Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller explores the importance of learning Spanish through TV, the dangers of scorpion stings in Durango, and the changing cultural landscape of Latin America. He also shares practical tips for expats, from navigating local customs to using cash and pirated software. Whether you're planning to move or just curious about life in the region, this episode offers valuable insights for expats and travelers.
Johnny begins by discussing the value of learning Spanish through television, citing Judy's experience as an example of how watching Spanish language TV can help. He also mentions the availability of Spanish language TV series on Netflix, such as 'Galerias Velvet' and 'Grand Hotel,' which are praised for their quality. However, he notes that the quality of Spanish language TV in Latin America is generally poor compared to Spanish TV from Spain.
He then shifts to discussing various aspects of living and traveling in Latin America, including language learning, cruise experiences, cultural norms, and personal anecdotes. He mentions that learning Spanish conversationally is different from learning it from a book and highlights the Pullman tour cruise as a recommended option for travelers due to its lack of security checks and the ability to pay with cash. He also addresses cultural practices like kissing as a greeting, noting that it is common but should be reserved for close relationships.
Johnny shares a story about a Spanish teacher from Milwaukee who had an unsettling experience with an immersion family in Durango, Mexico, including a sexual encounter with the head of the household. He offers advice to female travelers, such as using a lock to secure their rooms. Additionally, he mentions the high number of scorpion stings in Durango and the impact of a scorpion eradication plan on mortality rates.
He then discusses the prevalence of scorpion stings in Durango, highlighting the drastic reduction in fatalities after the implementation of an eradication plan. He shares a personal anecdote about being stung by a small scorpion and contrasts it with the more dangerous species found in the region. Johnny also mentions the cultural and economic impact of scorpions in Durango, including the existence of scorpion hunters, the creation of scorpion-themed souvenirs, and the presence of a scorpion specialist in emergency rooms.
Johnny shifts to discussing the 'gringo advantage' in Latin America, where expats can sometimes access privileges not available to locals, such as a military-issued gas card. He warns against the pitfalls of over-engaging with high-end Latin American social circles, which can lead to cynicism and a loss of authenticity. He concludes by referencing the decline of Che Guevara as a cultural icon in Mexico.
In the final segment, Johnny discusses the changing perception of Che Guevara, noting that he is no longer the iconic figure he once was. He mentions that Che's image has faded from popular culture, with Che-themed clothing like T-shirts and barrettes becoming rare. Johnny also highlights that Che has been reduced to a marketing joke, even appearing on a T-shirt with a monkey wearing his iconic beret and a caption that mocks him with the phrase 'Viva la evolution.' He then shifts to discussing Fidel Castro, noting that while Che is largely forgotten, Castro still has a soft spot among many Latin Americans for standing up to the United States.
Johnny also explains that Latin Americans have a deep knowledge of U.S. presidents due to the numerous places, streets, and monuments named after them, which were often donated by U.S. officials. He concludes by discussing the ease of using cash in Latin America, where it is widely accepted without questions, unlike in the U.S., where cash transactions are increasingly regulated.
Finally, Johnny discusses the relative freedom and anonymity expats can experience in Latin America, contrasting it with the United States. He highlights the ease of transactions like paying with cash at airports without being scrutinized, and the availability of pirated software, which is widely available and affordable. He also mentions the convenience of purchasing pirated software through classified ads in local newspapers, often delivered quickly by motorcycle, and the low cost compared to original licenses. He warns about the risks of pirated software, such as potential detection by Microsoft and remote disabling, and notes that new computers in Latin America often come with Windows 8 pre-installed.
Topics
Learning Spanish through TV, Netflix and Spanish language TV, Quality of Spanish language TV in Latin America, Language learning in Latin America, Cruise travel experiences, Cultural norms and greetings, Safety tips for female travelers, Health and safety in Durango, Mexico, Scorpion stings in Durango, Mexico, Cultural and economic impact of scorpions, Gringo advantage in Latin America, Expats and high-end social circles
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:14 Introduction to The Expat Files 00:00:20 What The Expat Files Covers 00:00:26 The Mix of Experiences in Latin America 00:00:32 Johnny's First Show After the Seminar 00:01:23 Judy's Experience with Spanish Language TV 00:02:36 Netflix and Spanish Language TV 00:03:59 Quality of Spanish Language TV in Latin America 00:06:05 Learning Spanish Conversationally vs. from a Book 00:06:16 Cruise Line to South America and Departure Points 00:06:56 Pullman Tour Cruises and Their Unique Features 00:07:55 Cultural Norms of Kissing in Latin America 00:08:50 Immersion Programs and Cultural Experiences 00:09:55 Unsettling Experience with an Immersion Family 00:11:09 Safety Tips for Female Travelers 00:11:53 Scorpion Stings in Durango, Mexico 00:12:03 Scorpion Stings in Durango, Mexico 00:12:24 Gringo Advantage and Cultural Engagement 00:17:56 Che Guevara's Decline as a Cultural Icon 00:18:00 Che Guevara's Decline in Pop Culture 00:18:57 Che's Alleged Psychopathic Nature 00:20:03 Latin Americans' Knowledge of U.S. Presidents 00:23:21 Cash as King in Latin America 00:24:07 Freedom and Anonymity in Latin America 00:24:17 Pirated Software in Latin America
Transcript
Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.
[00:00] South of the border down Mexico way That's where I fell in love when the stars above came up to play and now 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 Okay, then this is my first show back from my latest expat wisdom seminar Actually, this is being recorded more like two weeks later because right after the seminar I was engaged in Shuttling around a few expat wannabes to various secret and relatively unknown places that only us long-term
[00:51] Expats know about that said being far out in the jungles and volcanoes and coffee fields I really haven't checked my emails or phone messages for like two or even three weeks now you ever tried doing that Well, try it sometime and see just what kind of hole you've dug yourself in I'm trying to dig out of mine right now So I've been chugging away at my backlog of emails and I've been doing so ever since early this morning And I'm still a couple of hundred behind But it's been worth it because I've come up with a few emails I think you'd like to hear this one comes from one of my past seminar attendees Judy And she's commenting on that recent show that I did when I was talking about People trying to learn or brush up on their Spanish by watching Spanish language TV
[01:36] Which has now sort of invaded the US media TV in the States in a very big way Note that the lady who wrote this email, Judy she knew a bit of her Spanish way back from her high school days and Amazingly enough well amazing to me anyway She came down here to the seminar and actually connected right back in with her Spanish now I have to admit She is a special case because I just don't see it that often many people come down here with two three even four years Of high school or college Spanish they come down here Oh, so confident in their Spanish abilities But soon find out that they can't even get it across to their restaurant waiter that a couple of kookarotches are making sloppy Love in their soup, but Judy our emailer did not have that problem when she was down here Amazingly enough her high school Spanish kicked right in anyway. She writes. Hi Johnny enjoyed your January 4th show
[02:28] I too often watch TV in Spanish to feed those old brain cells out of otherwise get lazy forgetful and die and On that Spanish language front there is some good news in the States with the advent of Netflix Rocco, etc Thankfully, they're taking the place of mundane cable with the ability to stream desirable content vastly improving accessibility In fact recently I've enjoyed two highly rated TV series from bamboo productions out of Spain That are easily streamed on Netflix. The name of those shows are Galerias velvet and grand hotel and the cool thing about this is that Netflix offers English subtitles to and Current seasons are available on at rest player with subtitles in Spanish only which is also very good for practicing
[03:20] Anyway, just wanted to share in case people who want to brush up on a real conversational Spanish are interested Oh and another thing I was wondering What is the name of that cruise line out of cologne Panama that you mentioned and the next time I am in Latin America I will remember not to kiss anyone on the lips other than my husband, of course Anyway, best wishes for a great 2015 winter seminar thinking of you and all your crew with a hello to all Judy Well, Judy Thanks for that because you know all people who take Spanish lessons up in the first world can really use a bit of a refresher Course via Spanish language TV no matter how bad it is As you probably know almost all of the TV programs originating from the 20 Latin American countries really suck
[04:06] And when I say they really suck I'm being kind in fact Latin TV makes the Kardashians look like Masterpiece theater now as far as Spanish language TV that comes directly from Spain as you mentioned That's a completely different story. Spain is first world So the production values and acting and directing etc are first world Thus not nearly as embarrassingly bad as something that comes from let's say Mexico or the Dominican Republic Which I guess isn't saying much because first world TV sucks too But saying that there is TV out there in Latin America that is infinitely crappier than first world TV Well, that's saying a lot, isn't it? That said when a show comes from Spain at least You know you're getting standard first world fair to which a lot of first world
[04:55] Gringos down here in Latin America would say who cares as long as you watch any Spanish language TV You're gonna learn how the locals speak though As I have recently found out some first world green guys that come down here to Latin America After switching on local Spanish language TV mostly soap operas initially to better learn their Spanish Some of them actually become addicted to the soap operas. Okay, no surprise there Nothing wrong with that. I mean look how many people up in the first world are hooked on TV soap operas And it is a very good way to learn your conversational Spanish. I mean hell over the years I've watched a few soap operas myself, but in my case, it was just the opposite I didn't get addicted But what I wanted to do was every time I saw one of those male soap opera stars shedding
[05:41] Crocodile tears after his wife caught him cheating with the cleaning lady which happens about every other episode I don't want to keep watching. I just want to punch the guy in the face All right. All right, so maybe I do need an anger management course, but they don't have those down here yet Thankfully, there's a big lag time on that So at least now you folks up in the states who have a little high school or college Spanish under your belt You can tune into Netflix etc. Like Judy mentioned and brush up on how latins really speak to each other Conversationally, it's certainly not like learning Spanish from a book Oh and as to Judy's question about the name of that cruise line to South America Well, Judy it departs not only from Cologne Panama But it departs from all its destinations as you pull in for example to correct is Venezuela
[06:30] Venezuelans will be checking in and checking out to same thing in Cartagena, Colombia, etc. So where do gringos get on? Well, I guess Cologne's a good place to start That's what I got on but I only met two other gringos on the whole cruise tour and I never did ask where they got on So you could just about jump on anywhere. It's called believe it or not Pullman tour cruises just like Pullman cars on trains It's called Pullman tour and yes, I've taken it It's highly recommended and by the way Another good thing about this cruise is that as you pull into each port of call and try to get off There are no shake downs no shoes off pat downs or strip searches You just walk through a metal detector and that's it
[07:15] Which I understand these days is unheard of with cruise lines that originate from the states Oh, and by the way, try paying for a Royal Caribbean or Carnival cruise with cash You can't but you can with Pullman tour So if you take Pullman tour you get the double satisfaction that no one's keeping tabs on you You can spit in big brother's face if you want to and I know some of you listeners out there Just would love to do that But I digress as usual Oh, and by the way for all you new and recent listeners out there when Judy says that while she's in Latin America She won't be kissing anyone but her husband on the lips she's saying that because in Latin America unlike in the states and many places in the first world if
[08:00] When you greet someone and you kiss them on the lips It better be just your husband wife girlfriend or boyfriend That's it. If you do that with anyone else, it'll be a scandal and everyone around you will start to talk Which is sort of ironic because down here in Latin America a greeting kiss is one of their national sports You're freely allowed to peck a person of the other sex on the cheek And you'll generally end up doing that every single time you run into them But you must plant your kisser on the cheek Nowhere else and since we're on the topic of improving your Spanish. Here's a rather revolting story for you I just recently ran into a gringo lady from Milwaukee, Wisconsin Who happened to be a Spanish teacher up there in the Milwaukee Public Schools? Everyone's dream job, right? Hmm, and she told me this rather enlightening story
[08:50] She said now up in the States to get a degree in Spanish That is to teach Spanish at a public school up there part of the requirements for getting a Spanish teaching degree is that you go down to Latin America and Spend some time with an immersion family usually at least a month Which means of course living with a Latin family that speaks no English Living and hanging with them and eating dinners with them, too You've heard me talk about that before anyway She told me that she is signed up with her immersion family in Durango, Mexico And she told me the usual stories about sharing a disgusting bathroom with five or six people and eating dinner and getting monosumer's Revenge all the while complimenting mama and grandma on their marvelous bacterially infested cuisine
[09:39] All part of that learning experience, you know But she also told me that the very first night They settled her in to her little private bedroom The married father of the house the head of the household and father to the kids Snuck into her bed at one in the morning and tried to screw her those were her words And she said she had to scream and punch him in the face a few times before he finally got the hint to get out And that's just not the oddball case either. She said when she Reconnected with her friends also future Spanish teachers ladies that went to Latin America to do their immersion programs, too They also had midnight encounters with various male members of their immersion family Angie said it's a well-kept secret that people almost never talk about
[10:29] But you just better get ready for that eventuality if you're female and that's your career path So she said her advice is that if you're stuck in an emergent family as a single woman For the first few nights pack a heavy object under your pillow when you go to sleep And if you have an encounter just whack the guy around the head or the face and scream a bit and he'll get the idea Or you do what I suggest for every traveler you get this little device called add a lock Just send me an email and I'll give you the complete details on that it costs about 20 bucks And no one will ever be able to get into your room because you see if you're at an immersion family or an old hotel Oftentimes you won't have a lock on the door or the lock will be easily picked by the owner
[11:16] Anyway, send me an email and I'll give you a full details on that and you'll never have to worry Nope, I don't make a dime off it. I just think it's a very good product and I use it myself. Oh And speaking of Durango Mexico where she did her immersion program not so long ago I talked to a medical intern that was working in an emergency room at a hospital in Durango and he told me this The emergencies most treated are gunshot wounds Well, that won't surprise you but guess what the number two cause of emergency room visits is You're never gonna get this one. I sure didn't and I'm a pretty good guesser Scorpion stings now remember scorpions don't bite Americans always say scorpion bites But they sting and here's the stats on that
[12:03] He said Durango has over 2,000 cases of scorpion stings a year and until they instituted a scorpion Eradication plan over a hundred people a year were dying from scorpion bite mostly kids. Did I say bite? I meant sting well I am a gringo right and now it's less than 50 people a year in all of Mexico that died from those stings Now you might remember in one of my past shows I mentioned that I got stung by a scorpion some years back But it was a small one three or four inches long not one of those big black ugly ones You see in Durango that show up in all those James Bond movies now if you ever go to Durango Which I don't recommend it's actually considered the scorpion capital of the world Come on. Did you even know there was such a thing? I bet it's in the Guinness book
[12:48] There are just so many scorpions that there are even schools streets and sports teams named after them and naturally scorpion fights mostly in low-end bars and cantinas in fact this guy said emergency room hospitals in Durango have a scorpion doctor on call 24 hours a day a specialist in different scorpion venoms believe it or not because there are over 200 different types of scorpions in Durango in fact at one point in the past the city paid a bounty for each scorpion killed But after a while they cut that out because they realized that kids were breeding Scorpions in their homes just to kill them and get the bounty and in the process a lot of them got stung and died Well three cheers for Darwinism so it's so many scorpions popping up everywhere
[13:38] It's created an actual industry in fact so called scorpion hunters They're called alacraneros because scorpions in spanish are called electrons They catch and kill tens of thousands of them each year Then take the biggest fattest and ugliest ones and make souvenir key rings and wall clocks Etc and sell them to tourists in the local markets I'm telling you right now a couple of matching scorpion ashtrays will look really good next to that stuffed armadillo And you're double wide anyway know this amazing fact over 250,000 people are stung by scorpions in mexico every year which makes me I guess just a statistic And it's not anymore reassuring to know that out of the 200 different species of scorpions in mexico only eight of them
[14:27] Can actually send you to the hospital to kill you so there you have it folks reason 2476 why you should never consider mexico as a place to become a permanent expat though like I always say Just like Costa Rica if you can get a nice weekend or week-long package deal to a resort like Cancun or whatever That's always a lot of fun, but I would never consider living there Okay, that said let's get back to a subject. I spoke about on a previous show, but never finished I was talking about how gringos went off the gringo tourist trail often find ourselves Sucked in to high-end Latin American social circles the Latin American hoi polloi so to speak it Happened to me alright in a lot of my friends and at first it seems like well an unforgettable experience really
[15:15] So don't be surprised if you get invited to shin digs down here in Latin America That would seem like an out-of-this-world dream if you were sitting there on your sofa back in Cleveland It happened to me an expat Eddie more times than we could ever count believe it or not I'd get shuttled around to beach houses with yachts and helicopters all that kind of decadent stuff that the Latin rich folks and corrupt Politicians just live for and you know it doesn't really mean anything to them unless they can show it off to their friends and Occasional gringo like me or you in fact for a while a four-star General of a small Latin country gave me a little card made out of cardboard kind of a credit card Actually a petrol car that looked almost exactly like one of those cards you used to get at the video store where they punch out
[16:01] Holes around the edge where you'd get a free rental after so many punches So anyway the military of this country must have borrowed the idea from Blockbuster, but it wasn't for videos It was for gasoline which allowed me to fill up my gas tank every week at a military service station You can imagine the looks I got when I pulled up to that place every week But the general's name was on the card and no corporal pump and gas was gonna argue with that Meanwhile where it really counts the cops are only rationed two gallons a day, but you knew that already, right? So such are the extreme inequalities in any Latin country and such is the gringo advantage But I can't tell you this that kind of advantage for you will never happen when you're on the gringo tourist trail unless you're already Some kind of first-world celebrity, but you know that too, right?
[16:48] That's why I always recommend you settle off the gringo tourist trail Or you'll just end up being an ugly American who is a mark for dollars But back to that concept of us gringos being occasionally shot into the Latin American social stratosphere At first, you know, it is amazing and fun, but some of us get burned out on it awful fast I mean rubbing alphos with pretentious rich jerks who don't even know they're pretentious and corrupt politicians is well fun Until you see them for what they really are and then you start being cynical and making jokes at their expense And you don't want them to catch on to that So that's when you shouldn't make your exit. At least that's when I did or you can do like some expat Gringos do and you could enjoy it so much that you end up sucking up to them and in the process kind of becoming
[17:38] A favorite gringo pet. Well, you know what they say if you go for a swim in the outhouse You're bound to get some crap on you. That's in the Bible, right? Well, if it ain't it should be anyway to each his own, you know So still more proof that the gringo advantage is alive and well off the gringo tourist trail that is Now if you remember in a recent past show I mentioned that down here Che Guevara is no longer the big icon and hero that he once was I remember saying that Che Guevara T-shirts have pretty much disappeared and it used to be that every place that sold t-shirts or any kind of clothing at all had All kinds of che wear including that ubiquitous revolutionary che barrette And now funny enough since a couple of generations have passed Everyone's kind of forgotten che and the ones that kind of remember have turned him into a sort of a marketing joke
[18:31] In fact lately I saw a t-shirt that said on the front Viva la revolution with a picture of che in that ubiquitous beret with the red star And on the back of the t-shirt there was a monkey with that famous beret on and a caption said Viva la evolution Which means of course long live evolution now though che has pretty much been forgotten and it's a good thing, too Since recent researchers and biographers have determined that che was a true psychopath Pretty much a heartless murderous killing machine who would have ended up in sing sing had it been another time in another place And even stranger new research shows that castro set the guy up to get him to hell out of cuba
[19:17] Where he was beginning to be more popular than castro himself and of course, you can't have that So then what about fidel? Well down here in latin america many many old-timers still have a soft spot in their heart for fidel Not for his politics or his economics, but just because he stood up to good old uncle sam and stuck the finger at him So then you might ask what do latins know about north american politics? Anyway Almost nothing except for like I said what they read on the front pages if they read it all which they don't like first world people Don't either now. Here's one thing i've noticed every latin american knows at least five or six us presidents by name So then if they're so ignorant about first world politics and first world history, how could that be?
[20:03] You see that's because there are things named after us presidents throughout every small medium and large latin american city For example, you've got wilson avenue in roosevelt boulevard Kennedy eisenhower and johnson park Turns out practically all the us presidents in the last hundred years have things named after him down here in latin america And that's because these guys or their vice presidents or secretaries of state Came down and did a goodwill trip and donated something or modernized the local crap army or gave free money to the local Dictators or whatever and when that happens you get the usual ribbon cutting ceremonies and they name things after you That's typical with latin america That said don't be freaked out If you're way off the gringo tourist trail and you run into a boulevard or a street or a park
[20:52] With a dead president's name plastered all over it or maybe even an oversized bronze statue or bust About us president that is So when you see such things you might as well sit and have a nice look around because hell You paid for it now said about that now when I run into gringos and expats They always tell me certain things they really like about latin america And of course a few things that drive them nuts And for me the number one thing that drives me nuts are the horrible drivers because you know down here You don't have to take driver's ed to get a license and you can just go up and buy one Anyway, let's not get started on that. Let's just say when driving down here. I don't recommend you pack heat too much Temptation now as for the good and great things that us long-term gringos always talk about
[21:41] It's the climate and the people and the inexpensive nature of everything Specifically that amazingly low cost of living especially off the gringo tourist trail But I can tell you lately just in the past six months that people have been mentioning something completely different that They never did before lately. They've been talking about one extra very special thing They really like about latin america and that is That everyone I mean everyone gladly accepts cash with no strange looks no questions. No id Nothing, they just put on a big smile and are grateful to get it Now that's not to say they don't go over your bills with a fine-tooth comb Can't have them bent mutilated or stapled because banks won't take them Now I mentioned this because lately i've been hearing it's becoming a real hassle if you try to buy things up in the states for cash
[22:33] Now that's not to say that down here You can carry around suitcases full of cash and buy houses and cars etc Or make big deposits and banks the long arm of the us has made that kind of stuff Somewhat difficult too these days though. I know some people do it still It always depends who you know and how good your lawyer is, but let's not open that can of worms Now since all the banks down here have signed those fat gun get cut agreements They've been forced into that know your customer law that you have up in the states So when you're at the bank if you deposit three to five thousand bucks They'll ask you where that money came from just like they do up in the states I think in the states now if you deposit more than three dollars and 46 cents You have to fill out five or six forms, right though. I could be wrong about that. I'm sure it's coming
[23:21] However down here in latin america aside from banks in the rest of latin america cash is definitely king cash is king Now note that down here in latin america There are a lot of travel agencies and you can walk right in and pay for anything with cash money They'll gladly accept it Now that won't work if you're using an american airline But if you use any latin american airline and there's hundreds of them good ones, too For example copa or taka which are two of the bigger ones aero mexico is another one and down here They're not going to give you the third degree at the ticket window either unlike the states if you pull out cash at an airport They won't treat you like a criminal or anarco. I know because i've heard some first-hand stories. So there you have it reason
[24:07] 4267 why it's possible that when you live in latin america, you could have so much more freedom and anonymity if you want it And who doesn't right? Oh, and by the way on another subject. I promised myself i'd mention this to you remember last show Where was it the show before that I mentioned that you could buy all kinds of pirated software down here, too Although it's a hot topic and politicians are quizzed about it in the news down here all the time No one ever really does anything about it. How can I prove that? Just pick up any big latin american newspaper and go into the yellow pages and look under the classified ads called Classificados down here and you'll see anywhere from a half dozen to a couple of dozen ads listing all kinds of software
[24:53] But yet no business address only an email and they say they'll deliver right to your house or business or anywhere Isn't that convenient, huh? Now just to prove it i've got just such a classified ad right in front of me now And i'll translate this for you here. It says computer programs for sale to control your entire business We have accounts receivable programs inventory accounting current accounts payroll, etc We also have photoshop cc7 adobe suite auto cad designer graphics architectural programs programs for mac windows office suites A full range of courses and programs in english and spanish, of course There's no business address at all only an email
[25:40] And two cell phone numbers with no landline number You can tell down here in latin america if it's a landline or not by the first few digits And you might ask what does it cost when you buy one of these pirated programs that might normally cost A hundred bucks or so if you bought it with the original license Well, usually about five to twenty bucks. And yes once you order it by phone Within two or three hours, it'll get delivered right at your doorstep by a guy in a little motorcycle And if you're wondering if there's any kind of guarantee They say they'll give you a guarantee and if you have trouble installing it they'll help you over the phone And by the way all these little internet cafes in latin america Have a computer tech or two that usually run the place and that's where most average latin people get their pirated programs
[26:29] Direct from the local cafe internet guy because i'll tell you for example the windows 8 operating system I think costs about 150 bucks down here Which is about two weeks salary, you know for the average latin Which of course really makes that pirated version look good and around get this 10 bucks Now remember if you buy a pirated version of most anything You got to click the button that says that you refuse updates or when it says updates are available Don't click it Because if you do the home office will know and you'll get all kinds of nasty messages etc And they might even be able to disable it remotely Oh, and by the way if you buy a computer new down here, it usually will have windows 8 installed But not windows office in that respect. I think it's just like up in the states
[27:15] You get to use windows office for a month free And then it expires and you have to buy the full upgraded package for over 100 bucks Note 95 of latin's use windows operating systems and the rest apple and linex more on that next time south of the border Down You've been listening to the expat files living in latin america coming to you twice a week from somewhere south of the border Email me the expat files at gmail.com And don't forget to check out expat wisdom.com to sign up for your free reports on latin america. See you next time nos vemos Ah, she was a picture He knows spanish