#1183 – The Expat Files: Cultural Divides, Puerto Rico’s Struggles, and Aging Abroad

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 that 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 Hey, how about this email? You certainly won't hear anything like this from the mainstream media horse If he was on fake book or any other anti-social media, it'd be canceled in a second. Why simply because he tells the truth It's a long email and I'll paraphrase it to make it as short as I can he says dear Johnny

[00:49] By the way, this is from Lou a lawyer in my jammy. I'm half Hispanic. He says So I have a foot in both worlds Latino and Caucasian if I was to put a title to this email It would be and they say white people are racist He says I'm writing this email to you in response to the show I heard you do about a month ago about how Latinos parents often advise their kids against marrying and dating certain kinds of other Latinos Latinos not of their country origin. You're so right Johnny that happened to me My mother is Cuban and my father sixth-generation good old boy southerner with Confederate ties No less going back way back in the family history didn't matter to my mother though. They fell in love got married and here I am

[01:36] He says I don't know about the cultural and social breakdown in the rest of the United States But in Florida where I live almost 72 percent of Miami-Dade is of Hispanic descent 72% that's according to US Census data With Cuban Americans roughly half for that population with ever-growing numbers of Venezuelans Colombians Haitians in the myriad of other Latin Americans who've managed to find their way here It comes as a surprise to most people to find that the Mexican Population in Florida and basically where I live in Dade County. It's relatively small though It makes sense geographically because Mexico is far away. The truth is I rarely run into it myself Except in the courtroom for some reason even with that slim population. They're way over-represented there

[02:24] Stereotypically, they're mostly agricultural workers, too Especially in South Miami-Dade and in wealthy areas like bric-el and non-ventura where they need plenty of gardeners Because of that distinction most Cuban Americans think two things about Mexicans that they've got a talent for gardening or becoming criminals and narcos Growing up in South Florida and seeing those realities. What are we supposed to think? Then Lou the lawyer says living in South Florida up specifically Miami the Hispanic people here see Inter-Hispanic cultural divisions under a microscope call it intercultural racism Call it what you want, but we have Hispanic origin are always judging other Hispanics of different cultures Because of that we've created and perpetuated many stereotypes and they're not good

[03:10] He says the danger is that I see racial and ethnic biases bubble up every day in the courtroom Especially during jury selections. That's something that people in the rest of the country who don't live in mostly Spanish jurisdictions never consider You see perspective jurors always claim they can be fair and impartial in the upcoming case They promise to set their biases and prejudices aside, but they don't we all know that jury selection is everything We lawyers know that Latinos have implicit biases that will influence decisions during a jury trial So we tinker with the mix according to the person's nationality and country origin For example, it's just a fact that Mexicans don't much like Cubans and vice versa If you don't believe it

[03:55] All you have to do is look online at comments and social media sites to see those inflammatory Cuban versus Mexican and vice versa comments It's a cultural war of the words nasty words that goes on continually So, of course, it affects juries and court cases The questioning and selecting a potential jurors is a delicate dance The pre-trial interviews cover a variety of topics in the quest to home in and weed people out But most of us Florida lawyers know intrinsically just by hearing a person's background their origin Whether they'll be biased for or against a certain Hispanic client Remember if you're a defendant, you're supposed to be getting a jury of your peers So if you're of Hispanic origin, the jury should be mostly comprised of Hispanic people, too That makes sense logically, but here's the problem

[04:42] Take for example road rage encounters when it's two Latinos who get out of a car during an incident if they're both Hispanic The chances are high for escalation of the incident into some real violence It's a fact you can look up the stats If it's two white Caucasian people getting out of the car There's much less chance if it's one Caucasian and one Hispanic the odds slightly increase but not much But when it's two Hispanics in a road rage incident a lot depends on if they are or aren't from the same country of origin and Since two Hispanics can immediately tell by looking at each other and hearing an accent They can tell it right away if they're countrymen or antagonists Danger always increases if they are let's say a Cuban and a Mexican as

[05:29] We all know from TV court shows all the way back to Perry Mason in jury selection People always say they are not biased or racist when questioned if there's even a hint of it in their answers They get disqualified, but we all have personal and cultural biases baked in from our home and family lives So in the end though, it sounds harsh and racist and you'll probably never hear it on the record With the jury selection in a road rage case a lawyer representing a Mexican on trial would never want a Cuban on the jury and vice versa That's just a fact of life in Florida Hispanic communities though. It is funny to think that in white bread middle America They still think all Latinos are brothers in arms or somewhat the same if you live in a big American city You find out right away. That's not the case at all. In my case

[06:16] My Cuban mother never wanted me to marry much let date a Mexican or Puerto Rican girl though My pure American dad could have cared less But that's a shocker to some huh? Then he says another confusing part of the equation is that in Dade County, for example, there are many Hispanic judges Mostly of Cuban ancestry and every one of them will tell you behind closed doors what they think of Mexicans They'll say they're well known for being aggressive and sort of abrasive in court and the ones with money The ones who are famous people or actors or celebrities in their own country believe that when they get to the United States They are untouchable too because in their own country they are You see them in the Mexican news media all the time Hobnobbing with narcos in public and it only seems to enhance their public appeal in their own countries. They're untouchable

[07:04] They live in a different world the cops in the courts give them a pass So they think it'll be like that if they break the rules in the United States to Until they come up against a judge of Cuban descent after all judges are human and they've got their own built-in biases and prejudices as well So the takeaway here Johnny is there is no Hispanic solidarity and though Hispanics are very Nationalistic they love their own country of origin Nevertheless the opinions prejudices and rivalries they have against Latinos from neighboring Latin countries are always close to the surface immigrants carry it with them when they land in the States and Hispanic parents in the United States instill those prejudices in their children to Signed lawyer Lou from Dade County my jammy

[07:52] Yes, he says my wife is third-generation Cuban. Does that make me racist or just xenophobic though in high school I secretly dated a Puerto Rican for a half a year and never brought her home to mother She never brought me home to meet her folks either. We both were cowards Hmm. Well, thanks for that Lou Glad to get a lawyer's take on it But jeez, the big woke fallacy in America is that somehow nothing is racist unless at least one person in the mix is white But you're right Lou. You have to wonder why the media never talks about Hispanic ethnic biases even when they bubble to the surface the media doesn't cover them What do you expect the woke media is bought and paid for the cowards Alright moving on now. A lot of you probably know about that rag. It's called sovereign man

[08:42] It's in no way comparable to international living which is a pure marketing rag Now I've been getting the sovereign man reports for many years now. A lot of them are very very good though There's one thing I totally disagree with him about They keep pushing people who are looking to get out with a plan B to move to Puerto Rico To me, they're just so many negatives to move into Puerto Rico. I've mentioned them in previous shows They're not worth repeating not again, but it seems to me the only real advantage to moving to Puerto Rico is that Americans with residency there are exempt from paying federal US tax on worldwide income But that won't last Puerto Rico is an American territory Completely under the thumb of the US the government's completely broke horribly and dead worse yet The islands got a terrible infrastructure. There are just so many better plan B options in Latin America

[09:33] But still the publication sovereign man keeps pushing it Which is why it kind of shocked me to see just the other day One of the sovereign man team members who lives in Puerto Rico guy named Joe Jarvis He fessed up came clean and wrote about his own trials and tribulations living in Puerto Rico Hey, you got to admire the guy at least in the first part of this article He lays down the bear unredacted sad facts about the place. Believe me. They're not good. Listen to this He says last week hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico knocking out power to the entire island Even after a week later nearly 25% of the island is still without power including dozens of local hospitals He says Puerto Rico's power grid has been notoriously unreliable for years

[10:19] In fact when hurricane Maria blasted the island on 2017 the electrical grid was down for months This prompted the US federal government to shovel more than 30 billion dollars in aid to Puerto Rico Which is a prodigious sum for an island of just 3 million people that works out to be he says $10,000 US for every man woman and child in Puerto Rico 10 grand and out of that 30 billion 12.8 billion was specifically set aside to fix the electrical grid and infrastructure to put that figure in context 12.8 billion would have been enough to build new power plants from scratch that would have had enough capacity to power the entire island and Yet five years later. The electrical grid is even more unreliable and precarious

[11:05] Thanks to endless government incompetence and widespread corruption just to talk about Incompetence and corruption in Puerto Rico is not hyperbole or even remotely controversial. It's just common knowledge Just last month for example the previous governor of Puerto Rico the highest official in the land was arrested and charged with bribery Along with a former FBI agent who helped facilitate the bribes Then there was the previous governor before him. He had to resign to in disgrace after a series of major ethical scandals Nobody goes to jail though, and they all end up millionaires. All right me Johnny here I might add they all end up buying houses in my jammy, too Not only that the author of the article is not telling us the whole truth about what happened during the previous hurricane of three years

[11:52] ago He said it took months to get all the power back on on the island Well, that's not exactly true Even up until last week when the latest whopper Fiona hit him There were towns and pueblos on the island that still had yet to have their power fully restored From the hurricane three years ago. Look it up. You'll find that's true Then he goes out to say with respect to the electrical grid the president of the former state power company was arrested in 2019 along with the US federal government official in connection with a 1.8 billion dollar bribery scheme Bottom line everyone in Puerto Rico knows their government is rotten to the core Still the US keeps sending money and it disappears into thin air So he says although I live in Puerto Rico

[12:38] I have no illusions that the Puerto Rican government is ever gonna save me from a crisis That meant when hurricane Fiona came roaring through last week. I had my backup solar power ready to go That way I can keep the essentials up and running. I Also, he says use Elon Musk's satellite internet service Starlink to maintain communications to me He says he lands a much safer bet than counting on any local government Plus he says I have a propane grill and enough food and water to survive for months if necessary He says get this if you live in Puerto Rico and your extended living plan is not thoroughly thought out I suggest you do what I do which is book a refundable flight out of town as an extra insurance policy Whenever a hurricane pops up on the extended weather forecast

[13:25] Then he says this is an example of a larger point that governments do not solve crisis is more often They engineer them. They rarely solve them. Puerto Rico is just a case study of a very bad much larger Worldwide trend across the world. We can see examples of abject government failure not just here Alright, that's the gist of it Then he goes on to say you have to prepare yourself for the worst for what's coming worldwide Get a plan B and all that now like that's news to you and me, right? Though finally in the end he talks about how he likes Puerto Rico for the tax advantages Personally though with all the other negatives involved. I think that's a pretty slim reason to want to choose the place anyway, if you're ever considering moving to Puerto Rico Before you do I want you to listen to that part of the show once again

[14:14] Come on really if you want to live like a perpetual camper I know I know there are lots of people who drive around the US with RVs and campers It's a great hobby and lifestyle. I guess it's just that I don't happen to like that kind of thing How about you? Anyway, just remember if Puerto Rico is on your mind as a plan B Just remember what the sovereign man writer and staff member said about the place. He's talking about preparing yourself to live for months without electricity having to stock up food and Essentials to live for months off the grid I'll tell you even the most handy jack-of-all-trades expats and gringos and gonna be some wannabes They're not really interested in that kind of uncertain lifestyle. I'll tell you that's not the future I want to have even though if I lived or moved to Puerto Rico The first thing I would do is scout out a place where I could install an off-grid solar system

[15:03] And to get one to run your whole house in the tropics That means air conditioners and all that because you don't want to live about air conditioning in a place like Puerto Rico Or any of the coastal or beach areas in Central or South America either That means a minimum outlay of at least twenty thousand US dollars for a complete off-the-grid system with lithium battery backup You're probably looking at more like 30 if you're thinking about charging up an electric car Which would also be on the menu too if you were in Puerto Rico because with the last two big hurricanes They ran out of gas on the island for a couple of weeks to a month as well So think about 20 to 30 grand for your solar system, and that's when you're doing it yourself for most of it yourself So anyway, I hope those stats and details wise you up to what it's really like living in Puerto Rico

[15:49] Alright moving on. Let's see what else we've got here Alright now here's a little article. I think is really important I wouldn't really touched on this topic yet at least I haven't heard anyone talk about it, but we will do now It's an article written by an expat in Ecuador entitled Can you be too old too sick or too disabled to be an expat? Just when is it time to go home? When should you throw in the towel if ever that is home? I imagine being the US or Canada anyway since two weeks ago on a talk radio show in Cuenca, Ecuador There was a report about an incident involving a foreign resident and expat who was in a park in the report a guard noticed an elderly expat man who had been holding on to a wrought iron fence surrounding a statue and

[16:36] When the lady guard in the park saw him she asked in English if he was okay the man told her he was too weak to walk to the street for a taxi and The lady guard who believed the man had suffered a stroke Called for assistance and the man was helped to the curb where he was placed in a taxi But was that the right thing to do should she have sent him to the hospital who takes responsibility in a case like that then it goes on to say recently an acquaintance who manages rentals for foreign residents in Cuenca told me about a tenant an 80 year old woman from New York will complain that she was being spied on and that the room above her apartment was filled With electronic surveillance equipment when he explained there was only a small empty crawlspace above her She accused him and other residents in the building of being part of the plot. Hmm. All right, me Johnny here

[17:22] You know in a couple of dozen years I've been down here I've met three expats who believed pretty much the same thing was going on in their houses and apartments So are they hallucinating? Are they nuts? Are they 60s flashbacks? Who can say after all, you know the writer David Ike has millions of followers and sold millions of books and he firmly believes amongst other people the Newly deceased Queen of England was a shape-shifting lizard person Now if you ask me, she wasn't that ugly Though in her day a real beauty queen bombshell compared to Hillary who for sure is a cold-blooded reptile Hell if she bit ya you'd need a lot more than a rabies shot, but I digress as usual Where were we? Oh, yeah talking about expats mostly geezers who start to lose it

[18:09] Should they stay with their plan B or throw in the towel and go home? All right Let's read on and yet another case of that I know of an elderly couple in Cuenca Ecuador who live on a combined monthly pension Of less than 700 bucks a month. They told their next-door neighbors They were no longer able to live in that apartment complex The man in his 80s is recovering from a heart attack Well his wife who is in the early stages of Alzheimer's gets around and uses a walker, but they still need a lot of help So the gringo neighbor a good-hearted person agreed to help them buy their groceries and other supplies Which he soon discovered includes seven bottles of vodka a week Then when the neighbor sat down with a couple to organize the accounts and to suggest they consider moving in with their daughter in the US

[18:55] They refused in fact that daughter had offered that option on several occasions Anyway, they told the neighbor they have no plans to leave Ecuador and believe their daughter is after their money Remember they're living on 700 bucks a month Yeah, right big money, huh? then the writer says when I hear of situations like these or simply observe the Difficulty some of my aging expat friends have and getting around I'm prompted to ask or at least ask myself Is there a time when you should stop being an expat? Is there a time to go back home? Alright me Johnny here, you know the guy who wrote this article is a psychologist by training So obviously he's into counseling and offering his advice Whereas guys like me me Johnny that is and so many other expats I know we just want to keep out of everyone else's business

[19:42] We don't want to see anyone fail or take a hit but we don't want to pry too much either because then if you get too involved like the neighbor did with the two people who live on 700 bucks a month and Seven I assume very cheap bottles of vodka a week. It becomes partly your problem and complicates your life, too But let's face it most gringles and expanse who end up coming down permanently are over 50 some well over 50 so most have the issues of aging and disabilities that come with that and Although most people's health once they get down here really improves when you're over 50 you are on the down slope Things like your health might and probably will get better for a while for a couple of years But eventually nature and gravity will take their course anyway, the author the psychologist goes on to say in this article my hats off to anyone who fights through

[20:31] Disadvantages to follow a dream of living in a new country and seeking a new adventure as an expat after all He says I'm an old guy myself recently turned 70 I'm also beginning to feel the aches and pains of old age though I dearly loved the expat life in general and don't expect they'll ever go back home, but who knows Then he makes the point and it's a very good point He says I'm of the firm belief that being an expat and traveling Enhances the lives of older people greatly and most after toughing out the first six months or a year never regret they made the leap He says I have expat friends in their 70s even 80s who take part in all kinds of activities They probably would never have done back home most people as they get older avoid things Whereas rule expats even older expats are more adventurous

[21:16] Some are into hiking and biking clubs They participate in theater productions book clubs writing groups knitting circles and all sorts of charity projects Then he says when I consider the question of giving up the expat life myself I'm not talking about those people who have a strong support network No matter what their disability is if someone has an able-bodied An able-minded spouse or close friends to help them out more power to them if they can pull it off What we're referring to here is in regards to the people who don't have a good support network Those who live alone or just one other partner who is also in declining health Unfortunately, I see many such cases. He says in Cuenca, Ecuador, you know, you have to remember Cuenca, Ecuador and Medellin, Colombia

[22:02] They've been number one and number two for years on the list of international Livings hot spots for gringles and expats to move and retire So that's what you get a lot of older gringles and expats of retirement age And we already know what kind of physical shape older Americans are in anyway, the author says unfortunately, I see many many such cases in Cuenca and Cuenca Ecuador or I live he says or any other country in Latin America for that matter are not good places for Physically and mentally disabled expats to settle down. They are not Walker Kane or wheelchair friendly He says there are simply too many obstacles too many rough sidewalks too many careless drivers Way too many bathrooms and buildings without handicapped access and we're just talking now only about the mobility issues

[22:49] Then there are the equally daunting obstacles of language and culture and navigating bureaucracies that often make no sense even to Latin Americans Alright, let's slow down for a minute me Johnny here. You know, I was just talking to a young expat the other day He's on the short end of 30 and is doing real well with his Spanish not perfect, but he's well on his way to really having it down He's a very active guy into lots of stuff when I asked him. How's it going down here? How's life? He says man, I've been down here about a year and I love it But there's not enough hours in the day to get the stuff done. I want to get done He wasn't complaining. He meant that in a very positive way, too The thing is he came down with his dad who's pushing 70. So I said, how's your dad handling it? He said I don't know I'm trying to get him involved in more things

[23:36] But he's just a bit stubborn though He says he likes it here a lot and it seems he really does But he doesn't want to go out of the house much and I don't think you'll ever learn his Spanish and that's one Of the problems I see with lots of older expats. They just come right out and say I'm not gonna learn the language I'm too old for that and they end up hanging with nothing But a bunch of older stubborn gringos like themselves who just won't learn any Spanish and you know what old people do when they get Together they mostly talk about what's painting them. They're sicknesses You know, I'm no spring chicken, but when conversations like that kick in I quickly change the subject But that's what you get when you hang out with older Americans that includes older expat gringos, too Alright, then he says in this article too often sadly I find that many unhealthy expats are not here for the adventure

[24:22] But for the lower cost of living and sometimes to escape their families back home In fact one old gringo he says why recently helped down the stairs at a Cuenca shopping center told me quite frankly that he came to Cuenca to die and didn't want to be a burden to his children when I asked if his children were aware of the plan He said nope Then he says as long as the Ecuadorian government does not require physical or psychological testing for residency Though some countries are starting to add those requirements. He says for now all comers are legally welcome in Ecuador Ultimately, he says the question of where you finally end up living when you get old beyond your expired date Depends on your support system and how much money you have Should you remain in the country you moved to when your health really starts failing?

[25:11] Those things should be discussed and decided upon before the eventuality Whether you stay on or move back to the States or Canada or Europe is up to you But sadly he says I'm afraid that particular issue is often not given the consideration It deserves or it's given no consideration at all Alright me Johnny here again. So what's my take on it? I say it's not that complicated. In fact, it's simple and easy If you come down before you're 60 or 65 years old that means you can get on one of the premium Health insurance plans for one thing for somewhere around a hundred bucks a month The next thing you should do is plan for catastrophe You want to have it in your budget to be able to afford to live in nurse or maid Which I know would be completely out of the question for 99.9 percent of people living in the States You'd have to be making at least two or three hundred thousand dollars a year to have a living maid up in the first world

[26:01] You'd have to make even more than that to afford to pay a living nurse That could set you back an easy 60 to 80 grand a year, you know Whereas here in latin america a live-in nurse an lpn, whatever it might run you four to six hundred dollars a month Yep, that's right four to six hundred us dollars a month Of course, that means like in the previous example if you're living on 700 a month That's not going to happen But a husband and wife find just two measly social security checks of let's say 1500 a month each That's three grand a month If you make that kind of dough having a live-in maid or live-in nurse is easily accomplished. It's a no-brainer So as far as giving the expat old age subject the consideration that it deserves if you have a good network No problem But if you have a spotty network or no network at all or if you're a loner

[26:49] The question of whether you want to live out your declining years in latin america is all a matter of money In any event if you are cracking around the edges and decide to go back to states to live out your declining years You better consider the network you have up there, too Because as you probably know already old people don't get any respect at all. And unless you're pretty wealthy even rich It's up in the first world where those depressing feces and puked tainted nursing homes are the norm That's where millions of americans end up You know think about it The fact is I don't think I know a single elderly person up in the states who is immobile or sick who has a permanent Live-in nurse at home for 99.9 percent of people. That's completely financially out of the question You've been listening to the expat files living in latin. America

[27:36] 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 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 nos vamos