Upbringing, Parenting, and Life in Latin America

Episode Summary

In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller explores the differences in how children are raised in the U.S. versus Latin America, the challenges of modern parenting, and the expat experience in the region. From the upbringing of second-generation Latinas to the impact of technology on child behavior, Johnny shares personal anecdotes and insights into life as an expat in Latin America.

The episode begins with a segment featuring Eustinia, a second-generation Latina from Austin, Texas, who contrasts the upbringing of American children with those of Latin American children. She highlights the differences in lifestyle, technology use, and behavior, noting that children in El Salvador are more grounded and less spoiled. Eustinia also discusses the challenges of taking her children to public places, where they often cause disruptions and embarrassment.

Johnny then discusses the challenges of parenting in a modern context, particularly the normalization of therapy for children. He expresses frustration with the overuse of therapy for kids, suggesting it reflects a lack of parental strength and discipline. He contrasts this with his own upbringing in Latin America, where parents were more strict and less likely to indulge children's demands. Johnny shares a personal anecdote about his childhood, where his father taught him discipline through a firm but calm approach. He also shares advice on managing children's behavior through limiting screen time, reducing complaints, and keeping kids busy with activities to prevent boredom and misbehavior.

The episode continues with Johnny discussing the challenges of raising children in the U.S., including dealing with temper tantrums, lack of sleep, and the difficulty of managing household responsibilities without his husband's initiative. He contrasts this with his experience in El Salvador, where he perceives children as more well-behaved and less demanding. Johnny also mentions his husband's interest in buying land in El Salvador for a future retreat and invites listeners to join an expat seminar in the Dominican Republic for advice on expat life.

The segment concludes with a discussion about internet speeds in Latin America, highlighting Uruguay as having the fastest and Costa Rica as having the slowest. Johnny explains that the differences in internet speeds are due to historical decisions made when the fiber optic infrastructure was first established. He also mentions the minimum data transfer speeds required for common activities like streaming and notes that Panama is not a good plan B due to its mask mandate ending and the government's handling of the pandemic.

Finally, Johnny discusses the lack of scientific basis for measures like mask-wearing, temperature sensors, and PCR tests during the pandemic, suggesting these were implemented to maintain public confidence in the healthcare system. He criticizes the actions of officials and scientists, labeling them as 'idiot shit for brains' and referencing Dr. Fauci and his associates. He also highlights the strategic influence of China in Latin America, particularly in Panama and Brazil, and raises concerns about the potential for China to leverage its economic presence for military purposes.

Episode Notes

For more episodes, seminar information, resources, and the full archive, visit ExpatPlanB.com.

Keep exploring

Search the full episode archive Browse practical guides Explore the Expat Insider Seminar Ask about a consultation

Topics

Upbringing differences between American and Latin American children, Technology use and access in different cultures, Behavioral differences in children raised in different environments, Challenges of raising children in public spaces, Cultural and economic contrasts between the U.S. and Latin America, Parenting styles, Therapy for children, Cultural differences in parenting, Parental stress and exhaustion, Discipline and child behavior, Parenting challenges, Life in El Salvador

Chapters

00:00:00 Opening
00:00:14 Introduction to the Expat Files Show
00:00:32 Introduction of an Unexpected Email
00:01:05 Eustinia's Background and Perspective
00:01:33 Comparing Upbringings: American vs. Latin American Children
00:02:00 Contrast in Children's Behavior and Lifestyle
00:03:03 Cultural and Economic Differences in Child Rearing
00:04:36 Challenges of Raising Children in Public Spaces
00:05:38 Eustinia's Frustrations with Her Children's Behavior
00:05:56 Johnny's frustration with modern parenting norms
00:07:09 Justinia's exhaustion and the pressure to maintain a facade
00:10:50 Johnny's advice on managing children's behavior
00:11:26 Parenting Challenges in the U.S.
00:12:25 Contrast Between U.S. and El Salvador
00:13:21 Interest in Moving to El Salvador
00:15:52 Expat Seminar Invitation
00:17:00 Internet Speeds in Latin America
00:17:04 Variation in Internet Speeds Across Latin America
00:17:29 Discussion on Wi-Fi and Cell Phone Internet Speeds
00:18:09 Explanation of Internet Speed Differences
00:19:30 Internet Speeds in Latin America
00:20:06 Global Internet Speed Comparison
00:21:01 Reasons Not to Move to Panama
00:21:17 Panama's Mask Mandate and Vaccination Strategy
00:22:45 Wow, aren't we impressed?
00:22:48 Especially since huge amounts of data are finally coming out saying that masks had absolutely no effect on the spread of COVID worse yet
00:22:56 Even the covid it government scientists bureaucrats running the show up in the states are now admitting
00:23:01 There was no scientific basis at all for prescribing mask usage temperature sensors PCR tests
00:23:07 The constant slathering of hand booger goop social distancing and lockdowns
00:23:12 But they did it because they had to do something to prove
00:23:15 They were on top of the situation to prove they were in charge
00:23:18 The natives were restless and they made them that way and who and what was the cause of the public's panic and fear idiot shit for brains

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 up to play and now I wonder Hello there all you ex-pat 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. All right Let's get started. Here's an unexpected email I remember a couple of weeks ago we were talking about the differences between the upbringing of American North American kids and their counterparts here in Latin America. Well, man, listen to this email

[00:46] What's from Eustinia with a Y Y U S T I N I a from Austin, Texas She says Johnny. I know the difference between young Latino kids growing up in Latin America and gringo kids growing up in the States I'm the expert. She said well, maybe not the expert, but I think I can speak with some authority on this subject I'm a second generation Latina in Austin, Texas married to a fourth generation American of German and English descent He's an IT computer guy you hit it on the head Johnny When you said our kids are growing up in a hundred percent in title and spoiled American culture I can't stand it myself, but I can't stop it either I wouldn't be complaining at all about my kids and I wouldn't really know the difference and think it would be all normal the way we bring them up if I didn't have to compare their upbringing and environment to my

[01:33] Four cousins who have young kids and my grandma and grandpa living in El Salvador She says my relatives living in El Salvador our middle-class Latin style as you like to say Johnny That is their lower middle class even slightly poor as compared to the way Americans live There's no AC no clothes dryer lots of ceiling fans and they have a 15 year old car and We visit them in El Salvador about every year or so and it's a revelation It's as if my kids and their kids grew up on separate planets Their kids are calm respectful amuse themselves without continuously saying how bored they are They're on their phones so much less than mine are because well in El Salvador they have to pay for a phone data plan So if the kids can't recharge their phones and most of them don't have the money to do that

[02:22] They can't connect unless they're out about and get a Wi-Fi signal from somewhere When by the way not one of those kids nor anyone in their neighborhood has an iPhone They tell me only the rich people have those they sure have some odd brands of phones But they work when they saw my ten-year-old daughter's iPhone They instantly thought we were rich though I guess they've always felt that way since we can afford to travel back and forth and bring them nice gifts From the states when we come down Johnny I've seen it with my own eyes. My cousins take their kids places around town Shopping the market the beach the amusement park visiting friends and relatives and they never whine Complain or cause a scene. They just might sit and watch TV or play outside in the yard with a dog They make sand sculptures and play with seashells on the beach. They don't need to be coddled and entertained

[03:09] I have to stress this they never say they're bored. They want to go to McDonald's or Pollo Campero Which is the local cheap and greasy national fried chicken franchise and what a shock Johnny? Almost all of their meals are from mother's kitchen. There's always something good nutritious cooking or simmering on the stove Though the free refrigerator is always filled with cheap fake orange juice Just loaded with sugar not good the difference is though There are plenty of locally grown fruits and vegetables around the house One cousin has a big old mango and avocado tree in the backyard There's always a big dish on the table or the counter with mangoes papayas Avocados bananas all kinds of fruits some of which I've never seen in Austin and the kids are free to snack on those all they Want but my kids are Americans. They're different. They don't really like that kind of stuff

[03:58] They almost prefer everything they eat come out of a package. It's a shame really but they're thoroughly conditioned I've been with my cousins and their kids in supermarkets and they're so well behaved they'll never wine or demand things or pull things off the shelf or run down the aisles like maniacs as For me, it's such a pain going anywhere with my own kids and I mean anywhere at stores It's I want this can I have that and at restaurants? They would live at McDonald's if I let them then when we get there and they order the same thing They always get they're impatient They want it now and when it arrives they douse it with ketchup and take two bites and sit there bored again Seems like bored is the natural state for my kids or two of them Anyway, the other one seems to be able to occupy herself the same goes with bringing my kids outside. Nothing is ever good enough

[04:48] It's too hot. It's too cold. There's too much walking. I want to go home and then later once they're home for a while They're bored again. Oh and Johnny at restaurants I can't help but feel like we're that table with the loud kid Disrupting the other diners just like that story you told a few months ago on your show about your own experience with the wealthy Latinos In a restaurant with their misbehaving kids Truth is I don't even enjoy restaurants when I'm with my kids plus there's the inevitable mess my kids make that's really embarrassing to leave behind and One of my three kids is hyperactive. He likes to jump out of his seat and run around the restaurant It's embarrassing and infuriated Then she says now get this I can't stand taking my kids to their therapy appointments either and

[05:34] At their doctor and dentist appointments. They're always an embarrassment in the waiting room They just can't sit still and keep quiet. All right me Johnny here. Did you get that? She said she can't stand taking her kids to their therapy appointments. Oh Gag me with a claw hammer. Why don't you man? I'm so out of touch after being out of the States over 30 years now I didn't realize therapy for kids is the norm now. They're also damn screwed up They need professional counseling as little tykes. Can you believe it? How did therapy sessions become an integral part of bringing up a normal kid? How did parents get so weak? In fact, I remember way back. I must have been four or five years old. I was at the doctor's or dentist office with my dad He was up there at the receptionist paying a bill or making another appointment and I was down right next to him

[06:24] little kid that I was looking up and I was impatient about something and I grabbed his pant leg and Started yanking on it whining about this or that while he was talking to the receptionist He put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed it hurt a bit. He said to the receptionist. Excuse me a second He gave me a stern look, you know a tough dad look and said very calmly but to good effect son When I'm talking to someone don't you ever interrupt me unless it's an emergency and I said What kind of emergency? He said if you step on a nail or have to pee Understand mister when he was dead serious. He'd always follow up with understand mister. Yeah, man. I understood I never did that again and look how I turned out

[07:09] All right. All right scratch that Now where were we? Oh, yeah Justinia with a why she says Johnny since I'm venting and on a roll I have to say that driving around the city with kids is exhausting She says I'm thankful beyond belief that I'm able to afford a good lifestyle, but it's wearing me down My oldest kid who's 10 is missing quality time with me because I've gone two to four hours a day Twice a week taking my other two kids to their necessary therapy appointment All right me Johnny chiming in again. Yes, tinia. Yes tinia Right now. I'm kind of thinking it's you who needs those necessary therapy sessions You have to learn that magic word. No, I know I see parents use it all the time, but they rarely follow through

[07:54] They almost always cave when the kid wines to give him what he wants North American parents I mean but down here in Latin America most parents don't have much disposable income at all So kids learn real fast that whining is futile doesn't help so they don't do it and just inia I'd say take away the iPhone or drastically limit its use and quit taking them to Restaurants quit allowing up to wine and complain and quit buying them shit Yeah, right here. I am given parental advice, and I don't even have any kids But since I'm on a roll you could do what a lot of parents did at least in the baby boomer generation when their kids were hyperactive and they got Bored you enroll them in so many activities They haven't got time to get bored or in trouble just pile it on and wear them out Swimming ballet band theater drama great books club Little League Boy Scouts hmm Boy Scouts

[08:43] No scratch that and skip that camping trip with the parish priest too. That's what my mom did she piled on the activities I was a hyperactive kid and it worked Nearly signed up for a camping trip with the parish priest who had a scheduling conflict lucked out on that one But I digress again All right Then Eustinia says and when I am in El Salvador visiting and catching up with my cousins I won't even mention my kids are in and out of any kind of therapy in fact Just now bullying is starting to enter the public discussion If I let on to my cousins that two of my three kids see a therapist they would think my world was crazy They'd probably be right. They wouldn't blame the kids They'd blame me as a bad faulty or incapable mother and maybe I am Johnny before I had kids

[09:30] I used to know how to relax I Used to like driving with soft music in the background to clear my head now My car is never clean never quiet and don't even get me started on the road trips if you want guaranteed high levels of stress and frustration go on a road trip with your kids and When our family get invited to neighborhood and family cookouts, I'm always a bit stressed out and on edge I just can't relax I can't get into mingling with my friends and hosts a hundred percent because I always have to have an eye on the kids I'm too busy making sure they're not doing stuff. They shouldn't have been doing Embarrassing me in the process even leaving for a short vacation a weekend with the kids anywhere I have to start thinking about it days in advance. You have to mentally prepare for it

[10:17] Do you have enough diapers change of clothes? How much time on the road? Are they gonna get tired and irritable? That's a given. What did we forget? What will we have to buy along the way? I don't even want to think about the bathroom breaks and rest stops Bringing a young kid into a public restroom is a nightmare Oh, and it's a whole different kind of hell when you bring a kid on an airplane one's rough enough. Imagine bringing three It seems I'm a constant event planner I need to know where I'm going how long it takes to get there how long it planned to be there and I need to Have one or two contingency plans and God forbid we have a flat tire or the car breaks down Johnny, of course, I love my kids, but I really miss having a life What's worse is I hate when other mothers give me grief when I'm honest that I don't enjoy much being a mother What am I supposed to do put on a happy face like they do? I know a lot of them are lying

[11:06] They don't want to appear to be bad mothers in front of others If you want to lose friends and influence people try telling other mothers you don't like being one Except for when I'm talking to my husband even I quit telling the honest truth now when they ask how's it going with my kids? I just lie you think I'm gonna tell them I've got two kids in therapy I can't tell them I have to deal with temper tantrums and I haven't had a full night's sleep in two years That one kid's a screamer the other one throws all his food on the floor and the other likes to yank my hair till it hurts So when other mothers ask I tell them everything's just fine because I don't need the mom shaming or mom guilt. I Internalize enough of that myself and as for my husband, he's busy in his own world gaming or working on his computer

[11:52] He helps around the house with the kids. All right, but never on his own initiative I have to sort of nag or basic things don't get done or fixed around the house and that's not good for a relationship either Though I know my kids won't be difficult forever Older moms and my own mother have told me these things will pass they say when the kids are in their teens I'll have been mainly reduced to a chef for them and their friends a Taxi driver and a deep pocket purse for them while they go out to the movies or McDonald's. I'm looking forward to it I've been through kid boot camp any change for the better would be a relief Then she says meanwhile back in El Salvador It's as if my cousin's kids have been given happy pills They play nicely in the backyard and amuse themselves with little simple and cheap things like sticks rocks bikes balls and garden hoses

[12:40] Even the 16 and 17 year olds never complain about being bored. No one whines or is demanding They don't have expensive brand-name stuff and iPhones. They wear cheap knockoff clothes that look perfectly fine They don't ask for things. They know their parents can't afford their parents are not taxi services And none of the driving age kids has or expects to drive his parents car Now the cars they have wouldn't pass muster with teenage kids in Austin for sure My aunts and uncles cars are not new or the right model either Our teenage kids up in Austin would be embarrassed to be seen in them. My lord What have we done to create a generation of kids like that? One last thing Johnny my gringo husband loves the lifestyle in El Salvador, especially the Bitcoin Beach areas

[13:26] he wants to buy some raw land there and build a getaway plan B place for us when the shit hits the fan as For me, he's my husband. So I'm up for it, too Plus we've got all the necessary family connections to make it a nice soft landing and my Spanish is fairly good Since my parents spoke it at home. I took three years in high school Johnny. You're right. It was an easy a almost like cheating Then she says movie tell Salvador though would take some getting used to for me. I could do it though I'm looking forward to having a nice big organic garden problem is though. My kids would never adapt They have been to El Salvador a few times and are okay for the first three days Then they become bored to tears with their uninteresting uncool cousins their words not mine

[14:14] Johnny I'm stuck between that rock in a hard place Finally she says if you want to read all or part of my rant on the air, go ahead, please. No last names, please Alright, yes, tinea. Wow. I always wanted to know what you moms with kids are really thinking What's behind that facade of a happy face when we ask you how are the kids doing? You know, I have sisters with entitled kids who are young adults now They're all busy right now having their own batches little entitled babies mostly in the Chicagoland area It's always amazing to me how modern parents will stick up for their kids. No matter how ungrateful aggravating or annoying they are Hey, if you think it's bad now wait till they get to high school or college Especially if you have girls and they're not super pretty social media is a killer

[14:59] It'll just shred their self-esteem. But then again, what do I know? I don't have any kids So maybe I should just shut up Parents with irritatingly entitled kids remind me of that fact all the time including my sisters funny thing though When I was growing up, there was this thing called tough love. Remember that antiquated concept tough love Yeah, he straightened out a lot of wayward kids But these days the wokesters have labeled it child abuse so it just doesn't fly anymore Try tough love these days and they'll call child services on you. Let's see. That'd be reason 3476 through 86 Why it's just imperative if you've got any brains or sense at all to get the hell out of dodge While you still can while big brother still permits you to do so

[15:45] Now there is a way to get a two to five year running start on your plan B That's what all my expat insider seminar attendees Tell me anyway, if you want to come down to Latin America and spend a week with me and see how I do it Oh, you'll be drinking from the fire hose. All right, you'll be bombarded with info and boots on the ground adventures a Real expat boot camp, but a very fun adventure, too Think about coming down to the DR the Dominican Republic spending a week with me and my crew We're thinking about late October early November about three months from now That way you should be able to arrange your schedule and get the time off Whatever the sign up an info sheet should be ready within about a week at www.expatplanb.com and for all you guys and gals on the early bird discount waiting list

[16:32] You'll get that info first and once again for all you repeat offenders out there you'll get a thousand dollars off the regular fee and Everyone who gets on the early bird waiting list gets 500 bucks off the regular price Yep, this seminar is a change of pace by popular demand We're doing it in the DR as usual will be moving around there will be a lot of surprises You'll like it a lot. So to get on that early bird waiting list send me an email the expat files at gmail.com Alright, let's talk a little bit about internet speeds in Latin America After all we all want the fastest internet speeds possible, right? The thing is in different Latin American countries internet speeds are all over the place For example, if you're in Uruguay, you get the fastest data transfer in all Latin America who to thunk a little Uruguay However, if you're in Costa Rica, they've got the worst internet connection speeds in all Latin America

[17:19] Even though logic should tell you a place like Costa Rica. That's just inundated with gringo It should have the best internet service, right? Well, it's got the worst even worse than Venezuela if you can believe that All right, let's first talk about Wi-Fi and cell phone internet Uruguay's got the highest connection rate with a minimum of 10 megabits per second With Costa Rica on the other end of the spectrum with a speed of around two and a half megabits per second on average The odd thing is that all Latin American countries except for Cuba and Venezuela They have the same three or four big internet provider companies Tigo Claro and Movistar are the main ones with a few upstarts here and there too So you'd think then if you for example have a Claro internet service in Mexico And you've got it in Panama and Uruguay and Costa Rica. They'd all perform the same. It's the same company, right?

[18:09] Not so in fact, I spoke to a gringo who's a fiber optic engineer who installs cable lines for big business enterprises He said it all depends on the deal the government made the government of the particular Latin country when they auctioned off the spectrum on the size and number of fiber optic lines brought Into the country initially and the satellite hookups He said when they contracted the initial installations years ago A lot of the countries had low internet usage at the time and didn't project the massive volumes of people data and cell phones That would be coming on in the very near future. So they undersized their main fiber optic trunks Anyway, here are the Wi-Fi and telephone internet connection speeds I'm gonna list them for you from fastest to slowest Remember I'm talking about Wi-Fi and cell phone internet if you have a fiber optic line direct to your house or business

[18:55] The speeds are about ten times as fast. So these are the minimum Wi-Fi and regular cell phone Anyway, Uruguay is number one with ten megabits per second Peru number two with nine Chile number three with eight point seven number four Columbia with eight megabits per second number five Mexico at seven point nine number six Guatemala seven point six number seven Brazil seven point four number eight Ecuador six point six number nine Paraguay six point two number ten Argentina six point five eleven Panama six twelve Bolivia five point three thirteen El Salvador four point four fourteen Venezuela three point eight Costa Rica two point five megabits per second hardly enough to stream Netflix But again, remember if you hook to a fiber optic cable in your house, you'll get about ten times the speed

[19:43] by the way, according to the 2022 study for which 95 countries around the world were analyzed the world average internet browsing speed is eight point five megabits per second again We're talking Wi-Fi and cell phone internet connections and in Latin America only Chile Peru and Uruguay above the world average By the way, as far as Latin countries This open signal measurement test did not include Honduras Nicaragua Cuba or Haiti And who's got the fastest internet speed in the world? That would be South Korea averaging 43.3 megabytes per second. Hmm. How'd that happen? Especially since next story? You've got North Korea where with the common people the internet practically doesn't exist. It's not allowed only government employees can use it Socialism actually communism. Isn't that nice? That's what the woke stairs are rooting for right?

[20:29] Socialism, let's build it back better a kinder and gentler gulag Oh, and if you're interested the minimum data transfer required for a common cell phone is about three 1-hundredths of a megabit per second and the minimum required data transfer for Netflix You need two and a half to three megabits per second to get the minimum quality picture to get HD high definition You need five megabits per second and ten megabits per second to get ultra HD But you knew that already right if you didn't you do now Hey, you want some more reasons not to move to Panama why it's not a good idea as a plan B At least in my opinion even though rags like International Living love the place there love to get you into their real estate projects How about this wonderful news coming out of Panama from the newsroom Panama outlet?

[21:17] The headline states the mandatory use of face masks in Panama has ended as of July 11. Oops Well, not all it says President Laurentino Cortezo announced Friday during a presentation on his report to the nation that The mandatory use of masks in closed spaces will be eliminated with the exception of health facilities and public transport Yeah, that'll help what a bunch of tickets now Here's the part that makes me really believe that the imbeciles are in charge It says the president also highlighted the successful vaccination strategy that guaranteed the vaccine to all Panamanians Which is a determining factor for the economic recovery? Yeah, right after the government locked down and destroyed the economy on the idiot president further stated quote Panama has

[22:03] International recognition is one of the countries with the best and most effective mass vaccination systems per capita in the world Yeah, I want to move there. Don't you? Furthermore he reminded the assembly that Panama had the honor of receiving on June 2nd the United Nations Public Service Award in the category of institutional resilience and innovative responses to the COVID-19 pandemic He said that to date Panama has received a total of ten million three hundred and forty three thousand eight hundred and fifty doses of the untested Toxic time bomb mRNA vaccines and more than eight million three hundred ninety thousand doses have been applied to the sheep like public Wow, aren't we impressed? Especially since huge amounts of data are finally coming out saying that masks had absolutely no effect on the spread of COVID worse yet

[22:56] Even the covid it government scientists bureaucrats running the show up in the states are now admitting There was no scientific basis at all for prescribing mask usage temperature sensors PCR tests The constant slathering of hand booger goop social distancing and lockdowns But they did it because they had to do something to prove They were on top of the situation to prove they were in charge The natives were restless and they made them that way and who and what was the cause of the public's panic and fear idiot shit for brains Like dr. Falsy and his merry band of ass kissers They brainstormed with the three or four cells that were actively firing in their noggins They had to have a plan even if it was completely made up and unscientific They had to have a plan fast less their multi-billion dollar agencies appear completely useless

[23:42] After all the public was counting on them for solutions They had to do something to instill confidence in the public health care system They had to set the stage scare the piss out of everyone get all the sheep lined up Get people hanging on every spit bubbling word from falsies kisser before they rolled out that toxic vax Which was supposed to cure everything including the wallets and bank balances of big pharma falsie and his merry band of fast kissers They're at meeting now finally that it was all done to calm the public no scientific basis They had to make the public believe they had everything under control But you knew that already right especially all you guys and gals out there listening to this show You guys all knew the score or you would not be listening to me because Wokesters hate me in my show. Well, like the song says love hurts. Well, the truth hurts, too

[24:31] That's why so many people avoid it Meanwhile, there are more reasons why I'd never want to have my plan be in Panama Nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there Remember a couple of shows ago. I mentioned how China has a huge foothold in Panama Well, just this last week. There was a big strategic meeting about China's influence in Latin America And one of the speakers was a general a woman a commander of the US Southern Command. She said quote When flying along the Panama Canal and looking at all the Chinese state-owned enterprises on each side of the canal What I worry about she says is that they all look like civilian companies or state-owned enterprises that could be used for dual use She said those in the know realized they could be quickly changed over to a military capability if need be she criticized

[25:18] What she called the USA's South blindness where the US show is much greater concern as to what happens in the East and Europe But pretty much ignored a very very important region to the South She says China is taking more and more advantage of this region every single day For example, you have Brazil's foreign minister Carlos Franca talking on Fox News digital about his country's international dynamics Noting that China has now become Brazil's top trading partner. Number one and Get this quote man. Is this sick? He says quote I must tell you that the first to help Brazil with vaccines was China in our darkest hour of the pandemic China stepped up and delivered the vaccines when the West wouldn't Then he added security concerns that the US might have over China among rival nations is

[26:08] Common but as far as Brazil and other countries in South America China is not our adversary. They're our number one trading partner. He says we have no security concerns as such with China Hmm. Yeah, right. Have you not read the story of Troy and the Trojan horse? Has that not been translated into Portuguese? Meanwhile first world analysts are saying China's got a long-term chess game going it's especially worrying to now that 21 of 25 Latin American and Caribbean countries have signed on to China's Belt and Road initiative you know what that means right a subway station here a Railway bridge there a highway a high-rise a telecommunication system a dam here an airport there

[26:56] Buried infrastructure projects all under the guise of mutual understanding and economics in countries starved for investment They're doing the same thing in Africa under even more favorable terms. By the way, I'm not endorsing this US general I quoted I think the top brass of the US military is completely corrupt Ever since the 60s when retired generals entered that revolving door of defense contractor consulting Think about the fact that the US is the world's police force. I've got 800 military bases in 80 foreign countries. That's insane You've been listening to the expat files living in Latin America If you need some help with your own plan B We can schedule a one-on-one phone or Skype consult Just send me an email the expat files at gmail.com

[27:44] And if you want to get on the waiting list for my next week-long expat insider seminar in Central America Where you're guaranteed to get a two to five year head start on your plan B Send me an email the expat files at gmail.com