Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller shares his experiences living in Latin America, highlighting the unique challenges and cultural nuances of expat life. He discusses the common issue of street vendors, particularly window wipers, who often clean car windshields without permission and expect payment. Johnny recounts a humorous anecdote involving his friend Bob, a Boston cop, who humorously interacts with a window wiper, offering a dollar in exchange for pulling up his pants. The story illustrates the cultural dynamics and the importance of language in navigating local interactions. Johnny also touches on the topic of physical differences between gringos and Latin Americans, noting that while it's a common conversation topic, it's not a deal-breaker for locals. He emphasizes the importance of learning Spanish and integrating into local culture to avoid being isolated in expat bubbles.
In this segment, Johnny Mueller discusses his family's experience with Latin American culture, particularly focusing on the perception of physical attributes and the use of slang terms related to the rear end. He also explores the nuances of Spanish slang, including terms like 'culo' and 'mula,' and how they can be both insulting and complimentary depending on context. Additionally, he touches on the cultural impact of rap and reggaeton in Latin America, highlighting the contrast between the preferences of older generations and the dominance of these genres in modern culture. Johnny also mentions the continued presence of traditional Latin American music in certain settings, such as weddings and parties, and the emergence of classic music stations.
Johnny Mueller discusses the evolution of Latin American music, particularly the shift from classic Latin music to reggaeton, which he views as a decline in quality. He attributes this change to the rise of artists like Daddy Yankee, who he believes marked the beginning of reggaeton's dominance. Johnny also comments on the current state of public health measures post-COVID, noting that while many places have reverted to pre-pandemic practices, there is still a visible presence of outdated health warnings. Additionally, he addresses a question about horses in Guatemala, explaining the varying conditions of horses across different social classes and regions in Latin America, and offers practical advice for those interested in horse ownership. Finally, he responds to an email from Darrell, who expresses a preference for incompetent governments over competent ones.
In this segment, Johnny Mueller discusses his experiences living in various countries, particularly highlighting his time in Mexico and his eventual move to Guatemala. He describes Mexico as a place with high crime rates, corrupt government, and a generally unsafe environment for expats. He mentions being robbed multiple times and the challenges of running a business there. He contrasts this with Guatemala, which he finds to be safer, more affordable, and better equipped to handle inflation. He also touches on the topic of hemorrhoids, referencing a cultural anecdote about the prevalence of the condition in the U.S. and its rarity in Latin America. The segment concludes with a discussion on the death penalty in Latin America, noting that it is not legal in any country there, though citizens often take the law into their own hands through lynching.
The podcast segment discusses a situation in which a neighborhood association condemned a death but attributed it to poor police response. A neighborhood representative stated that it sometimes takes 30 minutes or more for police to arrive when people report crimes. While agreeing that such actions are not right or legal, many residents feel they have no choice but to deliver justice themselves. Johnny notes that Latin governments oppose the death penalty, but the people may have different views. The head of the prosecutor's office insists that crimes should be handled by the police, not the public. Johnny then transitions to a historical trivia segment about the guillotine, invented by a French surgeon in 1789 during the French Revolution. He mentions that hundreds of people would gather to watch executions. Johnny then poses a trivia question about the last year someone was legally guillotined in France, which is 1977. He also notes that the guillotine family in France changed their names legally, and they are not found in French phone books. The segment then shifts to an email from Gilda, an expat from El Salvador, who shares her experiences living in the U.S. and her views on the differences between Latin American and U.S. women, particularly regarding jealousy, social life, and family dynamics. She highlights the differences in jealousy between Latin American and U.S. women, noting that U.S. women are more jealous of money and status, while Latin American women are more jealous of their men. She also discusses the social life in El Salvador versus the U.S., noting that it is simpler in El Salvador. Gilda also comments on the treatment of mothers-in-law in the U.S. versus El Salvador, where mothers-in-law are more welcoming. She concludes by comparing the parenting styles in El Salvador and the U.S., noting that Salvadoran parents are more relaxed and less pushy, leading to a different societal approach to child-rearing.
In this segment, Johnny Mueller discusses the potential differences in societal progress between first-world countries and Latin America. He acknowledges that while Latin American societies may not progress as quickly in business and competition, he questions whether this is necessarily a negative. The segment ends with a call to action for listeners interested in expat planning, including a phone or Skype consultation and a seminar in Central America.
Episode Notes
Johnny Mueller discusses the cultural dynamics of expat life in Latin America, including interactions with street vendors, the use of Spanish slang, and the evolution of Latin music. He also touches on topics like government inefficiency, public health measures, and the role of traditional music in modern culture. This episode offers a comprehensive look at the challenges and nuances of living in Latin America.
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Related guides: Moving to Guatemala · Healthcare in Latin America · Cost of Living in Latin America · Residency in Latin America · Renting and Buying Property · Safety and Scams
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Topics
Expat life in Latin America, Cultural nuances and challenges, Language and integration, Street vendors and local interactions, Physical differences and cultural perceptions, Cultural perceptions of physical attributes in Latin America, Spanish slang and its nuances, Cultural impact of rap and reggaeton in Latin America, Continuity of traditional Latin American music, Music evolution in Latin America, Post-COVID health measures, Horse ownership in Latin America
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:14 Introduction to the Show and Johnny's Voice Issue 00:00:51 Street Vendors and Window Wipers 00:01:37 Bob's Interaction with a Window Wiper 00:03:11 The Impact of Cultural Integration and Language 00:05:30 Family Experiences in Latin America 00:05:46 Perceptions of Physical Attributes 00:06:19 Nuances of Spanish Slang 00:10:04 Cultural Impact of Rap and Reggaeton 00:10:56 Continuity of Traditional Latin American Music 00:11:07 The Shift in Latin Music 00:11:42 The Rise of Reggaeton 00:12:32 Post-COVID Health Measures 00:13:57 Horse Ownership in Latin America 00:16:13 The Treatment of Tourist Horses 00:16:18 Government Incompetence 00:16:27 The Cost of Living and Government Inefficiency in Mexico 00:16:40 Comparing Government Efficiency in Different Countries 00:17:45 Challenges of Running a Business in Mexico 00:18:35 Safety and Affordability in Guatemala 00:19:41 Cultural Anecdotes on Hemorrhoids 00:20:34 The Absence of the Death Penalty in Latin America 00:21:53 Local Neighborhood Association Condemns Death Due to Poor Police Response 00:22:22 Prosecutor's Office Insists Crimes Should Be Handled by Police 00:22:33 Historical Trivia on the Guillotine 00:23:35 Email from Gilda: Expat Experiences in El Salvador and the U.S. 00:24:24 Differences in Jealousy Between Latin American and U.S. Women 00:25:25 Social Life in El Salvador vs. the U.S. 00:26:05 Mothers-in-Law in the U.S. vs. El Salvador 00:27:06 Parenting Styles in El Salvador vs. the U.S. 00:27:18 Less Cutthroat in Business and Competition 00:27:21 Societal Progress and Its Implications 00:27:34 Expat Files: Living in Latin America
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 as 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 as you probably figured out from the last show My voice is kind of shot don't know how long it's gonna last today, but I've got a nice case of laryngitis perfect, huh Anyway, let's start with a boots on the ground store You know all over Latin America and every busy street corner
[00:46] There are people running around trying to sell your stuff and those pesky window wipers, too Now I don't know if you have those guys up in the first row I think the cops would shoot them away, but it doesn't matter. We're talking about street urchins here in Latin America Oh, by the way, if you do have them up there let me know how much they want for cleaning your windshield and What happens if you don't pay them because you didn't want them to wash your windshield in the first place down here They'll take anything even nothing. Yep. Sometimes they'll clean your window They can't really see if you gave them the go-ahead the thumbs up because you know down here You can have your windows tinted heavily so quite often. They'll just come over and start washing So they'll squeegee your windshield knock on your side window. You'll roll it down. Shake your head No, give them nothing and they'll just walk away. Give you a shrug They never seem to get pissed off for violent
[01:33] They just take what you give them or not and usually the going rates like 50 cents Anyway, the other day I was with my good friend X Boston corrupt cop Bob He was taking me out for riding his new mini SUV. Yeah, he bought a new one. Why not gringles will do that I don't recommend it for obvious reasons But at least he didn't buy a glaringly obvious rich guy show-off vehicle like a BMW Range Rover Porsche Cayenne, you know what I'm talking about. He bought one of those Kia Sportages Anyway, we're driving along. He stops at a big busy intersection The window cleaner runs up and just as he starts to squirt water on the windshield Bob rolls his window down and says hey, wait, don't do that But i'll tell you what i'll give you a buck if you pull your ass crack pants up like a normal human being He said it in spanish, of course His spanish is pretty good because you know bob's been down here
[02:21] Something like 10 years and by then even if you're a lunkhead or a language dunce like me you pick it up by osmosis Anyway, bob says to the guy I'm serious i'll give you a buck if you pull your pants up He said that's a bad look you're never going to get anywhere in this world Looking like a convict advertising for a boyfriend. He said that's how the trend started, you know Anyway, the guy had a startled look took the dollar pulled his pants up and we skedaddled We took off ran a few errands came back through that same spot about two hours later and the guy same guy Walked up to the car tapped on the window. Bob rolled it down and he said rather sincerely to bob Thanks for the advice gringo and bob smiled and gave him another dollar in the local funny money, of course And yes this time the guy wasn't wearing his pants at half mast. He was wearing them like the average male human
[03:11] So there you have it good old grew up boston cop bob making the third world a better place one pair of pants at a time Then bob said something that was totally on pc but the truth He said johnny, you know, even if I was a low life idiot, I could never wear my pants at half mast Even if every one of my whole gang did it would be physiologically impossible for me because you see johnny I've got the white man's disease. No ass And when wearing your pants at half mast having a little meat on your ass makes all the difference in the world in the fight between your pants and gravity Then I thought to myself, you know, he's right all my friends relatives and caucasian buddies have flat ass syndrome, too So again, even with the ass crack pants trend gravity gets the last laugh
[03:59] By the way, I can't tell you how many conversations i've been in with various latinas, you know latin ladies When discussing certain physical differences between latinos gringos asians europeans indigenous people, etc You know when you speak spanish those kind of subjects will come up at parties and such That's another reason why if you don't speak spanish you get left out of a lot of pretty interesting conversations Anyway, i've been in conversations when eventually the topic of gringos that is gringo men and their flat ass syndrome will come up And though in the moment does gringo men might feel a little short changed about that That is somewhat embarrassed and naturally start checking out all the butts in the room Not to worry latinas will always add that it doesn't matter to them Not a bit neither does the fact that we can't dance with the shit
[04:47] Hey, I know some of these frank discussions might rub certain people the wrong way But that's life down here. You want to know what the local latinas and latinos are thinking about us, right? It's good to know a bit of what they're saying behind their backs. Don't you think? You know, that's another good reason not to live work play or do business on the gringo tourist trail Because most gringos and expats will never learn their spanish well enough or blend or mix with the local spanish culture enough So that all the inner thoughts and secrets are revealed when you're living on or near the gringo tourist trail You truly are in a bubble But come on really isn't nice to know that although latinas are well aware that most of us gringos have flat ass syndrome It's never a deal breaker Though somewhat on the same theme i've brought my sisters down here many times and they really are attractive girls
[05:37] Turns out in my family the girls got all the looks and the guys got short changed Anyway, all three of my sisters have commented at one time or other while down here in latin america visiting They feel sort of inadequate in the rear end department as compared to the average latina By the way when talking about the glutamis maximus here in latin america There are a number of spanish terms in slang some of them vulgar some of them totally innocuous For example tracero that just means rear end a pretty neutral term. Then there's nalgas, which is slightly more vulgar Then there's pompis, which is a term little kids often use It's totally innocuous and the most vulgar culo and anyone with a big rear end is a culona Which could be an insult or a compliment a lot depends on the tone of the word when you use it
[06:24] Just like the word gringo, which is used all over the place here in latin america But never formally like on legal documents. For example, if latino or latina said I know johnny he's a gringo That's quite innocuous. It doesn't carry any positive or negative weight But if for example someone says hey gringo Well, you know, that's not quite a friendly tone When we all know that if you call someone an ass, it means imbecile in english, right idiot? Well in spanish, you don't call someone a tracero or a culo you call them a mula, which is a mule, right? Makes sense, you know an ass being a mule Just like in english being called an ass is an insult being called a mula is an insult in spanish And also by strange coincidence a mula is a muslim holy man or cleric spelled a little differently but pronounced the same
[07:12] Hmm life is strange ain't it? Oh and one more thing now I'm sure by now everyone or at least every baby boomer They know what the word tonto means that means stupid in spanish Also an insult funny thing though. It took me till I was 20 something years old before I realized that tonto You know the lone ranger's sidekick played by j silver heels in the movies and on tv Simply meant fool or stupid in spanish. I never took spanish in school. So how would I know? I still don't know how they got away with that even way back when in hollywood The thing is that word tonto or stupid or fool is used a lot here in latin america, but not in that form It's been incorporated in the word Tontaria Tonto ria tontaria Which means a person has done or said something foolish. He's not exactly a fool or an idiot himself
[08:02] But what he's done Or the situation a person's put someone else in or is in himself is stupid or foolish in other words If for example, someone said I just saw a space alien he appeared to me in my bedroom a typical response might be Que tontaria That's foolish. That's nonsense Not that the person himself is stupid or a fool. It's what he said or implied is stupid or foolish It's a bit milder than calling someone an idiot or a fool That could be a big insult and might start a fight So just be aware that you'll hear that word tontaria a lot And it's no insult though. I've seen couples who are in a fight throw those words around They can get away with it and they usually have makeup sex later But don't throw that word tonto around in mixed company. You're with me so far good
[08:51] All right moving on but not straying too far from latin american social commentary You long-time listeners have heard me say as a B grade musician myself I can claim to know a little bit more about music and music theory than the average slug In fact, I counted it up the other day. I was in at least seven or eight groups bands Rock popper jazz that made money. We played out That's how I picked up spending money in high school and university That is besides working those old so wonderful summer jobs like the dead dog crew at the chicago street department By the way, I was a fairly accomplished cello player too I started that when I was something like seven years old Played it a good 10 or 12 years in local chicago orchestras and such That's why sometimes I can sound like a musical critic jerk
[09:37] But I do know what i'm talking about when I say things like how rap and ragathon Have totally ruined and debased real music as we've come to know it But of course, unfortunately it has taken over the world here in latin america, too But here's what you didn't know If you spoke spanish fluently and you were to take a poll of the average latin american guy and gal The over 35 or 40 crowd you'll find they're in total agreement They despise ragathon and rap too, but they know they can't fight it. It's everywhere So they keep their mouth shut in front of the younger crowd and just tolerate it. They let it pass Are you getting this? Older mature people do not like it at all though. It's not totally bad news for the older crowd Luckily here in latin america There are lots and lots of little bars and restaurants often little hole-in-the-wall clubs, especially in the big cities
[10:27] Where you'll hear that traditional latin salsa samba music with a caribbean flavor, bassa nova Lots of cuban congas and percussion Yep, if you go to the right places you can still hear that classic 60s 70s and 80s latino music This stuff the over 35 latino crowd will tell you which real music music with a theme a story talented musicians With singers who could really belt out of tune Hmm does that sound familiar? So the latino music from the pre reggaeton era is not dead But it's definitely been muted and marginalized to the point you almost never hear it on the radio anymore But you do hear it at weddings and parties But only when the djc's there are lots of people over 35 in the crowd And now surprise surprise lots of classic latino music stations are popping up
[11:18] By the way, there was a definite point in time when good latino music Where the artists and musicians could really play and sing There was a definite time scale when all that abruptly shifted into shit reggaeton music That happened right after that song the macarena Yep, the macarena it lasted a good long time a couple of years then it faded out right after the year 2000 Then came that idiot daddy yankee with two brain cells firing between a spirochete. He came up with gasolina in 2004 that was the beginning of the plague called reggaeton the day latino music died and it was all downhill from there Point being the over 35 or 40 latino crowd have been suffering ever since and they'll tell you about it
[12:04] If your spanish is good enough though It's not really in the latino nature to complain much at all Not like so many of us coddled and spoiled gringos and expats, especially gringo kids So remember if you're down here in latin america And you happen to be invited to a party where they're blasting at reggaeton music and you're sitting next to a latina or latino over 35 You're not the only one who's suffering. It's not just us gringos and expats who can't stomach it It's just that the over 35 latino crowd are more composed All right, moving on. Oh and how about the ridiculous aftermath of this covid it thing? I'm sure you see the same thing up by you as i'm seeing down here. You walk into a hotel restaurant grocery store or any public place It's business pre-covid it as usual. No masks No, snap goop for your hands. No idiot renokops at the door with heat monitors
[12:53] No plastic gloves handed out when you go to a restaurant buffet Yet everywhere in the place and I mean everywhere in the elevators front desk rooms on the floors bathrooms even parking lots You've got warning signs and covid instructions and notices plastered everywhere Yep, all that useless trash is still there most of that stuff stenciled and painted on permanently too Those notices telling you to keep your distance. Yeah, right yellow tape on the ground Footprint stickers where you're supposed to stand to keep your distance. Yep It's all still there as a reminder to our government's collective stupidity. Just saying All right, let's take a couple emails. This one's from max says hello, john. I'm wondering about horses in guatemala Are there beautiful healthy horses there? I could only find sickly skinny ones on the lake when I visited
[13:42] She says I cannot live without horses myself She says it would be like the average person waking up to discover that every computer and phone on earth would never work again That's how I feel about horses Signed max. All right max You'll see lots and lots of horses throughout latin america, especially if you're driving out in the boonies Though there seems to be three different levels of horse care or horse condition There are really poor folks out in the boonies who use their horses still to plow their fields Can you believe that? Sometimes way out in the middle of nowhere You'll see a couple of horses tied to a post no people around and they're pretty sickly looking They've got those high-end spanish horse clubs, too They've got the horses in really great condition They bring them out on weekends and then they put them in parades and stuff You know how they walk kind of funny Sort of clomping along and a horse like version of a german goose step seems totally unnatural to me
[14:33] But hey, what do I know? It's tradition And then you've got the leisure class of latinos including in guadamala that own horses because well They just like to own them and they take care of them quite well In fact i've been to a couple of houses on plantations where they've got their own stables and the horses are really well taken care of Speaking of guadamala in the city They've got a hippodrome too where there's lots of horse events Now if you're in guadamala and you want to see some really well cared for horses Just drive down the pan-american highway on the road to el solvador. That's south of guadamala city About 20 miles south of the city limit. There is a big commercial center on the left called deco city They've got a really nice indoor outdoor restaurant. They're called la cafe It's on the second floor and has a giant balcony if you look over that balcony
[15:19] You'll see anywhere from five to twenty very well maintained horses on any given day Just hanging out leisurely grazing in the pasture and they're all in really excellent condition So if you're into horses and you're looking to buy one and board one First thing I do is have a little meeting with the people who own those horses By the way, I heard it costs about a fifth or 20 percent what it costs to board a horse up in the states since you know There's no real winter no snow So rarely do they have to store feed the horses can go out and graze all day long Anyway, that's the story latin america is definitely the place to own a horse if you're so inclined Though I have to say when I see people using horses in tourism enterprises It can be pretty sad you'll see people renting horses on lots of latin american beach fronts Well, I've noticed generally those horses are not in very good shape Neither are the ones that pull carts in historic districts
[16:07] Seems like when people use their horses to make money off tourists. They never treat them. Well, they never look that healthy All right now an email from darrell. He says johnny. I love incompetent governments I prefer them over competent governments any day though. I guess i'm confusing the word abusive for competence I know it doesn't sound logical when you talk about it But it's so true when you live through it. It makes an expense life so much easier then he says Oh by the way greetings from guadamala haven't run into you yet. Johnny, but I hope to someday He says guadamala What a difference from mexico another country of incompetent government which makes life so much better for us gringles and expats If you're looking for regimental strict government with hundreds of rules and regulations that are strictly enforced
[16:53] Try china the us or canada. I lived in the united states for 30 plus years and all it got me was piles and high anxiety So I moved to mexico found out that mexico is not safe I actually got choked from behind and robbed in tijuana And I thought well, that's probably just because it's a border town and I headed south And kept pushing south. I lived in mexico for 10 years got robbed or swindled at least twice a year However, my 10 years in mexico allowed me to learn my spanish. Yes mexico does suck Crime is very real. Just look at the way they build homes and subdivisions Barricaded like a prison used to be if you lived in a gated guarded community you had a little money You didn't have to put bars on your windows But now even in those so-called protected communities people are putting up bars that tells it all
[17:42] In my 10 years in mexico. I had two businesses It's difficult to have a business in the country where the government's beholding to cartels and life is cheap I was in a tourist area. So I wasn't extorted but my employees got extorted all the time They lived outside in the barrios were even extorted to and from work when they rode the bus However, he says if you like dysfunctional and dystopian places, you'll feel perfectly fine in mexico But look out for those barrios 90 of mexico is a barrio They're total ghettos and cesspools of crime and stupidity Yes, I admit there are nice islands of first world prosperity in mexico But you'll pay first world prices and become a target when you wander out To where the real local mexicans live where life is cheap, but the cost of living is very cheap, too That's why I kept heading south and after beating my head against the wall for 10 years in mexico
[18:33] I headed further south to guadamala I can live there nice safe comfortable and cheap and can actually handle 100 inflation when it comes and it's coming 100 inflation in the states would be ruinous I'm on a limited budget in guadamala, but I could do it Oh and in the altiplano You don't know how nice it is not to have a heating or air conditioning bill or painful property tax bill for that matter I have a 2000 square foot house nice first world style in a gated community and my property taxes are 400 a year Then he says hope to run into you someday soon sign darryl just outside of antigua guadamala All right, darryl. Thanks for that. Hey, I can tell you're a pretty old guy probably over 60, right? Because you used the word piles you said you lived in the states and all you got was piles and high anxiety
[19:22] Piles are for the uninitiated hemorrhoids In fact, I remember all through the 60s 70s 80s even 90s There must have been an epidemic of piles going around chicago and the u.s Because everywhere you went you saw these commercials for preparation age and of course doctors will tell you it's due to stress and bad diet Which is why when you ask doctors here in latin america They'll tell you their reported incidence of hemorrhoids is up probably from all those sugary colas and junk food people are eating Even so doctors will tell you it's still very very rare. Now. If you ask us doctors that very same question I think you'll know the response you'll get by the way I remember reading a book about napoleon not so long ago Seems all the king's queens and crown heads of europe suffered from piles And gout, but it was almost unheard of in the lay population, especially farmers and agricultural workers
[20:13] So what's that got to do with anything? Well, probably nothing but a little trivia is always good for a grin All right. Here's an email for you. Hey johnny. This is louise. How about the death penalty in latin america? How's that going? We fry people all the time up north, but we don't hear much about that down there All right, louise. The fact is I don't believe any country in latin america has the death penalty It's just not legal unless of course you're a narco and then it's part of the gameplay Now though latin american governments did away with capital punishment a long time ago Their citizens sure didn't now, of course, you probably never get news like this up north But practically every day in the papers here in latin america Citizens mostly citizens and local barrios take the law in their own hands and they kill somebody They call it lynching even if they stone them or burn them or push them over a cliff. They call it lynching
[21:00] I don't know why lynching is supposed to be with a rope, right but it never involves a rope down here It's almost always stoning or beating for example. Here's what was in the news yesterday in ecuador It says the azawai police prosecutor's office and national police are investigating the beating death of a 24 year old man Attempting to rob a hotel in quenca's san ju Joaquin suburb sunday night november 20th According to reports the man threatened to rob the clerk and people in the hotel And the clerk was able to contact acquaintances who surrounded the building's entrance Witnesses said two of the victims were able to escape as the crowd entered Police reported the victim was dragged out of the hotel and beaten and stabbed by a crowd Estimated to number about 30 the man was attacked with sticks machetes whips and iron objects And was unconscious when the officers arrived. He died two hours later after being taken to vincente corral morzcoso hospital
[21:53] Then it says local neighborhood association leaders condemned the death but said it was a result of poor response by the police A neighborhood representative said quote when people call to report crimes It sometimes takes 30 minutes or more before police to arrive But he added we agree actions such as this are not right nor are they legal But many of our residents feel they have no choice, but to deliver justice directly So there you have it latin governments say no death penalty, but the people say otherwise And of course the head of the prosecutor's office says quote robberies and other illegal acts should be handled by the police not the public hmm Insert laugh track here By the way, just another little bit of trivia here, you know the guillotine the famous guillotine Invented by a french surgeon and physiologist named louis guillotine in 1789 right in time for the french revolution
[22:45] By the way hundreds of picnickers would turn up every day like tailgate parties to see the executions by guillotine By the way, here's a party stumper Ask someone at a party. When was the last year? Someone was guillotined in france legally. What would you guess try? 1977 and here people whine in protest about lethal injection up in the states Anyway over the years there has been fallout for the guillotine family in france are lots of direct ancestors of dr Guillotine himself, but they changed their names legally a long time ago You look in the french phone book if you could find one, there is a conspicuous absence of the surname guillotine Just like in those german phone books You'll not find one hitler nor in russia's phone books to stalin. All right now we have a very refreshing on pc email from gilda
[23:35] She says dear johnny almost ran into you in el salvador during your last seminar I'm gilda 34 born in el salvador came to the us when I was 14 legally Graduated texas state married an educated gringo it guy in crypto obviously So that's why we keep going back and forth to salvador. I can't believe el salvador It's like night and day has gotten so much better there and more advanced since bitcoin was introduced a completely different and changed country From what I left 20 years ago. Don't let anyone or any of those poison pen journalists. Tell you otherwise She says my husband's been a listener of your show for a couple of years And every once in a while he picks up on something you've said He wants me to hear too like when you talk about mating dating and jealousy in latin america I've got a kind of a different take on it It's something you haven't spoken about on your show before I think my lady friends and relatives have asked me the question
[24:24] What's the difference between 20 and 30 something latinas in el salvador versus 20 and 30 something gringas in the usa? She says on the jealousy issue everyone knows latinas are obsessively jealous when it comes to their men But she says the raging jealousy that most latinas seem to have is different than gringa jealousy Gringas are vastly more jealous of other things besides men Jealousy all women have it to a degree. But as for girls in the states I've noticed women are super competitive and jealous over money and status too For example, what do you drive? What's your zip code? What you and your spouse do for a living what gym you go do what schools your kids attend? How successful or smart your kids are my son's on the honor roll My daughter's a starter on the basketball team to gringas. That stuff's hugely important
[25:09] It's all about whose husband is the best looking or most successful. Did they marry rich etc? And there's so many american ladies that compare themselves to other women. Is she skinnier than me? Is she prettier than me? She must have had a lot of surgery or an eating disorder to look like that I tell you johnny the social life is so much simpler in el salvador in america if you're truly american the social life can be exhausting Of course, there's some of that in el salvador too with the 1 rich in the upper classes But it's so low key on a different scale and it's often about skin color the lighter the better When it comes to boyfriends girlfriends men and especially kids if you have light skin kids or green or hazel eyes They're immediately lifelong princes and princesses. That's how latinas define marrying up
[25:57] Another thing johnny in the united states swagras that is mothers in laws treat their daughter in laws like crap Because no one's good enough for their baby boy Thank god. It's just the opposite in el salvador mothers are very welcoming women toward their son-in-laws Unless he's violent a drunk or a deadbeat dad As a rule latina mothers-in-law are very welcoming women who don't feel the need to compete But some of the stories I hear from my us friends about their mothers-in-laws yikes Though that seems not to be the case at all with fathers-in-laws. I don't get that It's always the mother-in-law who's a bitch never a problem with the father-in-law. Why is that? As for me as a woman living mostly in the us i'd rather be friends with men In the us women are just so competitive about everything Though I believe there are good women friends
[26:43] They're so hard to find in salvador women always have very good groups of friends and don't compete with each other Not much anyway, and if they do it never gets out of hand or turns into a big thing Another thing about my us lady friends They seem to be in competition to see who's the most neurotic and it rubs off on their kids They become hyper protective of their kids Salvadoran mothers are more relaxed and calm and easy going a whole different world None of the parents I know in el salvador have their kids on drugs like ritalin or adderall But my friends in the states where parents have their kids loaded up on them Then again salvador mothers and fathers don't push their kids so hard So when they grow up, they're less cutthroat in business and competition So our society as a whole might not progress as fast as a first world country. But is that so bad? Well, thanks for those observations gilda. I don't think there's a thing I can add
[27:34] 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 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 No spamos