Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller provides an unfiltered look at life in Latin America, contrasting it with the idealized portrayals found in travel magazines and websites. He discusses the term 'third world' and how it is not a term Latin Americans like to use, highlighting the stark differences in cleanliness and infrastructure between Latin America and the first world. Johnny argues that the issue is not solely about money but rather a cultural attitude towards cleanliness and maintenance, which he attributes to a lack of 'elbow grease' and persistence. He uses examples such as dirty light switch plates, missing cover plates, and overall neglect in both wealthy and poor households to illustrate his point. Johnny concludes by suggesting that the persistence of these issues is due to a cultural tradition of entropy and slackness, which is not easily changed by the presence of cleaning services or the availability of cheap solutions.
In this segment, Johnny Mueller discusses the common perception of laziness among people in Latin countries, particularly in the context of expats trying to open businesses. He argues that this perception is often a misunderstanding, as locals are not inherently lazy but rather procrastinate when left to their own devices. He provides examples of how this procrastination manifests in daily life, such as poor infrastructure and unfinished construction projects. Johnny also highlights the contrast between the first world's expectations of efficiency and the more chaotic, disorderly lifestyle that many Latin people are comfortable with.
Johnny Mueller discusses the perception of Latin America as a 'third world' region, attributing it to a combination of economic hardship and poor taste. He highlights examples of chaotic interior design, mismatched fixtures, and lack of basic amenities in public schools. He argues that the root of the issue lies in the lack of structure and organization in public education, which shapes the behavior and expectations of the population. Johnny suggests that Latin people are not lazy or slow, but rather lack the foundation to meet first-world standards due to their upbringing. He concludes by emphasizing that Latin people are eager to learn from first-world standards and can perform up to those standards when given the right environment.
Johnny Mueller discusses the perceived inferiority complex among Latin workers, attributing it to a 'third world' mindset that is part of the 'gringo advantage.' He argues that while many Latin workers are capable and top-notch, they often need guidance and structure due to ingrained work habits. He emphasizes the importance of detailed employee handbooks in Spanish for expats to manage their Latin employees effectively, as such handbooks are rare in local businesses. Johnny also shares a case study of an expat named Eddie who struggled with employee punctuality and productivity, eventually implementing incentives to improve performance.
The podcast segment discusses Eddie's experiences managing employees in a business, highlighting the challenges of maintaining punctuality and reducing theft. Initially, Eddie tried a strict penalty system, but it backfired as employees began to game the system. He then shifted to a reward system, offering a bonus for perfect attendance, which initially worked well but eventually led to complacency. Eddie then introduced a multi-prize system to encourage competition and later switched to a more social incentive, such as an 'employee of the month' recognition. The segment also touches on other employee habits, such as making unauthorized phone calls and stealing small items, which Eddie addresses through strict controls and inspections.
Johnny Mueller discusses Eddie's policy of allowing guards to frisk workers, which is part of the employee manual. He reflects on how Eddie initially felt uncomfortable with the policy but eventually found it acceptable. Johnny then shifts focus to the challenges faced by Latin women, particularly in terms of safety and economic conditions. He highlights the prevalence of harassment, the necessity of taking public transportation, and the financial struggles that prevent many Latin women from owning cars. Johnny also touches on the stereotype that expats provide cars to Latin women, suggesting that this is a common expectation rather than a romantic interest. He concludes by noting that while some Latin women may be interested in green cards, the primary attraction for them is the opportunity to own a car.
In this segment, Johnny Mueller discusses the rarity of gringos (foreigners, typically North Americans) in Latin countries, emphasizing that only about 1 in 20 Latin people have ever met or spoken to one. He highlights that in many Latin cities, gringos are as rare as a full set of teeth at a Willie Nelson concert, suggesting they are almost non-existent outside of tourist areas. Johnny questions how Latin women in these 'gringo-free' areas can realistically hope to connect with gringos for a green card, especially since only about 5% of Latin women have ever spoken to a gringo. He then shifts to discussing the average young Latin woman's aspirations, which include a man who won't drink and abuse her, a family, and a car, but not a green card. Johnny concludes by mentioning a real-life example of a star employee who earned a bonus for her reliability and eventually bought her own car, illustrating that while some dreams come true, the dream of a green card remains out of reach for most Latin women in these contexts.
Topics
Introduction to The Expat Files podcast, Cultural differences in cleanliness and maintenance, Perception of Latin America as 'third world', Cultural attitudes towards infrastructure and cleanliness, Comparison between first world and Latin American standards, Perception of laziness in Latin countries, Procrastination vs. laziness, Infrastructure and construction in Latin countries, Cultural differences in work ethic and lifestyle, Economic hardship and poor taste, Public education in Latin America, Cultural and structural differences
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:24 Exploring the Question of Latin America's Status 00:00:48 Cultural Attitudes Toward Cleanliness and Maintenance 00:04:37 The Definition of Third World and the Perception of Laziness 00:05:19 Successful Expats and the Reality of Local Work Ethic 00:05:52 A Real-Life Example of Procrastination and Chaos 00:09:05 Chaotic Interior Design in Latin America 00:09:30 The Perception of 'Third World' Aesthetics 00:09:49 The Root Causes of 'Third World' Perceptions 00:09:56 The Potential of Latin People to Meet First-World Standards 00:14:05 The Inferiority Complex of Latin Workers and the Gringo Advantage 00:15:03 The Need for Detailed Employee Handbooks in Spanish 00:17:13 Eddie's Experience with Employee Punctuality and Productivity 00:17:51 Initial Penalty System and Employee Behavior 00:18:26 Shift to a Reward System 00:20:04 The Backfire of the Reward System 00:20:19 Introducing a Multi-Prize System 00:20:36 Switching to a Social Incentive 00:21:45 Addressing Theft and Unauthorized Phone Calls 00:22:01 Eddie's Frisking Policy and Its Implementation 00:22:34 Challenges Faced by Latin Women in Society 00:26:31 The Rarity of Gringos in Latin Countries 00:27:11 The Average Young Latin Woman's Dreams
Transcript
Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.
[00:03] Hi everybody, I'm Johnny Mueller and you're listening to the expat files living in Latin America. The show that tells you what it's really like to live, work, play and or retire in Latin America. I tell it just like it is, not the version they give you in those glossy travel magazines or the picture they paint for you in those international traveler websites where they're only trying to sell you something. What's it really like for expats living in Latin America? Well, if you stick around a while, you'll find out. So let's get started. Now occasionally I get asked some very basic questions. Like for example, how did Latin America become what we call third world? I mean, we invented that term third world now, didn't we? Latin Americans don't like to think of themselves in those terms. Who would?
[00:48] That's like admitting you have an inferiority complex now, isn't it? And for anybody who's ever been to a third world country, you see the obvious signs. You know, excessive litter, broken pavement, badly designed buildings and houses, stairs and doorways that are too narrow or too short, cracked windows that are never replaced, sidewalks and floors buckling, straight lines that aren't exactly straight, roads with curves that are not only way too tight for the average car, but with roller coaster style angles that you'd never see up in the first world. And a lot of first worlders might say that's because they just don't have the money to fix those windows, repair those roads, fix those stairways and paint those walls. Well, that might be true in some cases of course. But there's a basic cleanliness issue here that first worlders notice immediately every time they walk into a kitchen or a bathroom. Yet the local Latin seem oblivious to what's painfully obvious to us expats.
[01:38] And there's no apologies. Apologies for what? You can't apologize for something you just don't notice. And God forbid you walk into a public bathroom where 99% of those are in much worse shape than Samson the Silverback Gorilla's cage at the Chicago Zoo. Not to mention Samson's cage smells better. So the issue of basic cleanliness is not necessarily about the money. We all know Spartan low budget people up in the first world whose house is so neat and clean you could eat off the floor. Not a smudge on the wall, a stain on the counter, or even a hair from the dog on the furniture. My grandma's house was like that. In fact, I think everyone's got a grandma who had a house like that. And that kind of old world European style cleanliness is not about money but elbow grease and persistence. But you don't see that kind of attitude down here no matter how many cleaning ladies
[02:23] you hire. The fact is when they clean they just don't move anything. They don't move the bed, the refrigerator, the stove, or even bother with the cobwebs in the corner. And I can tell you right now, even when a wealthy latin buys a brand new house, in six months it's pretty rough around the edges. And the first thing that me and a lot of expats notice when we walk into a relatively new house are those telltale finger smudges on all the light switch plates. Up in the first world that's just unacceptable. There's no excuse for grubby switch plates like that. But what's worse, in latin american households rich and poor, often times you'll go to switch on a light but the cover plate will be missing. Completely gone. And you'll see the wires inside the wall attached to the switch. Now what's a plastic switch cover plate like that cost at a hardware store? 50 cents? I don't get it. And neither do a lot of other expats.
[03:09] That just doesn't happen in the states. Unless of course you live in a white trash trailer park or ghetto housing. And in those places there's kind of a rustic tradition of entropy and slackness that's been going on for generations. Kinda like the way things are done with the common folk down here in latin america. Like I said us expats just don't get it. Obvious smudges are something you could take off with a squirt of windex in a rag in about 10 seconds. And you'd think the cleaning ladies down here would have that in their bag of tricks right? Wrong. I mean they call them cleaning ladies. That's what they do for a living. So why aren't they cleaning? Which brings me back to those email questions I get occasionally asking me how latin america got that way. Why does it persist as a third world society when there are so many simple, cheap and even sometimes absolutely free ways to spiff up the place and bring it to a higher level?
[03:57] Because here's my point. Often first world people that come down here make a general observation and say to me after seeing a house or a business that's scruffy around the edges like that, that just needs a little elbow grease to make it shine, they say to me I don't get it Johnny. Are these people just lazy? Or what? And gringle visitors and expats I know have tons of examples. Here's one I've heard time and time again. You walk into a paint store and there's five workers standing around leaning on a countertop and the walls in the place are all scuffed up and dirty with ground in fingerprint and hand grit around all the light switches and the door frames. And in this place the staff is standing around doing nothing and it's a store that sells paint. Kind of that definition of third world don't you think? So again, a lot of first world people want to know are the people just lazy or what?
[04:43] And that question does go through every expat's mind who's thinking about opening a business down here. He's thinking about the quality of the workforce and if the locals are intrinsically lazy and are on manana time, expats who have an idea to open a business down here are understandably leery since the whole point is to provide customer service first world style, something that's sorely lacking down here in Latin businesses. I mean if the employees are truly lazy and on manana time, you're going to be beating your head against the wall at every turn. But here's the thing. When talking to many successful expats down here who've set themselves up in a first world style business, they all tell me that Latins are not lazy or slow by nature, not at all. It's just that when left to their own devices, they're Olympic grade procrastinators.
[05:29] We all know people like that up in the first world too. They put off tomorrow, which should be done today, and they keep procrastinating till things break down and deteriorate to such a point that there are no cheap or simple fixes anymore. And that's why us first world people perceive that Latins live in a bit of a cloud of chaos and disorder and the funny thing is they're not really aware of it and are actually quite comfortable living that way. For example, here's something that happens to me all the time. I get invited to a local Latin person's house for dinner or a party or whatever and a man or the woman of the house will say, hey I want to show you something and they'll take me into a room and they'll say, look what I just bought, a brand new plasma TV. And there it sits in the corner, brand new right out of the box, this center piece of the room and then the owner proudest punch will take the remote and flick through a bunch
[06:14] of channels for me. That's when I noticed that the channels aren't exactly clear but actually kind of fuzzy and indistinct. Nothing near the high definition we're used to up in the first world, not even close. More like 1960s style reception when people used to use rabbit ears on their TV. And if you remember rabbit ears, you're really an old fart. Anyway, as I walk closer to the TV and look at the back side of it, it's pretty obvious that the reason for that terrible reception is that rat's nest of wires back there, loops and coils of antenna cable so old that the plastic insulation is actually cracking, peeling and pulling away from some sections of the wire. But do you think that worried the owner of that brand new TV? Not a bit. Not only was the bad reception issue not a problem, it wasn't on the radar since the whole point of that exercise was to show me that brand new big screen TV.
[07:03] It didn't matter to him if the picture looked like crap, it was all about the new TV. On the payment plan of course. And another notorious example of third world style that's patently oblivious to the Latin population, but blatantly obvious to us, is directly connected to the fact that a huge percentage of Latins build their houses and structures, including their businesses, in fits and spurts. So they'll build a couple of rooms, run out of money, then of course there's a big gaping hole or archway leading to the rest of the structure that's not built yet, but that won't stop a guy from opening up his business. They'll just hang a plastic tarp over that opening or lean something against it like a big piece of paneling, or stack some blocks and building material on the floor next to it to stop most of the rain and the wind from blowing into the store. So as you walk around and examine the businesses in any Latin American city, and for that matter
[07:50] the houses too, you can see all those telltale signs on how they were built in fits and spurts when a guy abruptly stops construction in mid-stream and all his workers go home. It's because he's completely run out of money and he's bone dry, and it often takes 6 months a year or even more, and believe it or not sometimes never, before that second phase of the project gets going, that second phase being of course the completion of the first phase which never got finished in the first place. But here's what happens in between the time Latins run out of money, stop a construction project, then wait till they have enough money so they can start up again. Well, almost inevitably that second phase looks like a completely different structure from the first. Most times there's very little congruency and in fact, even though that new construction is intimately connected with the walls, doors, floors and ceilings of the first phase, they almost never get tile, wood or fixtures that match the first phase of the project because
[08:40] a year or two after the initial construction, the same finish and detail products are just not available anymore. So they go down to the local building construction and supply and just buy what's ever cheaper on sale and start building again. And from a first world perspective, this is completely nuts, though you see it down here all the time. You walk into a house or a business and you see 3 or 4 different kinds of tile on the floor that don't match at all, neither in color, style or texture. The same with the walls and ceilings, you'll see drywall that changes to block, that changes to wood and back to drywall again, sometimes all in the same space or room. And it's not unusual to go into a bathroom and see 7 or 8 different kinds of tile, a toilet whose color doesn't match the bathtub. Not to mention the infinite variety of light fixtures, all colors, shapes and sizes too
[09:27] that you often find in just one single house or business. And that again for a first world person would define the words white trash, trailer court fashion sense or third world. And of course there's hundreds more examples, but those are some of the more obvious ones that come to mind. But what besides the obvious shortage of money as well as an excess of bad taste tend to keep a region or a country forever labeled third world? And by the way, it's not just me. I'm sorry to say that 99% of expats I know will confirm the bad taste assumption. Anyway, there is one thing you find out about Latin people, when you're down here long enough, you realize there's just no pressure on them to do things any other way. But when you put them into an environment and give them a structure and give them a plan, it's absolutely true that they can do their work up to first world standards every time.
[10:12] But they just need to have order and organization in their lives, something they just don't get while growing up. And let me give you a good example here. Now everybody knows that kids are supposed to learn by example from their parents at home and at school from their teachers. And even if their own parents aren't much of an example, once they have seen the right way to do things at school and have been given some kind of foundation, they should be able to go out into the world as adults and perform, right? Well here's the problem with that. Down here in Latin America, about 95% of the kids go to public school. Those are government run and operated public schools. And those private schools down here in Latin America, which are always way too expensive for the average parent who makes $300 a month, well that's why only 5% or less of the kids can go to those private schools. And nearly all of those private schools try to be first world in every way.
[10:59] And some even have first world teachers on the staff. So private school kids are given a pretty good dose of first world values. Like for example, first world style organizational skills. And the schools even look like first world schools inside and out. But those other kids, the poor kids, those 95% that go to the public school, well that's a completely different story. Because you see, if those schools and the teachers at those schools are supposed to provide the example before those kids are sent out into the world as adults, well you can see by just walking into one of those classrooms why the society is like it is. Why Latin America is third world. I know this must sound strange to you, but every day in the big city newspapers, there are public school teachers on strike. And they're not striking for more benefits or higher pay, they're striking because the kids and the classrooms do not have the basics.
[11:47] And I don't mean the basics like we have up in the first world public schools. Like computers and science labs and fully equipped gymnasiums and swimming pools and hot lunches. Those things are unheard of down here in the public schools and aren't even on the radar yet. I'm talking about 19th century school basics. Like books and desks and even running water in the bathrooms. And sometimes a school hasn't had electric power for a week or two. Not to mention the fact that at any given time there are hundreds of Latin American school districts where teachers have not got a paycheck for over three months. And in fact a few years ago when I was in Nicaragua, I noticed that at every checkout in every little grocery store there was a little donation bucket for a kind of a school drive. It was a national program to collect money, get this, to buy pencils for the kids at public
[12:35] school because the government did not have enough money to buy the kids pencils. They had nothing to write with. Not to mention they only had enough books for one in three kids going to public school that year. And the kids were doubling and tripling up on desks. So my point is this, when you're brought up as a child under those conditions, no pencils, no desks, water and power shortages, broken windows, zero maintenance, with most government school buildings so run down and dilapidated that if they were up in the first world they'd have been condemned and demolished a long time ago, anyway if a kid's brought up under those conditions day in and day out and he thinks and believes that's just the way things are when he gets to be an adult and gets his own place, do you really think he's going to get bent out of shape or even notice at all if there's a tile mismatch in the bathroom
[13:23] with a kitchen or that there's finger smudges on the light switch? I don't think so. So to them it's completely normal and to us it's third world. So what I'm saying is latin people are not lazy or slow. But know this when you hire one. They really do want to work for a first world person like you in a big way. And they know that they can learn a lot more from you than they could ever learn from a latin employer. And I have to believe that it's kind of a third world inferiority complex that almost every latin you meet seems to have. And of course it's part of our gringo advantage. Because let's face it, not all of us are working at Boeing designing jet engines, are we? In fact a lot of us first world gringos are lazy ass doofuses ourselves. In fact I've had a few friends and family members like that myself. Guys I'd never want to hire that's for sure. Anyway latins have a kind of inferiority complex about being third world.
[14:09] Which like I said is part of our gringo advantage and why they love everything and anything first world. Which includes working for a first world boss if they ever had the opportunity. But something like that's a statistical impossibility for most of them. Except of course in those gringo tourist areas like Panama and Costa Rica. But believe me in the rest of latin America, that 98% that's off the gringo tourist track, most expats with businesses will tell you that their latin workers are top notch. Of course they don't walk into the job day one top notch. You have to sort of deprogram them and start from scratch. But once they've learned the way you want them to do things, you're off and running. But know this, unless they worked for a first world franchise before they came to your interview, where they were nicely whipped into shape, they'll have some bad third world work habits. Which is why you just can't sit down and tell them what to do.
[14:55] You have to write it all out. Give them a list. They have to have a pattern to follow. Something they can refer back to day in and day out when you're not there. Actually what you need is a detailed employee handbook in Spanish. You've all heard of an employee handbook now haven't you? You know a book that describes the company, everyone's job and everyone's function. So that when someone gets fired or he leaves, a new employee is not just dropped into the fire but has a very good guide to go by. Well guess what? Down here in Latin America, when it comes to local businesses owned and operated by Latins, I've never seen a real live employee handbook. Which is light years apart from the way they do things up in the first world. Up there every company's got a handbook that's at least an inch thick. Which explains every possible scenario for every type of employee in the place. That's exactly what they're for.
[15:41] And every new employee is supposed to get a copy of it and from it learn his role in the business before he even punches in on day one. But like I said employee handbooks just don't exist down here. Only in those transplanted first world franchises like Subway, Home Depot and Sears. And by the way do you think Sears, Subway, Home Depot and IHOP would be down here if they thought the employees were irredeemably lazy and slow? No way. They know that Latins are as sharp as anybody in the first world. But they also know they have to be divested of their bad habits or the business will slowly start to get ragged around the edges. Which is something that locals aren't likely to notice. But expats can see coming from a mile away. Like for example that manana mentality everybody talks about. And I tell you even the locals admit that's what it's like down here. And that's why like I said if you have a rigid tight scheduler list for your employees
[16:29] they won't have time to put things off till manana. And like my friend expat Eddie says who's got maybe a hundred employees or so in the food service in Salvador. Now Eddie tells me that most of his employees have a particular list they have to follow. And every item has to be completed and checked off before the shift is over and they can go home. And Eddie says for his first restaurant in the first couple months and that was eight or nine years ago he had to list down Pat and his employees were supposed to follow it but they never seemed to be able to finish it on time. So at the end of the shift would come and they'd go home and come back the next day and they'd start out having to finish things on the list that they hadn't finished the day before. So they'd just get farther and farther behind. And after tearing his hair out a while Eddie figured out a pretty good solution to his problem. At least that's what he thought. And that was of course instituting some incentives for his employees to make a bit more money.
[17:18] And here's how it worked. First of all the biggest problem that Eddie had as an employer was that his people just did not come in on time and they had a thousand excuses. The bus was late. It broke down. There was too much traffic. There was an accident on the highway. And one guy's grandma died three times. All kinds of excuses. In the beginning Eddie had about ten employees and here's what he did. He had a meeting with his staff and he said look I'm going to put a time clock in and if any one of you is one minute late I'm going to dock you one hour's pay. Well he ran that system for a couple of months and guess what? Nothing changed. His employees not only didn't mind being docked an hour's pay, they actually came in later. Instead of ten or twenty minutes late they'd come in forty or fifty minutes late because it didn't matter if they were one minute or fifty nine minutes late. They'd still get docked just an hour's pay.
[18:05] So when they were late they'd try to shoot for that fifty nine minutes. Hey, like I said, Latins aren't stupid. Anyway. Then Eddie had another meeting with his employees and he said look if you're one minute late I'm going to dock you two hours instead of one. But after a week he reversed that decision because three of his employees quit. So once things were up and running again he had another meeting and here's what he did. This time he tried a completely different tactic using a carrot instead of a stick. And here's what he did. He had a meeting and he said look I've got ten employees and here's what I'm going to do. At the end of every month I'll give the person who's got perfect attendance and who's never been late in the morning a hundred dollars and I'll do that every month. And Eddie said that caused a lot of excitement in the moment and everybody was gung-ho for that. Since back then about seven or eight years ago Eddie was only paying his people about
[18:53] two hundred bucks a month so a one hundred dollar bonus was two weeks salary. Quite a prize for anyone making only two hundred bucks a month. And you know Eddie told me when he sprung that idea on his people he was a little worried inside. He was thinking what happens if all ten of these guys show up on time then he'd be out a thousand bucks which Eddie said at the time would have wiped out about half of his own salary. But he figured he'd give it a chance and see what would happen. And guess what? For about the first two weeks everybody was on time and nobody was sick. Then little by little here and there people would be late by two or three minutes. Then they'd actually come to Eddie and whine about it giving the same old excuses about the traffic or an accident or about the weather or a breakdown. But this time Eddie could see in their eyes that they weren't lying. No dead grandmas this time. Anyway into the third week of the test there was only one person left in the running and
[19:42] by the fourth week the girl won a hundred bucks. So for Eddie it worked out pretty good. His people had the best attendance record that they'd ever had. However the next month didn't work out so well. The same girl that won the hundred bucks before was maintaining her perfect streak which seemed to discourage the rest of the employees enough so they all sloughed off and dropped out of the competition early. And at months end the same girl won again. And Eddie realized the scheme was starting to backfire. He didn't want this girl to win every month. He wanted a kind of a horse race and he knew now he wasn't going to get it. And then Eddie hit on the solution. In the next month he decided to give out three prizes of fifty dollars each to the top three winners. And from then on he didn't have any problem with his people coming in late. And the thing is after about six months or so of that once his employees were now in the groove of coming on time or even early for a change he switched over his incentive
[20:30] system to that schmaltzy if somewhat embarrassing to me employee of the month thing which he said he borrowed from Walmart. And he insists that no matter how schmaltzy it seems to us his latin employees just love it. He says they're just nuts about having their picture up on a bulletin board for all their friends and relatives to see. And Eddie actually thinks for latins it's a better incentive than money and he should know. So the point is like Eddie says first world incentives and methods work just as well with local employees as they do with people up in the first world. However you got to start with the basics and break people of their bad habits. And that's why Eddie says he likes to hire people who don't have any previous work experience so that he can start fresh with them and he doesn't have to butt his head against their bad habits. Oh and speaking of bad employee habits Eddie says one of the worst habits his employees
[21:17] have is that when he's not there they look for any chance to make a phone call with his phone. That way they can make the call on his dime instead of theirs. And another bad worker habit that Eddie talks about is the fact that things go missing all the time. And he's not talking about money now because he's got a very good system of control for the register. And who's ever in charge of it at the end of the shift has to tally up the receipts with the cash and if things don't square that person has to kick in. So people are very cautious with the money in Eddie's business. But he says things go missing like toilet paper, forks and knives, bottles of ketchup, kitchen utensils things like that. So now Eddie does what almost every expat businessman does and he has his people open their purses or bags in front of the guard for his inspection before they leave. And Eddie his manager and the guard have the option to frisk a worker or check pockets
[22:06] if they feel it justified. And of course that's written into the employee manual and part of the employee agreement or contract that Eddie makes him sign when he hires them. And a few years ago when Eddie first enacted that policy Eddie felt a little strange about it and never would do it himself. He'd leave that to the guard because he didn't want to seem like the enemy. But he said after a few weeks it seemed like old hat to his employees and they just whip open their bags and give a polite buenos noches and be on their way, as happy and upbeat as ever. And by the way expat Eddie reports the same thing that my friends who own the maquilas and sweatshops down in Guatemala and Honduras report to me about their Latin employees. And here's what they all say, that Latin men though great workers once you've got them trained can be a big problem for your women workers.
[22:51] Because after all this is a macho society and men almost always go unpunished for their misdeeds, rude remarks and infractions against women. I mean down here in Latin America a girl just can't walk down the street alone without a thousand cat calls and comments from the local wolves and woe be the lady that wears a short skirt or shows a little cleavage when walking down the street. When some girl tries that she's just asking for trouble. And that's why one of the greatest traumas in a young latin lady's life is having to ride the bus, which 95% of them just have to do because they don't have the money to take a taxi, much less buy a car or even a junk. The fact is every young latin girl can tell you dozens of stories on how she's been touched and handled and patted on the butt, whistled to and blown kisses at, all from low class guys she wouldn't walk on the same side of the street with.
[23:39] But she's got to sit or stand right next to these guys every time she takes a bus. And that's why every young latin woman that I've ever talked to puts marriage in a car at the top of her wish list with the car number one. And though nearly all latin women end up getting married at one time or another, almost none of them ever get that car. Because you see the available males in the dating and marriage pool only make what she makes about 300 bucks a month. So even if they combine their incomes, there's still rent and food and utilities and not nearly enough to even buy a junker. And that's assuming they don't have any kids. And they all end up having a few, which makes the financial situation even worse. Now thinking about what I just said about cars, buses, and latin women, you male expats up there who've been disappointed in love in the first world are probably thinking that that's part of the gringo advantage that I really haven't talked about much before now,
[24:28] have I? Because you know, every gringo and expat I've ever known has had a car or two or three because that's just part of our lifestyle. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that a latin girl would love to hook up with a gringo because she knows she can get a car out of him or for that matter a green card. But the fact is, every expat down here that does hook up with a latin girl makes sure she has a car or a taxi or he drives her everywhere himself because he never wants her to ride the bus. So just know that that's one scenario where a stereotype about gringos is absolutely true. That is, when we do hook up with a latin lady, we make sure she gets a car. And the point is, it doesn't have to be new or even late model, it could be a junker. You see, you've saved her from riding that bus so you're her knight in shining armor. Because now you've allowed her to avoid all that humiliation that goes on in those buses.
[25:15] Not to mention the occasional robbery that so many latin girls report while riding those buses. When bad guys in a crowded bus slip a knife into a girl's purse to extract her wallet and her cell phone. And believe me, that's a full time job for a lot of these bad boys and they're very stealthy and really good at it. And for them, the more crowded the bus the better. So for all you expat wannabes up there, that's another part of the gringo advantage. I know it's in a lot of first world guys' minds that a young latin girl just might want to hook up with you because there's always that possibility of getting a green card and with your help getting that visa to the states. And of course there are some latin girls who think that way. But I'm saying it's a lot simpler than that. Getting a green card and going to the states is way down the list of a latin girl's fantasies. But getting a car, well that's right up on top of the list.
[26:02] As a rule, latin girls aren't out to get a green card from you. Though the reverse is almost always true. Latin guys are looking for that green card from a gringo. Anyway when you're outside the tourist areas, girls aren't looking for green cards. But in the tourist areas, that's another story altogether. Girls in Costa Rica, Panama, and throughout Mexico, a lot of girls who've been jaded by the US dollar are looking for that green card. There's no doubt of that. But here's my point. In 98% of the rest of Latin America when you're off the tourist trail, like I always recommend, the statistics are this. Only about 1 in 20 latin people have ever actually been face to face with a gringo or actually spoke with one. The fact is, off the tourist trail, we're as rare as a full set of teeth at a Willie Nelson concert. Many times I've walked all day long in a big latin city without seeing a single gringo.
[26:48] So you tell me, with those kinds of rare odds, how can latin girls in these gringo free areas ever hope to have the possibility of hooking up with one of us for a green card when only about 5% of them have ever actually spoken a single word to one of us. So the bottom line is this. The average young latin lady's dreams are small. She wants a man that won't drink and abuse her, she wants a family, and she wants a car. And if you notice, there's no green card on that list. Oh and remember that star employee I told you about that worked for expat Eddie? The girl that won that $100 bonus two months running because she was never late and didn't miss a day of work? Eddie's incentive plan paid off because he found the girl to manage 10 of his restaurants. And yes, one of her fantasies did come true. She just bought her own car. You've been listening to The Expat Files, living in Latin America, coming to you each
[27:42] week from somewhere south of the border. And don't forget you can email me on anything at all about Latin America, theexpatfiles at gmail.com. Once again, The Expat Files at gmail.com. See you next time. Nos vemos.