Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller shares his experiences driving through Latin America, particularly focusing on Mexico. He recounts an incident in Honduras where a cop asked for a donation during a road construction project, noting that while such extortion is rare in Central America, it is more common in Mexico. He also discusses the process of crossing borders, where authorities often check vehicles for items like fruit and vegetables, which are not allowed across borders. Johnny emphasizes the importance of lag time in Latin America, which many expats initially find frustrating but eventually come to appreciate.
In another segment, Johnny explores the perception of gender ideology in Latin America, particularly in Mexico, and contrasts it with the United States. He argues that while the general public in Latin America is largely unaffected by 'woke' ideologies, the influence is growing, especially among the elite and in urban areas. He highlights the legal consequences of misgendering trans individuals in Mexico, citing a case where a politician was convicted for referring to a trans woman as a man. Johnny also notes the irony that despite Mexico's traditional Catholic values, it is now being 'colonized' by gender ideology, which is a concern for many.
The final segment appears to be a language learning lesson, likely from a Pimsleur program, where the speaker guides the listener through a series of phrases and instructions in Spanish. The content includes numbered phrases, directions, and instructions for the listener to follow, such as repeating phrases, opening a book, and reading specific lessons. The speaker also mentions the end of a lesson and the start of a new one, indicating a structured learning format. The language used is primarily Spanish, with some English phrases, suggesting the program is bilingual or includes English instructions.
Topics
Expat experiences in Latin America, Driving through Latin America, Border checks and customs, Cultural adaptation and lag time, Gender ideology in Latin America, Cultural and political differences between the United States and Latin America, Legal implications of gender identity in Mexico, Perception of 'woke' ideologies in different regions, Language learning, Spanish language, Pimsleur Language Program, Educational content
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:01:08 The Adventure of Driving Through Latin America 00:01:14 Johnny's Experience Driving Through Central America 00:05:03 Border Checks and Customs in Latin America 00:06:38 The Concept of Lag Time in Latin America 00:07:00 Introduction to the topic of gender ideology in Latin America 00:07:57 Discussion of the spread of gender ideology in Mexico 00:08:14 Reference to the legal case in Mexico involving gender ideology 00:18:19 End of Lesson 26 and Start of Lesson 28
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 ex-pad 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 Alright now for all you guys and gals who were listening to last week's show You'll know that I didn't quite finish off all the questions that came from an emailer named mr. P If you recall mr. P was one of those guys who was gonna pack up his van up in the states and drive down through Latin
[00:49] America because he likes to move every couple of years. I Could very well cover my first year of living expenses in Guatemala. My first destination. All right, mr. P Let's talk about a favorite expat wannabe and gonna be subject Driving down from the States through Latin America to your final destination Sounds like a great fun adventure, right at first. Yeah, but not so fast Well, you know, I've driven all through Central America every country many many times and I never had a single problem We're a real problem anyway with cops or bad guys or no goodniks anywhere, but Mexico in that odd Who would have predicted right? In fact in all the years I've been down here in Latin America and all the miles I've driven the only other two countries where cops ever tried to extort me
[01:36] I'm talking about Central America now it happened once in Nicaragua and once in Honduras Now in Honduras one day cop was directing traffic because there was a big road construction project His job was to stop traffic on one side of the road for 10 or 15 minutes Let the big earth movers come in and do some work. Then he'd give the signal and let you pass Anyway, I was unlucky enough to be the very first guy he stopped for one of those 10 or 15 minute pauses I was waiting and waiting five minutes past ten minutes pass He walked over to my window cuz I had it rolled down and he asked me for a donation Came right out and said I don't make much money as a cop buddy. Can you spare some dough? I?
[02:25] Just pulled the dumb green gringo act no hablo espanol. Don't know what you're talking about, man Though I'll tell you he was a real smiling happy guy seemed to like his job And he gave me no crap at all for not contributing to the cause and when he saw there was kind of a communication Breakdown he just shrugged and waved me through You know when you're off the gringo tourist trail the dumb gringo act works pretty well Though when you're on the gringo tourist trail, it won't work cops are wise and they know a bit of English and they'll also pull out Google Translate Anyway, the only other time I was openly extorted by cops in Latin America other than in Mexico was in Nicaragua Got pulled over by a cop at a roadblock And when the cops saw what I was carrying in that car his eyes grew big and wide at the time I had my car full of construction equipment
[03:12] You know saws drills toolboxes It was mid-day too and the cop made me take everything out of my car So I took everything out put it on the side of the road He poked through all the stuff and saw I had a utility light new one in about Conocia Jorge 20 see local no school 21 Pero no se donde esta. This is the end of unit 10 now take your reading booklet
[04:03] Tom is a Libro take your book Abralo in la lecci on Tracy Open it to unit 13 Abralo in la lecci on Tracy Lea and numero uno la lei Dos seguir tres no in other Quatro que a ya y Cinco a muchas cosas a muchas cosas Lea and numero seis
[04:53] Bama woulda got through the border in the first place if you're driving a car through a border That's the very first thing that gets checked double-checked and triple-checked as you go through You walk into the border migration office you give them your cars paperwork. They go through it all stamp your passport You're on your way and sometimes only sometimes depending how busy the border is they'll make you open your trunk And they'll have a look in it Owen if they happen to spot some fruit and vegetables in your backseat They'll confiscate that stuff. They'll say you can't take perishables across borders They'll take it and eat it themselves. Oh, and sometimes I'll just hand it out to them and eat it with them Anyway, you get what I'm saying It's a favorite trick of the cops in Mexico to extort a gringo driving through because we're easy pickings
[05:40] So, you know what they're looking for US license plates. In fact next time you're driving through Mexico of unit 13 Thomas will be wrong Thomas will be wrong Abralo in the election disease Election disease Mira numero uno y le alo. Hola Jose dos Diga me quieres tres No, the driver stealthily handed him some dough. I don't know how much but he definitely handed him some dough
[06:27] I figured it must have been the tariff. You have to pay for hauling gringos around Oh and mr. P. Since we're talking about Mexico here Just when we thought it couldn't get much worse You've heard me say many times. Thank God for lag time Now at first a lot of gringos and expats don't like that concept not the movers and shaker types Lag means late right because you know the gringo attitude. We want things right now We want it to happen fast efficiently and right now, but believe me once you're down here Well, you will come to really appreciate lag time Now if you're sick of gender bending woke ideologies You'll find living in Latin America is refreshingly normal Normal meaning like it was in the states when you were a kid Except of course, there are tiny little eruptions of wokeness with mostly the entitled children of the rich on college campuses here
[07:18] But in ninety nine point nine percent of the rest of Latin America when it comes to the general public It's just not on their radar They don't even know what gender ideology or wokeness is if you were to explain to him What's happening up in the states right now? They wouldn't believe you anyway Sure, they see it in their news feeds on their smartphones, but they just swipe right past it. No interest However, because the US and Mexico are joined at the hip joined by a common border Wouldn't you know what the wokeness cancer is starting to spread? It's metastasizing to Mexico as if we needed another reason to avoid the place So you might ask if the wokeness virus is in Mexico how bad and to what extent? Well again, thank God for lag time because it did take some years to penetrate, but it has landed and it's sticky
[08:04] Who ever would have thought it could get this bad. Listen to this I'll read some excerpts from an article that came out almost a year ago now Just listen to this ominous title quote how gender ideology has colonized Mexico and Under the title it says this how did this socially conservative country convict a politician for Misgendering a trans woman. Here's how the article starts. It says in Mexico. You can now be fined for misgendering a trans person It says last August one of Mexico's highest courts upheld a decision by a lower court to convict Rodrigo even Cortez a former Congressman of gender-based political violence his crime was that he referred to a trans
[08:51] Politician Salma Louviano as a man who self ascribes as a woman No sabemos que vamos a comparar Yes, yacho Pero queremos comparar algo Yes, you know, eh? Por que tenemos dolores Meinte y peso stambien This is the end of unit 16. Oh
[09:36] You can now be hauled before the courts find and compelled to apologize and even forced to be Reeducated it goes on to say most people around the world would be surprised to learn that Mexico has been captured by gender ideology After all, this is largely a Catholic country where most people hold traditional views about family and gender You might be thinking this would provide Mexico with some immunity against wokeness, but you'd be wrong The fact is it says it's true that the average Mexican has given less or no thought at all to the transgender issue It's not an ideology. Mexicans are concerned with they have not developed any organic opinions about it pro or con They just simply don't care but obviously the state and the bureaucrats do
[10:26] There is a stink about the word colonization On say no, no es nuestra amigo
[11:52] Dose Estan buenos Aires buenos Aires Trece No se quisas Katarce Meboy a las cuatro menos cuarto This is the end of unit 17. Our a tome su libro Abra lo en la lección de sinuebe Mira la primera frase Mira la primera frase y le alla
[12:43] Misamico sistan listos Cebana ora Mira el numero dos When an R occurs at the beginning of a word, it is rolled or trilled more than usual Lea el numero dos Roberto Donde estas Roberto The same is true of a double R Lea el numero tres Cerro la puerta Cerro la puerta
[13:31] Cuatro Pero donde esta el perro Pero Pero Pero Cinco Es aquella la roja Séis La jóvenes más guapa que una hoya Siete En bienesuela no tienen pesos tienen bolivares
[14:17] This is the end of unit 19. Tommes su libro Tommes su libro Abra lo en la lección bente Mira la primera frase La primera frase y le alla Estamos listos, verdad Dos Sí, pero nuei tiempo para comer Lea el numero tres
[15:06] Es clamar Cuatro El numero diecio Cinco Quien tienen de nero Séis Todos mis amigos tienen de nero Siete Puedes plicares a espression Ocho La música es malagena
[15:57] Malagena Nueve Esta persona habla muy rapido Dies Este hombre habla despacio, verdad This is the end of unit 20. Aora tommes su libro Tommes su libro y abra lo en la lección bente Séis Mire la primera frase y le alla Demi un baso de leche
[16:48] Lea la frase numero dos Que quiere desir es apalabra Tres Siga derecho, el ote el está a la esquierda Cuatro Cuales la direction de su amigo
[17:37] Numero cinco Te lo edícho, no te acuerdas Séis Los siento, no me acuerdo de eso Estes el fin de la lección bente Séis
[18:22] This is the end of unit 26. Aora tommes su libro Abra lo en la lección bente ocho Lección bente ocho Mire la primera frase y le alla Benga comigua mi casa Dos Me entendido No, no le entendido Tres
[19:19] Y allo edícho dos beses Pero voy a decir lo otra vez Cuatro Mi padres profesor Bibe en españa Cinco
[20:22] La sudada de santiago están chile Serca de el marpacifico Séis No emos podido hablar con la gente de la región Siete Cuantos son quince tres
[21:16] Son de es yocho, no los aves Ocho Cuando mi hijo era pequeño Siempre está bienfermo Nueve Buie tomar el tren para ira a acapulco
[22:16] Dies Mi adich un amigo que hace buen tiempo allí Estes el fin de la lección bente ocho This is the end of unit 28. Recorded Books is proud to present the Pimsleur Language Program, the world's most effective method for teaching foreign languages. By using the Pimsleur Language Program, you will find that learning to speak a language has never been easier.