoroughly corrupt system so I can't do that Anyway regarding Trump all Latin America is enamored with their own celebrities And every single day you see in the Latin media Totally talentless celebrities like Pitbull the Latin flavor of the month rapper Down here Latin rappers are called reggaetoneros because their music is reggaeton
[25:49] A vastly inferior and much less creative version of North American rap If that's possible So every day in the Latin media you see dozens of famous reggaetoneros These are uneducated, gangbanger types, terrible role models, sexist, racist, woman debasing guys You see them every day in the media spewing their venomous views on Trump And it's all the same they're just as moronic and uncreative in their views about Trump as they are in their own music But they are famous down here And they hate Trump because of two things He wants to build a solid immigration wall that's impenetrable and he wants to deport people who are illegal So when Trump says Mexico is sending their murderers, rapists, and criminals It's all secondary to the fact that Latins want a US open border so they could pass freely back and forth
[26:39] And immigrate there without any problems like they're doing now The fact is all you have to do is sit down with an average Latin family like I did just last week around Christmas time And you'll hear them spew venom about Trump too because you see a lot of their lifestyle and what they own Comes from the monthly remisses their illegal family members in the states send back and they freely admit it Too bad that conversation was in Spanish or I had to record it for you On what people don't know up in the states is that nearly every single one of these raperos that goes on national TV down here in Latin America And hits on Trump daily At one time these now famous guys were criminals in their own country Gangbangers The ones that were caught, did the time, came out and became reggaetoneros And get this, every single reggaetonero interviewed except the ones from Puerto Rico brag that they'd been in the US illegally too
[27:28] Any guess why they hate Trump so much? You've been listening to The Expat Files Living in Latin America, coming to you twice a week from somewhere south of the border Email me The Expat Files at gmail.com And if you want me to help you sort out your own Latin American plans Schedule a one on one consult with me Just send an email and let me know at The Expat Files at gmail.com Nos vemos