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The Expat Files Podcast

#1411 – Episode 1411: Life in Latin America – Wildlife, Culture, and Expat Challenges

Show #1411 · February 2, 2025

Johnny Mueller explores coexistence with wildlife, cultural norms, and the realities of expat life in Latin America.

Episode Summary

In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller delves into the unique aspects of life in Latin America, from the coexistence with wildlife to the cultural and societal challenges faced by expats. He begins by discussing the common presence of small lizards and geckos, which are generally harmless and even beneficial as they eat pests. He contrasts the tolerance of local residents with the discomfort of expats, particularly North American women, who often find these creatures unsettling. Johnny shares personal anecdotes and observations about how these animals are generally accepted in the local culture.

Next, he recounts an incident where a gecko entered his car while parked in the shade of a tree. He describes the challenges of removing it and the lady's reaction, as well as the trade-offs of parking under trees for shade, including the risk of debris falling on the car. He also shares an anecdote about a car wash incident caused by sticky fruit residue from trees.

Johnny then shifts focus to cultural norms in Latin America, particularly the prevalence of deadbeat dads and the challenges faced by single mothers. He highlights the commonality of this issue across different socioeconomic levels and contrasts it with the United States, where child support enforcement is more robust. He expresses frustration with the cultural acceptance of deadbeat dads among Latinas, who often do not hold these men accountable despite their lack of responsibility.

He continues by discussing the challenges of migration from Latin America to the United States, focusing on the socioeconomic background of many migrants and the cultural norms that persist in their communities. He critiques the idea that national health care systems in Latin American countries are reliable or beneficial, using anecdotes and emails from expats to illustrate the unpredictability and financial burden of these systems. He also highlights the cost of residency and the forced contribution to national health care systems, suggesting that private health care is a more viable and affordable option for expats.

Finally, Johnny shares insights on expat life in Costa Rica, highlighting the disparity in pricing between urban areas and rural regions. He mentions an email from a long-term resident who notes that gringos pay higher prices in cities, while locals pay lower prices in the countryside. He also discusses the rising crime rates in Costa Rica, particularly targeting gringos, and suggests Panama as a cheaper alternative. The segment concludes with a sad story about a Latina nurse in Canada who works in a nursing home and feels the emotional toll of the isolation of elderly residents, highlighting the cultural differences and challenges faced by expats and locals alike.

Episode Notes

Johnny Mueller explores the complexities of expat life in Latin America, from dealing with wildlife to cultural norms and the challenges of national health care systems. He shares personal anecdotes and insights on living in Costa Rica and the broader implications for expats.

For more episodes, seminar information, resources, and the full archive, visit ExpatPlanB.com.

Keep exploring

Related guides: 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, Wildlife in Latin America, Cultural Differences in Attitudes Toward Wildlife, Geckos in cars, Parking under trees in Latin America, Debris from trees on cars, Car wash challenges, Cultural norms in Latin America, Deadbeat dads and child support, Socioeconomic challenges for single mothers, Legal enforcement of child support, Cultural acceptance of irresponsible behavior

Chapters

00:00:00 Opening
00:00:14 Introduction to the Podcast and Host
00:00:26 Overview of the Podcast Content
00:00:32 Discussion of Wildlife in Latin America
00:02:13 Contrast in Attitudes Toward Wildlife Between Locals and Expats
00:02:54 Clarification on the Types of Lizards and Geckos
00:04:22 Summary of the Cultural Differences in Attitudes Toward Wildlife
00:05:55 Parking in Latin America: The Trade-Offs of Shade and Debris
00:06:42 The Gecko Incident: A Close Call with a Lizard in the Car
00:11:56 Claro's Female Workforce and the Issue of Deadbeat Dads
00:12:50 Single Mothers in the Workforce and the Lack of Support
00:13:58 Child Support Enforcement and the Legal Challenges in Latin America
00:15:12 Cultural Acceptance of Deadbeat Dads and Its Impact on Families
00:17:00 Migrant Communities and Cultural Norms in Latin America
00:17:54 The Cost of Residency and Health Care in Costa Rica
00:22:09 Private Health Care as a More Viable Option for Expats
00:22:42 Pricing Disparities in Costa Rica
00:23:24 Gringo Prices vs. Local Prices
00:23:47 Crime and Security for Expats
00:27:24 The Emotional Toll of Isolation in Nursing Homes

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 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, it's time. We talked about some of the unusual critters. You'll often find down here in Latin America Now if you get a bunch of North American ladies together and yeah ask them what kind of critters they just can't stand They can't tolerate you'll hear spiders snakes mice rats and kooka ratchets, of course

[00:52] The usual suspects, you know, I'm not a big fan of any of those things myself Though I guess rats and kooka ratchets there on the top of my list for giving me the willies Well, you know down here in Latin America There are all kinds of different critters that you'll run into especially if you're living in a house That's got a big garden or you're out in the booties But sometimes even if you're in a closed-in residential tower apartment critters will creep in sometimes disgusting looking ones Somehow certain critters particularly insects grow much bigger down here now as far as abundant critters here in Latin America That you just don't see up in Chicago or parts north. I'd have to say lizards top that list But actually lizards don't bother me much at all, you know get goes and tiny little lizards They're everywhere here in Latin America. You know what?

[01:39] I don't bother to shoom out or kill them when I see them around the house Because I know they eat mosquitoes and kookaraches and they stay out of sight man, they don't like to be around people They're just so evasive and infinitely hard to catch I remember trying to catch a few myself with my hands because they were in the house I thought man, I gotta get these things out of here I was thinking gotta get rid of these things if company comes they'll freak out Of course, I'm talking about first world gringa company. They can't stand creepy crawlers Seems to me every last first world woman absolutely hates those things gives them the willies They can't stand to be around them, which is quite a contrast from Latin American ladies. They tolerate them completely They tell me and I've asked plenty of them. What do you think of that gecko up there in the corner?

[02:25] Hanging around behind that clock They'll say oh that guy he doesn't bother me at all because they know they don't infest your clothes your drawers or your closets Then they don't bite. They don't seem to make a mess at all. They don't even seem to poop Of course they do but seems they're civil about it Anyway, it took me a long time to get used to having those things around when you're outside. Of course, they're everywhere It was the lizards and geckos that lived on the inside inside your house that would give me the creeps but not anymore But I should qualify that a bit. I'm talking about small little geckos and lizards things that are only maybe two three inches long at most The big ones like those Jesus lizards, you know the ones that walk on water I don't want those in the house and I've never had one Seems the big ones know better though

[03:12] I once had a big old iguana walk into my house while I was frying eggs in the kitchen That thing must have been about four feet long scared the hell out of me But that was at a beach house with wide open yards and those big iguanas often will live on your roof Or at least hang out there part of the day and sunbathe Anyway, those big iguanas they look fierce, but they don't want to get near you either And I don't think they bite unless of course you cornered one. That's what I've heard But we're not talking about we're talking about those tiny little geckos of an inch or two or three That are really good at hiding and you don't even know they're there until you catch a little movement out of the corner of Your eye and once you see them and they're usually way up in a corner on the ceiling or hiding behind a lamp They sort of detect. They're being watched and they go dead still or

[03:59] Scoot back behind the lamp the clock the furniture whatever and you'll rarely see him again not for a while anyway Oh, but at night if you have one in the house, you'll hear them. They make these kind of clicking noises Not to worry though. They don't bite. They won't come near you. They won't get in your clothes or your shoes They won't dirty things up. In fact, they'll do you a service by getting rid of some of your mosquitoes and kooker action Now I repeat Latin American ladies are not bothered by these things at all whilst American ladies gringas and expats often Completely freak out. I know I know some American ladies keep snakes as pets I know a few American ladies who have them funny how they also have some weird personality quirks that often don't sit well with me But we're talking about pretty normal American ladies who don't like creepy crawly things at all including snakes or lizards

[04:50] I found it doesn't help to tell them they're completely harmless Doesn't seem to work. They're skeptical. They don't buy it Which brings me to a little incident that happened to be just about three days ago I was helping out a 40-something gringa expat lady She was apartment hunting in Cartagena, Colombia. It's really hot in Cartagena. It's at sea level. So lots of lizards By the way down here, they call the small ones lardia's or lardia toes Anyway, we're driving around in a rented car her rented car She said she wanted to go to an ATM and get some cash. So we pulled into a mall I was driving and there was no underground parking just outside parking Now I always look for shade when I'm in an outside parking lot because the Sun wreaks havoc on your car. It's murder

[05:40] Not only does it heat up the seats like an oven But you know the Sun degrades plastic and there's so much plastic on a car Then eventually the plastic starts looking kind of worn and fatigued and I for one don't like that Look, you know what? I mean, you know lots of people here in Latin America Probably most people here in Latin America with cars don't have protected parking in Spanish parque ote that Jada It's easy to tell who doesn't who doesn't just look at the plastic on their cars Headlights tail lights window tinting the Sun is brutal on that stuff So anyway, I saw a nice stand of trees at the edge of the parking lot So I could park in the shade lucky break. So there I went She got out of the car went over to the ATM. I rolled down my window and To my surprise. It was a little get-go sitting on top of the outside rearview mirror

[06:30] Not two feet away from me So I opened the door just a little then slammed it hard figuring he'd jump off into the weeds He didn't instead. He jumped into the car onto the dashboard And I thought man, this is not good. How do I get him out of here? Because I just know if that thing gets trapped in the car It's gonna find a hiding place and just end up dying in there next time she parks in the Sun and the inside gets to 130 or 40 degrees a Dead lizard in your car not a very enticing prospect So I thought that's not good. I got to shoot this thing out of here somehow But I also know you just can't catch those things. They're way too fast Though I gave it my best shot. It disappeared into one of the air conditioning vents So anyway, I thought what to do what to do next. I opened up all four doors

[07:20] Turned the lantern feature on my cell phone started looking around under the dash, etc With no luck and maybe five minutes later the lady came back with her dough from the ATM She said what are you doing? What's going on? Well, I had to tell her the truth. It was a lot of cotto loose in her car Guess what? She did freak out. She would not get into the car No matter how much I tried to explain those things are docile They wouldn't hurt a flea and they don't like getting near you So she stood outside the car waved her arms at me in a slight panic and said go go get it out And for the next 10 minutes or so, I look like an idiot Doing simulated dumpster dives Opening the hood tapping the doors and vents and windows and finally when I was just about ready to give up

[08:06] I decided to start the engine and crank the air conditioning up to full and Apparently there was the right thing to do it jumped out of the vent and scampered outside According to the gringa. I was a hero. I saved the day. I kept thinking though What if that gecko had not evacuated the car? I said that to the gringa and she said we just have to get the rental car company to come over here exchange cars with us I thought to myself. Yeah, right I'm not gonna be the one to explain to the rental car company that there's a man eating gecko in the car and this lady insists On her right to another vehicle. Yep in that moment. She sounded like an entitled gringa. Anyway, lucky for us. That did not happen Don't suffice it to say right now in this house. I'm doing this show I know there's at least three geckos living here somewhere

[08:54] funny thing too, they only come out at night and what makes them even more acceptable in your house is that they Hang around the same place all the time They seem to like staying in one spot. So there's no surprises They have a favorite light or lamp or window or clock and it's usually way up high in a corner So once in a while you might catch one out of the corner your eye, but you'll have no personal interaction with them Like I said, they're extremely timid in gunshot And sometimes the only way you'll ever know you've got one or more in the houses late at night. You'll hear that click it So geckos and lardigartias in the house, don't let that be a game-changer Don't call the fumigator However, are you gringa expat gonna bees and wannabes just giving you a little forewarning little heads up on

[09:42] What to expect by the way? I mentioned when I'm parking I always try to find some shade or go into an underground parking lot You know lots of outdoor parking lots here in Latin America are surrounded by trees So you can get some shade if you're looking for it The problem is you'll have to weigh the fact that you're getting some shade Against the crap that will inevitably fall off that tree and land on your car tree branches fruit bird poop, etc You'd be surprised how much to that stuff collects on your car when you're under a tree in the tropics normally, I'll take that trade off it's better to be under a tree and get some shade and Suffer a few leaves and twigs on your car then to come back to a car That's 140 degrees inside and get your ass burned However, sometimes it's not such a good trade-off and you'll never know until you go get a car wash

[10:30] For example one time I was parked in an outdoor lot for the whole day Under a tree to get some shade my choice And when I came back there was all kinds of crap on my car A lot of it was sticky sappy fruit remnants little balls stuck to my car took it to the car wash a real car wash Not a guy washing it on the street They did the usual routine wash it and dried it. The problem was on the hood and roof of the car every place one of those little sticky sappy things had stuck to the car it left a yellow mark and The guy said look our regular car wash won't get this stuff out We've seen it before the only way it'll come off is if we use a rag with diesel fuel on it It'll cost you an additional five bucks. So I said go ahead and do it They got those yellow smudges off the car All right, but it smelled like diesel every time I approached the car for about two weeks. All right moving on

[11:22] You know almost every day. I'm down here in Latin America. I learned something new Sometimes it's something pleasant or something neutral or something quite revolting Now if you've been listening to the show for a while, you've heard me talk about a lady I know who's an administrator a department head at one of the big collateral officers You know Claro the Internet and telephone company owned by Carlos fat boys slim Claro, you know is in practically every Latin American country and most people use it They do have some competition, but Claro is basically number one. It doesn't mean it's the best It's just number one and due to good marketing whatever Anyway, a couple days ago. I was talking to that Claro lady She was talking about her work and she was telling me that she's got 23 ladies under her and five guys

[12:10] Her department is overwhelmingly female and they want it that way because ladies usually don't come in too late They never come in with hangovers. They're much more conscientious than men. They don't pester the male workers and make sexual innuendos towards them which is always the case with male employees The only downside she said is ladies have more personal problems A lot of them are pretty irritable and testy during their periods, but you know, that's gonna happen That's mother nature, but she says they rarely miss work even when they're having some bad days like that Now you might say none of that is revolutionary or even worth a mission, but this is she said of the 23 lady Employees under her and remember they're white-collar workers now. She said of the 23 ladies 13 of them are single mothers

[13:00] 13 out of 23 single mothers That's more than half of her female workforce. And again, they're not low-class body. Oh ghetto girls These are educated girls, which is she says another reason they work their asses off because they're supporting a kid or two So they've got to keep that job and keep their boss happy Oh, and she said about 80 even 90 percent of those single mothers were not getting any support at all from the deadbeat dad In other words, they were sole providers for themselves and their kid or kids Which is sort of a snapshot of Latin society in general now Of course up in the states with the poorer populations white trash people living in government housing, etc. The stats are pretty much the same But down here, it's true with all socioeconomic levels of society. There are deadbeat dads everywhere

[13:50] It's just a common theme. Of course that would all change if Latino governments were able to garnish our guys wages like they do in the States, you know deduct support payments from a guy's check, but that's not happening down here in Latin America It doesn't exist besides that 20 to 30 percent of the adult working population are off the books So that segment of the population gets paid by cash There's no direct deposit or any way at all for the government to force some deadbeat dad to pay upon his child support If you're working off the books for cash, there's no check to garnish now to me One of the strangest things is when I'm sitting down with a bunch of ladies and they're telling me about the deadbeat dads in their lives Those guys who haven't contributed a dime to their own kids since Christmas or their last birthday

[14:39] The amazing thing to me is the women the mothers don't seem at all pissed off about it They just roll their eyes and say that's the way it is Meanwhile, the guy the deadbeat dad will show up once in a while at the house You know just to check in with his kid and the woman the aggrieved woman Will let him in even cook a meal for him. Let him raid the icebox. I just don't get it Latinas throughout Latin America are just so used to picking guys who end up being deadbeat dads They take it as a given because so many of their own fathers were deadbeat dads That goes for their brothers and uncles too. What a tragedy, huh? The whole situation is something that sort of irks me, but hey, there's absolutely nothing I can do about it Which is why and this might sound harsh. I don't have much respect for latino guys in general

[15:25] That's not to say there aren't some fine stand-up guys in great marriages. And when they're not they do pay child support I've met a few of those but only a few but believe me when you're down here a while And you get to know the people and you find out about 80 of latina single mothers don't get any child support Yet the guy comes around once in a while, you know to check in with the kid Knocks on the door greets the kid like a conquering hero after hearing that or seeing it for yourself It's just gotta rub you the wrong way. Just what kind of opinion are you supposed to have about latino guys? So then let me ask you this. Do you know any deadbeat dads up in the states? You probably do Do you have a high opinion of those guys in general? I don't think so Why latinas let these guys get away with it? I don't know Then they welcome the good for nothing dickhead into the house and make him dinner

[16:15] Yet they had the choice to slam the door in his face and say get the hell out of here You know good piece of shit. I've heard the excuses too. Well, don't judge the guy too harshly He's coming to visit his kid The kids starved for affection as it is if you make the deadbeat dad feel unwelcome He won't come around at all and the kid will really suffer. It's not the kid's fault He's got a right to see his dad man These ladies go round and round with that stupid circular logic. They just don't get it Making excuses over and over for a deadbeat piece of shit And then of course millions of the same kind of guys sneak into the united states and bring all their shitty habits with them Now you might not want to hear this and don't hate me for saying this But i've met plenty of latin guys who think it's a feather in their hat

[17:00] To have a couple of kids in their home country in latin america and a couple up in the united states too With different women, of course, that's the point that macho thing you've heard about with latinos is alive and well I mean look when millions of uneducated latino guys with no skills and no career Sneak into the united states. What do you think? They go to tesla and apply for a job hang around malibu beach or beverly hills They don't go to upper middle class or wealthy neighborhoods They go directly to u.s Big city barrios latino slums scruffy ratty replicas of the neighborhoods They came from where they carry on with the same bad habits They hook up with latinas also in the hood from the old country who have the same values And they pull that deadbeat dad thing all over again

[17:47] Again, not all of them but the 80 to 90 percent of them who come from the barrio who don't have a career or a skill Just the kind of people you want to invade your country, right? Now for all you bleeding hearts out there, you can beg to differ with me However, if you do I hope you can afford the plane fare to come down because i'll sit you down with these folks We can have a little powwow with a half dozen or even a dozen random madres soteras single mothers And you could sit down and hear their stories firsthand, too By the way madres soteras is not a pejorative term It just happens to be the norm down here too bad All right moving on, you know a couple of shows ago We were talking about national health care systems throughout latin america and how you shouldn't be fooled

[18:34] You shouldn't arrange your plan b around what you've heard about a particular country's national health care system Well discussing that in a previous show spurred some emails like this one from heath He says by all means johnny get private health care insurance Don't make a plan b move based on the fact that costa rica or columbia has great national health care or so you've heard It may be great next year or was great eight months ago But I assure you it's beyond hit and miss those national health care systems Take it from me a guy who's had residency in costa rica panama and columbia He says i've heard plenty of expats brag about how good the national health care systems are Then I run into them the same expats a year or two later and they tell me how much the national health care system

[19:24] Has let them down how much it sucks He says I myself fell for the great pr in costa rica Their wonderful national health care system drew me in But then he says it wasn't long before I found myself crawling out of bed at four in the morning To secure a spot in line at the local national health care center, which by the way won't open for four hours Stand in line In hopes of registering for a health number so that you could get access to the public system and then get an appointment How about that? You stand in line for four hours to get an appointment to see a doctor on another day Of course, it's not always like that. It could be in eight months or so. There's no line at all or maybe next year It's just absolutely beyond hit and miss. Is that how you want to manage your own health care?

[20:13] Johnny the lines and weights and excuses you hear at the national health care clinics are something you'll never get used to On top of that he says in costa rica starting this year all gringos and expats with costa rica residency cards Sedulas are now forced to pay for their national health care system whether they use it or not. You will pay 14% of your income whether it's social security or pension whatever amount you registered with to get your residency They'll charge 14 of that monthly for example If when you apply for residency in costa rica You showed them receipts from your pension plan that you were getting three thousand dollars a month As of the first of the year january 2025 you will be charged

[21:02] 14% of that three thousand dollars every month to pay for the costa rica national health care system Which you will now be enrolled in Oh, and you'll be in their social security system, too And you'll never get a cent out of that And johnny 14 percent of three thousand dollars is 420 a month Though most gringo residents probably only reported their social security when they first apply for residency And maybe they're getting 1500 a month Well, if that's the amount they reported when they apply for their residency and that's the amount stated on the receipts they showed They'll pay 14 percent of 1500 a month, which is 210 a month. Wait a minute. Wait a minute heath Me johnny here to throw my two cents in now

[21:49] You heard what he said even on a measly 1500 a dollar a month social security check You're going to pay the costa rica government 210 a month for the privilege of being on their shitty national health care system Now as for you long-time listeners, how many times have you heard me say? If you're a single person, let's say 50 or 55 years old living in latin america You could get a fantastic private health care policy for around 100 dollars a month I'm talking on private not national health care private first world doctors clinics hospitals equipment, etc So think about it Does that make sense to you costa rica? Nailing you for two or three times as much and it's not even private first world style health care That's why lately i've been getting so many emails from gringos and expats living in costa rica saying they're getting the hell out

[22:36] That's it. They can't take it anymore. It's become more expensive than the us Talk about the gringo gouge I got an email from a guy about two days ago. He's been living in costa rica for seven years He says in this grocery store a pineapple is four bucks He says everywhere the gringos are there are gringo prices four bucks for a pineapple Is that what you pay in the states in chicago new york? I don't know He goes on to say when he drives that weekend three-hour trip from san jose to capital to Capos in manuel antonio on the coast. He says When you're winding through the mountains way out in the boonies, there's lots of little guys with trucks All stacked up with pineapples selling them two for a buck So the regular folks out in the boonies are paying latin american prices and in the cities where the gringos hang

[23:24] They're paying gringo prices an extreme version of the native prices In fact that same guy says in his email that many many gringos he knows Organize weekend caravans of cars and they pop into panama just to buy produce Because once you hit the panama border, everything's half price Oh, and by the way that same guy said crime is exploding in costa rica against gringos Who else the gringos are rich americans. They have all the money, right? Anyway, he said it's not like they're robbing you on the street, but there's a tremendous increase in house break-ins burglaries when you're not home Now, of course that does not happen in gated guarded communities or residential towers Where you have to go through a guard and security cameras and a gate to get in The thing is with costa rica unlike many other latin american countries most gringos

[24:13] Live in residential neighborhoods that are not gated and guarded Most live in a middle class style neighborhood So if you have some kind of surveillance system or cameras or dogs, whatever it's on your own dime And most gringos and expats living in regular houses and apartments in costa rica aren't equipped for that So as for moving to costa rica these days It's a super place to be if you happen to be a completely clueless gringle If you're stuck there because you move there a while back My advice for a cheap and easy move to get the hell out Check out panama. It's a quick hop right next door And now for a sad story might even be the saddest story I ever heard that didn't involve someone dying Last week. I got invited to a party. I was the only gringo there Just chock full of latinos and latinas. No one spoke english

[25:01] It was a homecoming party for a young latina who'd been living up in canada for the past six or seven years She finally got a residency Doing well. She's a nurse up in montreal canada. She doesn't know any english. She just knows spanish and french Strange combination, but hey when you live in montreal, right? Anyway, five or six years ago She went on a trip to canada legally because her brother lives there And because she's a registered nurse and through various visa processes She was able to get a permanent working visa in montreal canada And this little party was because she was coming home Just for a visit a two-week vacation because she hadn't been back home in six years So anyway, I got to talking to her asking her about canada her job as a nurse etc And here's what she said to me. She hates her job She happens to work at a big canadian private nursing home

[25:49] In fact, she said the nursing home is probably staffed with 80 Latinos and latinas they all came legally through a canadian employment program and had to sign contracts year over year So they can't quit or change jobs unless the contract is finished. I said, why do you hate your job? She said oh, I don't hate the people. I hate the job She said the majority of the bottom end staff the cleaners gardeners maintenance cafeteria people laundry people are all latinas So she has plenty of spanish-speaking company and friends. So I said tell me why do you hate your job? She says the nursing home is not in the city. It's out in the county nice big spread lots of land and gardens But she said something is wrong with the canadian society. Something is really wrong Because she said saturday and sunday are visitors days and no one comes to visit these people

[26:42] She said it's just so sad She said you can imagine all these latinas and latinos work in there and we're all Very bonded to our families and grandmas and grandpas etc. We never abandon our parents or grandparents. We take care of them She said i'm not saying the nursing home isn't really nice It's really nice and well equipped, but she said it's the saddest place in the world, especially on weekends She said it breaks her heart and all of the latinas that work there with her When they see for example on a sunday afternoon a car pulling up on the big long driveway And all the residents heads turn to look out the window hoping It's someone from their family who's come to visit, but it almost never happens It's just the saddest thing you could think of she said

[27:27] All those old lonely people staring out the window every time a car pulls up 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

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