Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller explores the diverse experiences of expats in Latin America, touching on cultural, political, and personal challenges. The episode begins with an introduction to the show's focus on life in the region, followed by a discussion of expat experiences in Central America. Johnny shares insights from Josh, an expat who has lived in Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador, discussing the challenges and positives of each country. He also raises questions about the differences between tropical and temperate climates and their impact on happiness and lifestyle.
Johnny then delves into the paradoxes of expat life in Latin America, highlighting the clash between a fast-paced, first-world mentality and the slower, more relaxed lifestyle of the region. He discusses the cultural acceptance of petty theft and lying, which can be frustrating for expats, and shares a personal anecdote about a cleaning lady who stole from him. He acknowledges the calming effect of the natural beauty and slower pace of life in Latin America, which can offer a different kind of satisfaction compared to the hustle of cities like New York or Chicago.
The episode continues with Johnny recounting his experiences with expats and locals in Latin America, highlighting cultural differences and challenges. He discusses how locals often tell expats what they want to hear and how the concept of 'manana' can affect relationships. Johnny also touches on the issue of being perceived as wealthy by locals, even when one is not. Despite these challenges, he concludes that the positives of living in Latin America still outweigh the negatives.
Johnny then shifts to a discussion on the high levels of political violence in Mexico, including the assassination of politicians and the impact of election fraud. He contrasts this with the situation in Guatemala, where protests over election fraud led to one death, a bystander, and notes that such violence is common in Latin America. He criticizes politicians for making promises they don't keep and highlights the role of U.S. agencies in election interference. Johnny also mentions the frequent nature of such events, which often result in no real change for expats, only inconvenience.
The episode concludes with a discussion on vigilante justice in Latin America, addressing whether expats should be concerned about such events. Johnny acknowledges that overt vigilante attacks are not common in major cities but shares a specific case where a delivery rider was robbed, and his fellow riders organized to track down the thieves. He concludes that while the police are ineffective, these informal networks provide a form of justice and encourages listeners to consider their own 'Plan B' for living in Latin America.
Episode Notes
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller delves into the multifaceted experiences of expats in Latin America. From the challenges of adapting to a slower pace of life to the complexities of cultural norms and political violence, Johnny shares personal anecdotes and insights. He also touches on the phenomenon of vigilante justice and the role of informal networks in maintaining safety. This episode offers a balanced view of the region, highlighting both the difficulties and the unique rewards of living in Latin America.
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Topics
Expat experiences in Latin America, Comparisons between tropical and temperate climates, Cultural and economic differences between regions, Happiness and lifestyle choices, Expat Life in Latin America, Cultural Differences, Petty Theft and Lying, Relaxation vs. Hustle, Cultural differences between expats and locals, Perception of wealth among expats in Latin America, The concept of 'manana' and its impact on relationships, Catholicism and its influence on behavior in Latin America
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:14 Introduction to The Expat Files 00:00:26 Overview of the Show's Content 00:01:06 Josh's Expat Experience 00:02:21 Comparisons Between Climates 00:05:38 Happiness and Lifestyle in Latin America 00:06:26 Marniana Time and Broken Headlights 00:06:31 First-World Mentality in Latin America 00:06:37 Success and Happiness in Latin America 00:06:41 Happiness vs. Wealth 00:06:46 The Million-Dollar Question 00:06:48 Food for Thought 00:07:00 Expats Who Kick Ass in Business 00:07:07 Expats Who Can't Sit Still 00:13:08 The Maintenance Guy's Theft in Costa Rica 00:15:47 Cultural Behavior in Latin America 00:17:30 The Positives of Living in Latin America 00:18:30 Violence in Mexico's Political Landscape 00:19:03 Johnny's Cynical View on Political Violence 00:19:38 The Cycle of Corruption and Political Promises 00:21:13 Ecuador's Political Violence and the Colombian Connection 00:23:03 Vigilante Justice in Ecuador 00:24:24 Vigilante Incidents in Latin America 00:24:26 Why Expats Shouldn't Worry About Vigilante Attacks 00:24:32 The Question of Vigilante Justice 00:24:35 Are There Vigilante Attacks in Big Cities? 00:24:40 Not Overtly, But There Are Informal Networks 00:24:43 The Civilized Nature of Cities in Latin America 00:24:47 The Reality of Stealthy Vigilante Justice 00:24:51 The Role of Delivery Workers in Informal Justice
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 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 Now here's an interesting email from Josh Josh kind of interesting there are lots of guys named Josh out there these days when I was a kid going to school Great school middle school high school. Actually, I went to junior high. There was no middle school that shows my age, right?
[00:47] There were no Josh's zero Josh's never even heard the name Except the full name in a Bible Joshua cuz you know going to Catholic school We had to read that thing, you know over and over again. Nope when I was growing up There were no Kyle's no Josh's no Devin's Lots and lots of Dave's though Anyway, Josh says Johnny I've been living in Central America for three years now originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, I spent some time in Mexico beautiful country, but a complete narco state Spent a year in Guatemala beautiful country But had a big falling out with my girlfriend who is also from Minneapolis. We came down together Long story short. She cheated on me with a Latin lover type
[01:34] And I'm one of those guys who needs to get a complete fresh start when something bad like that happens So for the last year or so, I've been in El Salvador Really like it here too except for one thing the weather. It's way too hot Guatemala had perfect weather Once you've experienced living in the Altiplano you just get spoiled He says though. There is a tiny bit of Altiplano in El Salvador the part that's connected at the border with Guatemala It could be a great place to live except it's not near any big city So you're kind of stuck out in the boonies and I'm not that kind of guy. I'm a city boy Anyhow Johnny after living in Central America for three plus years now I have a few tips to offer and a few questions to
[02:21] Questions first, why is it that countries with harsh winters like Canada and most of the US and Countries with four seasons like Japan Germany all of Northern Europe, etc Why do they tend to be more organized richer cleaner more competitive more technologically advanced? Etc, etc, then countries in tropical or subtropical regions One theory is because tropical countries do not have a winter freeze and therefore can grow their food all year round and that Creates many secondary effects the more you travel the world the more you notice things like that There is a theory however that suggests it's because north of the border societies
[03:07] For hundreds of centuries had to labor more that is spend more working hours or as they say make hay while the Sun shines To be able to survive in the harsh winters That's theory says that northern societies had to plan ahead way more than southern ones They had to make better tools better buildings to store their food had to be able to generate a surplus every year to endure the winter Find ways to protect their animals and preserve food, etc, etc Reminds me of those children's stories like the three pigs Remember that one? I'll huff and puff and I'll blow your house down Then Josh says there's the people south of the border like in Mexico Guatemala Ecuador all of Central and South America those countries
[03:54] We call third world because they have lower incomes less technology fewer inventions crappy or infrastructure, etc Oddly enough though. The population is there always had an easier time making ends meet plenty of fruits and vegetables all year round Never had to store up feed for the grazing animals with four growing seasons The animals could just forage on their own no heavy investments in buildings, etc And a store food didn't have to store food what for it's always available and practically fallen off the trees which afforded plenty of leisure time for people living south of the border and Thus less need for any kind of technology, especially advanced technology Makes sense when you consider much of the early north of the border Breakthrough technologies were in food preservation storage and transport
[04:44] All of which is really not necessary South of the border when food is growing right outside your door But then again life is a paradox people in tropical and subtropical climates always tend to be Noticeably poorer than their first world counterparts north of the border who've got hard cold winters though statistically poorer They have much more idle time on their hands. And because food is so available There's less stress and anxiety Not only about where the next meal is coming from But think of this they have no anxiety at all about the upcoming winter season because for them They still have plenty of food. The only difference is they've got more rain Imagine that scenario going on for thousands of years
[05:31] That's why people south of the border with so much time on their hands and so much less anxiety They tend to smile more share more time and things with friends and family who have less anxiety and more time on their hands, too That so-called first-world treadmill lots of people talk about does not seem to exist in Latin America The downside is though from a modernist point of view is that they tend to compete with less intensity than people up north and in The modern world competition can be good very good, but it doesn't seem to make people much happier In fact surveys show poorer less competitive people are happier So knowing that the good news is you're free to choose which society fits your soul if you're a competitive hard-driving person
[06:21] Maybe you just won't be happy living south of the border where little things like potholes Marniana time and broken headlights might really get on your nerves however, if you have a hard-driving first-world business mentality and you come to Latin America It's almost impossible not to succeed though You have to wonder if you'll ever be as happy as your dirt poor maid or gardener That's the million-dollar question Just a little food for thought Johnny signed Josh in El Salvador Alright Josh. Thanks for that. I Think you've got the situation pretty well figured out You're right. I've seen lots and lots of gringles and expats down here really kick ass in business
[07:07] I've also noticed lots of gringles and expats who come down are the type that just can't sit still They just cannot lay in a hammock for 20 minutes doing nothing They've just got to be texting on Twitter or scrolling through their stupid phones So you have to sort of conclude that for people who come down to Latin America thinking they're gonna be happier and more relaxed Well, there is no guarantees It's like someone who's just had a heart attack and his doctor advises them to slow way down or he's programmed to get another one Well, they might slow down for a month or two because they've been scared into it Though usually soon enough. They're back to their old bad habits again Now as for me, I'm that typical old-school type a personality Latin America did take a little bit of the edge off and that's a good thing
[07:54] you know if you were born and raised in the big city and you come down to Latin America and Suddenly every time you look out your window or go out on the front porch You see a fantastic garden or a jungle or palm trees or the ocean coffee fields or distant volcanoes Man, does that have a way of calming you? It's a calming effect that could never happen to you looking out your windows in Cleveland, Chicago or New York Though I've heard New Yorkers say when you take a walk through Central Park. It's a way to really connect with nature Well, maybe so but before you go bragging on it. I suggest you talk to a gringo who's been to Latin America It ain't the same. It's like black and white versus Technicolor Right sticking to pretty much the same subject. Here's another email from Carolyn. She says dear Johnny
[08:45] I'm an expat who has lived in both Panama and Ecuador I'm also not much of a complainer But I have noticed when expats get together at coffee houses and cafes. They often turn into whining or complaint sessions Personally, I don't have much patience for negativity. That's one of the reasons I left the United States Though I've noticed here when gringos get together Sheesh when just one person starts in on the country the people whatever The rest of the people sitting around have to one up him Sometimes it gets so out of hand. You wonder why any of them moved down in the first place Almost never does a person sitting in on those sessions played devil's advocate Talk about all the positive reasons for being here. I guess it's more fun talking shit. I
[09:35] Lived in Latin America for the past seven years. There are things that used to grate on me a lot But I've grown to accept or ignore them. They're just facts of life here and complaining won't help So why expend the effort? Used to be when I first came down When someone asked me what I found most difficult to accept as part of life here My first response would be that it's culturally acceptable to lie in steel I'm referring to white lies and petty theft nothing serious, but still annoying Johnny That's something I would never mention to friends and relatives on my trips back to the United States If I were to say in front of my family at Thanksgiving dinner Let's say what I don't like about Latin America is that it's culturally acceptable to lie in steel
[10:23] They would think I was nuts for living there That's not the way society works where I grew up in New Jersey Though I guess I have to take that back because I understand stealing and looting stores in the US is acceptable now In Latin America, although stealing may be culturally acceptable if you get caught Unlike in the US the punishment is severe Sometimes with no whole spart Anyhow Johnny I found that in Ecuador and Panama at least it's so culturally acceptable to lie in steel That a bilingual gringle actually told me that his parish priest Advised his congregation in a sermon one Sunday not to steal So much in other words if you do steal ratcheted down a bit almost sounds like a joke
[11:12] Can you imagine a pastor in the US saying something like that to his congregation? Johnny petty stealing is so pervasive. I know gringos who've kept the same made or gardener on even after they've been caught stealing Wait a minute. Wait a minute. All right me Johnny here Carolyn. I've done that I had a cleaning lady. I caught red-handed stealing food and Laundry detergent. How about that? Well, you know, they're all poor trying to make ends meet so I felt sorry for her kept her on Second time I caught her though. I thought no way When she left that day, I didn't actually fire her to her face. I just said don't come back next week I'll call you when I need you. I never called
[11:58] You long time listeners probably heard me going to details on that story a long time ago, by the way That's why when you do hire a maid or cleaning lady You'll find when she's done with work on the very first day when you're at the door letting her out She'll reflexively open up her purse for you to inspect now I have to admit years ago when my first cleaning lady did that to me Since I didn't know a lick of Spanish. I really didn't know what she was getting at I just looked at her in her purse for a couple seconds thinking what? What's she doing that for? It was something that just never happened to me before in my life Even way back when I lived up in the States I had a cleaning lady One day a week at my house and one day at the office and I never would have thought to ask her on her way
[12:43] Out to open her handbag thinking back that probably would have been a violation of her civil rights or some shit No doubt. She'd have reported to me to some Government agency or something. So anyway, you gringos and expats gonna be some wannabes Don't be surprised when it happens to you. And look not everyone who works for you is gonna steal. No way Just know that it seems to have happened to every single gringo or expat I've ever met though I'll never forget the first time I caught my maintenance guy stealing long time ago when I was down in Costa Rica many years Turns out he stole a portable radio from me it was so obvious too because he was the only one in the garage that day and Later that day when I called him on it because I knew it was him. He didn't even deny it. He fessed up
[13:30] With an actual justification story. He said look I was thinking you have two radios I have none and you can only listen to one at a time So I guess he figured my second radio was redundant. I Just relieved me of one and I wouldn't care Well, I fired him but in the end he still clung to that twisted version of a story And by the sincerity of his answer, apparently he believed it, too Hey, at least he didn't lie, right? You know, I often wonder too since latin america is so christian mostly catholic And you know catholics are required to go to confession once in a while And even if you're catholic and you rarely go to mass Usually wayward catholics will have a guilt streak around christmas and drag themselves into the confessional that one time a year
[14:23] So i'm thinking here in latin america with all the lies and petty thieving going on That priest in the confessional certainly getting himself an earful or maybe not Maybe catholic sinners here in latin america do what catholic sinners do up in the states lie Once again to the priest in the confessional you catholics hearing this now, you know what i'm talking about Those little sins like swearing or talking back to your parents go down well in the confession big sins Like stealing or watching porn not so much But I digress as usual, man. Did I digress? All right, then carolyn says in her email johnny as for lying latinos The nicest way I can put it is locals will tell you what you want to hear latinos are Non-confrontational. So if a lie sounds better
[15:11] On the chance that you buy it and it keeps things rolling smoothly They figure it would be better than telling a harsh truth that will ruffle feathers Then carolyn says that manana thing I can endure But your new latino friends if they don't show up or call It doesn't bode well for enduring lasting relationships where I come from. That's not how you make friends How long would you put up with a so-called friend who? Rarely showed up or called when previous arrangements and promises had been made in my book you avoid people like that But that's the culture in latin america Even if you're aware things like that happen with middle-class mechanics uber drivers or people you meet at the gym or a coffee shop
[15:58] Unfortunately, it even happens with professionals doctors university professors lawyers and businessmen My advice if you want to make local friends, you have to overlook those defects You must realize first of all, it's not intentional. They're not trying to sabotage the relationship. It's just the culture But realize too that you will never be all that close to them And unless your spanish is very good You'll never completely mesh with your friends extended families And you'll always be viewed as someone who's got a huge bank account Even when you tell them directly you're not wealthy And that will come up someone will mention or refer to you as a rich gringo or gringa
[16:44] Right in your face with regularity. I find that latinos often like to slip that little nugget in general conversation She says for me It was a sad realization that I will forever be viewed as someone who has a huge bank account Even though I don't far from it. I accept the fact that i'm rich in the minds of others I accept that i'm a millionaire in mexican pesos. Anyway Oh and the more you deny it the more you appear like a rich person Displaying false humility either way you can't win After having said all that johnny even so I never want to return to my old life in new jersey If I were to list the pluses and minus points
[17:30] For living in latin america the plus column still vastly outweighs the minus column There's no contest Signed carolyn All right. Thanks for that carolyn and speaking of ecuador you did say you live part-time in panama part-time in ecuador, right? You know some crazy things have been happening in ecuador You heard me say in a show probably four or five months ago now In a run-up to the last presidential election One of the top candidates in the mix was assassinated Which as you know, if you listen to this show happens all the time It seems like in every latin american country When there's a run-up to a big election, especially a presidential election a candidate or two or three get bumped off Usually a couple of mayoral candidates get bumped off too
[18:17] In fact the country that holds the world record for the most political assassinations is guess who? mexico surprise surprise now according to the most recent stats 88 mexican politicians were killed in 2020 And a hundred mexican politicians were assassinated in the run-up to the 2021 elections But that's not even the whole story in 2021 there were 581 attacks on politicians in mexico and get this 162 attempted political assassinations during the very last week of political campaigning You know to some cynical people that would be good news, right?
[19:03] That's why I have to laugh when people are up in arms about guadamala situation right now You know that had two or three weeks of roadblocks and picketing due to election tampering and fraud accusations, etc Well, you know guadamala is a country of what 18 million people? You know how many people have died during those protests try One and sadly, it wasn't a politician just a bystander Man, I keep telling people this kind of thing happens every election cycle If you've been down here as long as I have over 30 years now This stuff happens in every latin country during every election cycle Politicians make promises they lie. They say they're going to clean the swamp. They don't do it The people have short members. They get excited. They head out to vote There's election fraud and a new bunch of corrupt assholes get in
[19:50] With by the way, the u.s and its alphabet agencies having their dirty little fingers stirring the pot too Anyway, these things pretty much always end the same way Another group of large ass corrupt dickheads comes into power A bunch of thieves from the old regime go to jail or become millionaire fugitives on the run in other countries along with their stolen booty And the net result as far as all the gringles and expats living in that country Nothing, no change at all though some inconvenience during those weeks when the natives are restless Because with roadblocks and such it ain't business as usual in the stores and the traffic well with roadblocks It absolutely sucks. It's best to stay home till it blows over Anyway by contrast. I just wanted to mention that in mexico's latest election
[20:40] In the last big run-up there have been 581 attempted assassinations of politicians With about a hundred success stories. I always like a success story, don't you? It's kind of funny too that for a lot of you This just might be the very first time you've heard stories like this. You know why that stuff gets little or no publicity? Because it happens so frequently It ain't news just politics as usual. Anyway, I started this rant by saying there's something unusual about Ecuador Yeah, it's not unusual that a couple months ago. One of the presidential candidates got bumped off That's latin american politics as usual. What is unusual is that somehow they caught the six guys that were in on the plot Turns out all six were columbians tied to a columbian narco drug running gang
[21:30] Which still might not be all that surprising to you But this might be the fact that all six of them While being held in an Ecuadorian prison waiting for trial were bumped off in their cells All six dead So is this the first time you heard that news? Well, like I said down here, it's almost no news at all Now you know me I like to mix in the sad with the happy, right? The good the bad the ugly and the great So on a lighter note since we were talking about Ecuador Comes this article from the local news service el mercurio the mercury It says Autopsies are being conducted on the bodies of two men Beaten and burned by an angry crowd saturday night in la manna in the cotopaxi province of Ecuador
[22:19] According to local residents. The men were extortionists who'd been threatening local businesses Police say the two men who they identified as residents of guayaquil Were surrounded by a crowd who beat them before dousing them with gasoline and setting them on fire A third man was badly beaten and burned and is being treated at the local hospital in abato Turns out when the police arrived late as usual when they attempted to stop the attack They were driven back by a crowd estimated to number a thousand Two police vehicles were badly damaged in the altercation As they tried to stop the angry locals from exacting their vigilante justice. Yes folks I guess you could say that would be Ecuador's version of defund the police
[23:07] Think about it when the police are defunded to the point of uselessness People finally get pissed off enough to take the law in their own hands It might not be the best solution, but it is a solution and under the circumstances. What's not to like about that? Or not Just saying by the way i've gotten emails from people saying johnny Occasionally you read stories about vigilante justice I'm full on with having a plan b and getting out of dodge But I really don't want to relocate to a place or neighborhood where I have to witness that kind of stuff That's pretty scary stuff for a pasty middle-aged guy like me who's never even been in a fist fight Yep, you know, it seems every time I tell one of those vigilantes stories I get a small batch of emails with those kind of sentiments. Well, let me explain some
[23:54] Nearly every single one of those vigilante incidents that I've run across happen in very small towns way out in the boonies Places where gringos and expats just don't live Mostly because they're way too far away from the big cities and the conveniences of a big city like walmart and costco and all that In fact, i've never personally spoken to any gringo or expat or even heard a story From a gringo who says he knew a gringo who knew a gringo who happened to have been a witness to one of those Vigilante incidents So I wouldn't let that kind of stuff worry you or deter you from pushing on with that plan b Though it does beg the question Are there vigilante attacks in the big cities? You know where gringos and expats just might live
[24:40] Well not overtly Fact is the big and medium sized cities you never hear about a thief getting caught Beat to shit on a street douse with gas and torched the big Medium even small cities here in latin america are much more civilized than that But I have to admit i've heard of certain kinds of stealthy Vigilante justice going down in the big cities that could be going on right under our noses and we'd never even know about it For example, I know of a delivery guy an uber eats guy You know what i'm talking about where you order something from a restaurant and a guy comes in a motorcycle Well, i'm not one of these guys who gets delivery from restaurants But that's a huge thing here in latin america and when you order something like that It always comes delivered by a guy on a motorcycle. You know one of those irritating kooka ratchets of the road
[25:28] Anyway, when you live in a city you see these guys everywhere pretty annoying actually So anyway, I know this girl whose brother is one of those road kooka ratchets. He delivers for uber eats She told me he got his motorcycle stolen Turns out he got set up someone ordered uber eats. He went to the house two guys ambushed him stole his motorcycle Of course, he reported it to the cops. It was a waste of time Worse yet this kid who got his motorcycle stolen was still making payments on it. So he was kind of ruined But you see what we didn't know I didn't know at least Those uber eats guys and the other delivery motorcycle guys are kind of an unofficial union They all know and sort of help and protect each other. In fact About 25 of the other uber eats guys chipped in and bought him a motorcycle or at least the down payment so he could get another one
[26:21] But here's the thing Turns out they also went through the neighborhood where he got robbed and asked people If anybody had cameras turns out one of the neighbors across the street from the crime caught it on her cell phone well, as it turns out they sent that little video off to 50 or 100 uber eats guys And someone happened to recognize those two thieves The next day they both ended up in one of the emergency rooms with concussions and multiple leg fractures Now the motorcycle wasn't recovered That would be too much to ask when those things get stolen in a couple hours They're long gone sold or dismantled for parts, whatever But those two guys will think twice before stealing a motorcycle or at least they'll have to wait a few months till their bones heal
[27:08] So there you have it a little case of stealthy vigilante justice because the cops are useless The only thing was they didn't exact their revenge for all to see they didn't beat the shit out of him in the town square Dowsen with gas and torch him. They just found him and broke their legs So anyway, all's well that ends well, you know, i'm a sentimental kind of guy a sucker for happy endings How about you? So 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
[27:59] No spammos