Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller discusses the process of obtaining temporary and permanent residency in Latin America, with a specific focus on Guatemala. He outlines the steps required for expats to prepare for residency, including getting documents authenticated, obtaining police reports, and working with a local lawyer. Johnny also addresses a common question about whether expats need to get another police report when applying for permanent residency after holding temporary residency for a year or two. He explains that while a police report is still required, it is typically obtained from the country where they are applying for residency, and it is unlikely to reveal any issues if they have been compliant. Johnny also promotes his upcoming expat wisdom seminar in July 2015, emphasizing the early bird discount and the limited time left to register. The episode ends with Johnny sharing a brief anecdote about his travel experiences in Honduras.
Johnny Mueller discusses his opinion on living in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, highlighting its high crime rates, unsafe districts, and the importance of knowing which areas are safe for expats. He acknowledges that while the city has its challenges, some expats manage to live there successfully by avoiding dangerous areas. He also mentions the high cost of living and the presence of crime in specific neighborhoods, contrasting it with the safety of gated subdivisions. Johnny also talks about the cost of parking in the city, noting that parking meters are very cheap, but parking in the business district is a unique experience due to the presence of city workers who collect coins from meters. He ends by sharing a story about a local man who is happy about his daughter's pregnancy, highlighting the cultural context and the reality of family life in Honduras.
Johnny Mueller discusses the cultural norms and social dynamics in Latin America regarding pregnancy, gender roles, and the influence of Catholicism. He highlights the irony that while many young Latin women desire to have children, they often do so without being married, which is seen as a stain in a Christian society. However, families generally welcome the pregnancy and the arrival of a child, especially a boy, as a source of pride. Johnny contrasts this with the United States, where unwed pregnancies often lead to shame and stricter social consequences. He also touches on the taboo surrounding abortion in Latin America, even among educated women, and how it remains a deeply ingrained societal norm.
Johnny Mueller discusses the cultural and religious attitudes toward teenage pregnancy in Latin America, highlighting the contradiction between the machismo culture and the Christian faith's stance on abortion. He explains how teenage pregnancy is often celebrated in these communities, with families embracing the situation and even viewing it as a positive event. Johnny contrasts this with the more judgmental attitudes in the first world, where teenage pregnancy is typically seen as a problem. He also touches on the role of Planned Parenthood and the challenges expats face when trying to engage with these cultural norms.
In this segment, Johnny Mueller discusses his experiences in Latin America, highlighting the commonality of certain social situations and the inefficiencies in government operations. He recounts an incident where he was mistaken for a gringo and engaged in a conversation with city workers who were collecting money from parking meters. Johnny comments on the absurdity of the situation, noting that it takes six workers and a golf cart to collect a small amount of money. He also touches on the cultural context of government inefficiency and the lack of awareness about the local situation among gringos. The segment transitions to a discussion about the growing interest of first-world drug companies in Latin America, noting the potential for pharmaceutical sales and the challenges posed by the affordability of prescription drugs in the region.
Topics
Residency in Latin America, Guatemala residency process, Permanent residency requirements, Expat wisdom seminar, Early bird discount, Police report requirements for residency, San Pedro Sula, Honduras, Expats, Crime, Safety, Parking
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:32 Overview of the Residency Process in Latin America 00:01:08 Preparing for Residency in Guatemala 00:02:02 Addressing Questions About Permanent Residency 00:04:31 Promoting the Expat Wisdom Seminar 00:05:39 Anecdote About Traveling in Honduras 00:05:54 San Pedro Sula: A City with Challenges for Expats 00:07:05 Expats Living in San Pedro Sula: A Mixed Experience 00:08:17 Johnny's Personal Preference for a More Active Lifestyle 00:10:04 A Unique Experience with City Workers Collecting Coins from Parking Meters 00:11:21 The Reality of Family Life in Honduras: A Story of Pregnancy and Cultural Context 00:12:07 The Irony of Unwed Pregnancies in Latin America 00:12:34 The Rarity of Women Who Don't Want to Have Babies 00:14:37 The Taboo of Abortion in Latin America 00:17:47 The Role of Christianity in Shaping Attitudes Toward Teenage Pregnancy 00:18:06 The Immediate Social Reaction to Teenage Pregnancy in Latin America 00:18:41 The Celebration of Teenage Pregnancy in Latin American Communities 00:21:15 The Acceptance and Normalization of Teenage Pregnancy in Latin America 00:23:05 Common Experience in Latin America 00:24:46 Drug Companies' Interest 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 as I wander 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, if you remember in the last two shows I was talking about getting residents temporary and permanent in Latin America specifically with the example of Guatemala Since people who have been signing up for my expat wisdom seminar coming in July 2015
[00:45] And it will be in and around Guatemala So they have the chance if they stay on an extra 10 or 15 days after the seminar to apply Directly for their temporary or even permanent residency depending on their situation In other words kill two birds with one stone, so they don't have to come down again and do it another time That's why in the last two shows I gave you a step-by-step procedure on how to get ready when you come down here to Latin America specifically again Guatemala because there will be some hoops to jump through up in the states that is dealing with your own state to get documents authenticated as well as dealing with your own sheriff's department to get a police report and The Guatemalan embassy closest to you to get all that stuff officially authenticated by them before you come down
[01:33] And I mentioned you could probably get all that done in about two weeks up in the states And if you're just simply unlucky it could take up to a month though almost never more than that By the way, you probably noticed my voice is cracking I kind of blew it out in the last few days doing consults and webinars and stuff So just bear with me. I'll try to get through this now since I did those two shows I've been getting some emails from people asking me some more particular questions things I might have missed or need further explanation That said let me finish up for a minute or two on a certain point of permanent residency now one emailer starts out by saying if I have Temporary residency and it runs the one or two years necessary Then of course I apply for my permanent residency as I know with temporary residency
[02:20] I have to go down to the sheriff's department where I live in the states, etc Etc get a background checked or a good conduct report Whatever they call it then bring it down with me to Latin America or send it to my lawyer down in Latin America Whatever country I'm applying for temporary residency But what I'd like to know is once I've got my temporary residency in a year or two years or whatever In other words, it's in force and it's run its course when I apply for permanent residency Then do I have to get another police report and go through those hoops? Get it certified bring it to the consulate up near my state and all that just checking Johnny other than that You seem to have explained everything to a T and then some see it down there shortly Johnny Ellen in Connecticut, but not for long Like that send off Ellen. Anyway, it is one point
[03:09] I really didn't cover what happens after you've had temporary residency for a year or so and you're ready to apply for permanent residency Do you have to get another police report and all that? Well, thankfully, no turns out And I guess this seems to be a kind of a glitch in the law or just the way third world countries work or don't work But you see because you are a temporary resident for a given period of time They assume you're living in the country whether you're in or out of the country or not Yes, when you apply for that permanent residency, then you will need a police report But however, since like I said, they'll assume that you've been in the country Even though like I said in a past show you only have to be in the country one day a year Specifically we're talking about Guatemala now when you sit down with your lawyer and fill out the paperwork for permanent residency application
[03:58] He'll get a police report on you from Guatemala and believe me unless you've been a very very bad boy or girl in that hum one day a year You've been staying in the country Your police report will come up squeaky clean. And what does a police report like that cost? Well about 15 to 25 bucks So again not to worry once you've had temporary residency and you've had it run its term a year to two years Permanent residency will follow without a US police report and without a hitch now on that note I should mention again that my July 2015 expat wisdom seminar in Central America in and around Guatemala is Open for registration. Just go to expat wisdom comm click on the Latin seminar link for full details
[04:44] And remember there's an early bird discount if you sign up before May 1st After that the price of the seminar goes up $500 per person Oh, and by the way If you notice when you go to the seminar link on the expat wisdom website It could pay for the seminar in one payment or there's a three payment installment plan and people have asked me if they sign up for The seminar with the three payment installment plan if they sign up before May 1st Will they still get that early bird discount even though they haven't paid for the whole thing by May 1st? The answer to that is of course you will but note you haven't got much time to get in on the early bird discount Now today's show is scheduled to go out to the world on April 26 Which means including today? You've only got five more days to sign up and get that early bird discount because again
[05:33] Like I said on May 1st the price goes up 500 bucks per person. Okay, then let's get on to something else Now everybody loves a good story, and I've got a good one for you here Just this morning while traveling through San Pedro Sula Honduras Honduras is second biggest city with a little over a million people now as far as expatting to this city I wouldn't recommend it for a lot of reasons one it's miserably dry and hot It's not in the altiplano and though it has some very nice gated subdivisions And it's a very cheap city to live in I still wouldn't want to live there Why you see it's one of those cities if you map it out in districts and neighborhoods Like I always recommend if you're planning on checking out any city in latin america Get a good map and market first if you have a local resident or a cab driver
[06:21] For example, check out or color in the areas or districts that are safe and the ones that aren't you'll find out there's more Dangerous places in San Pedro Sula then nice safe places So naturally it's not on the top of my list for expatting now It's true like any latin american big city. There is a lot of crime robberies assaults a high murder rate, etc But note all that crime is in particular districts For example homicides if you read on in the news reports, they're always in the same little districts and subdivisions By the way, almost never in guarded protected gated subdivisions that most gringos live in who are big city dwellers Anyway, that said I know quite a few expats living in that town and they're getting by rather Well nice businesses doing fine
[07:07] That's because they know just which places and districts and neighborhoods are fine for visiting hanging out and walking in both day and night And they know the areas that are just okay during the day and areas that are not good day or night That said if you're a fresh green expat coming down looking for a place to become a permanent expat I still wouldn't recommend San Pedro Sula nor would I recommend the capital Tagusigalpa Which has a big crime problem and is a very ugly scruffy looking city, too However, there are more than a handful of nice little cities that expats would find very charming and great to live in honduras One being Copan where they have that fabulous ruins that nobody goes to see right on the border of Guatemala Anyway, that said and I know i'm getting off the point here
[07:53] But I do get a lot of emails from people asking me what the situation is like in honduras and what I want to live There especially when people read it's got the highest murder rate in latin america Well, i'll tell you what if I was a little bit older and more laid back and less hyper I definitely moved to copan That would be just a great little place to open up a little business and swing in a hammock and drink pina coladas all day long But as for me I'm just a little bit too active and hyper To settle for that kind of fade out with my golden years if I ever get to them So anyway driving through San Pedro Sula in the business district close to the main central park where it's pretty safe By the way in the day, but at night. Well, I wouldn't go there Anyway parked my car in front of a nice big office complex And as I was getting out to plug the meter
[08:39] I saw something very strange something you'd never see up in cleveland And by the way, i'm talking about the business district in this town of bamillion So the parking should be at a premium, right? So anyway, I parked on the street, which is okay right there No problem unless you have a big ass suv with trick rims and all kinds of bling hanging from it Then again, if you had a car like that Maybe no one would bother you since they'd think you might be a narco or at minimum an extreme macho dickhead A lot of that going around. Let me tell you Now in most places in latin america you can park on the street If you just have a regular moderate Unobtrusive late model car like a nissan censure or something. No one will ever bother you Anyway, I got out of the car to plug the meter which by the way was about 50
[09:24] cents us an hour you heard me right 50 cents an hour And that was in the business district in the center of a city of over a million people As opposed to a protected parking lot, which would cost about a buck to a buck and a half an hour Which is fine too, but more than twice the price than if you parked on the street at a meter So anyway, i'm plugging the meter and all of a sudden a big old golf cart pulls up painted with the municipal colors That means it's a city vehicle and five guys got out of it The driver stayed in that makes six and their job Was to empty the coins out of those meters So I stood there and watched and I just couldn't believe it Six people in a golf cart who had the job of emptying coins from parking meters in the downtown area
[10:14] And note they were all spiffed up in transit police uniforms with little helmets on And I decided to move over and watch them in action So I moved away from the parking meter let them do their work and they were choking around with each other as latins will Do because they are a happy folk, you know And you know since my spanish is decent enough when i'm off the gringo tourist trail like that and believe me This is way off the gringo tourist trail. No gringos in sight even in a big city like that Anyway note that when locals do run into the odd gringo They never suspect that he can speak spanish Which means they'll just carry on with their general conversations in spanish as if you or me the gringo Didn't understand a word and most times we don't right? So anyway, I was in no real hurry And they never picked up on the fact that I was eavesdropping
[10:59] And as I was listening, I recognized that one of these guys was in a terrifically happy mood Turns out he just found out his daughter was pregnant And that it was gonna be a boy and of course the other guys were congratulating him and stuff But here's the unsettling part of that story As it turns out this guy's got three daughters and two sons and they all live at home with him and his wife And get this two of his daughters one 16 and one 15 are pregnant now Unmarried of course and worse yet three of the other guys in that city golfing cart Were bragging about their daughters some who had babies already others who were pregnant now. No, I take that back They weren't bragging about their daughters They were bragging about their new grandkids or future grandkids hoping of course, they'll all be boys
[11:47] That's all part of the macho thing down here. Everybody wants a boy Even the girls want a boy And by the way a couple of the other guys mentioned that their daughters on wed, of course Were living at home too with their babies Also on wed yet. I noted these guys were not in any way complaining Just stating a fact which underscores a huge irony in latin america A kind of a terrible problem that seems to exist in all lower class lower middle class and middle class families Now remember that's a huge group that makes up between 80 to 90 percent of all latin americans Now see if you can figure out the logic in this almost all young latin girls want to have babies
[12:32] Now i've been down here a long long time And I think i've met three young latin women in my whole time down here who said they didn't want to have babies at all Though two of them said they might consider having kids if they found the right guy, but it couldn't be a latin guy They said hint hint and all three were college educated now. Here's the deal No latin woman would ever want to get pregnant without being married because you know This is a christian society. Thus an unwed mother carries around with her a bit of a stain or embarrassment or so you might think but here's the kicker If an unwed teenage latin girl living at home gets pregnant after a slight initial shock The family is overjoyed and welcomes the fact that there'll be a new kid in the family
[13:21] Especially the family's women folk. They go absolutely gaga over pregnant family members and new babies Even the father of an unwed teenage daughter Who you think would be extremely pissed and ready to get the shotgun down here after about 10 seconds of initial shock There is proudest punch to welcome another little boy into the family a grandson Even though it might not be a boy. He hopes and praise it is I know what you're thinking if you were to transpose the situation up to the states with a middle-class american family If a teenage daughter living at home suddenly got knocked up It's the girl's father who would generally blow his top and there would be hell to pay at least in Families that I know back up in chicago
[14:07] Though these days I might be way off base on this when I did live back in chicago many years ago Middle-class white waspy neighborhood and all when that happened to a family There was a lot of shame and anguish In fact, I know a couple of young catholic girls that got sent away on quote vacation And from then on they were kind of under house arrest if you know what I mean Now whether they had the kid or got an abortion who knows but down here note that there are almost no Abortions in fact i've spoken to a lot of young latin girls and older latin ladies about this and it's considered practically One of the cardinal sins of life if a girl has an abortion It doesn't matter even if she's raped. She almost never has an abortion whereas up in the states
[14:53] I remember going to my 10-year high school class reunion And i'll bet a good quarter of the girls in my high school class had abortions at one time or another Of course, they kept it to themselves and all that but in time the rumors leak out and everybody kind of knows You know what i'm talking about And that was some years ago Now here in latin america even present-day latin america anything like that would be basically Unthinkable. In fact, I do remember mentioning that to a couple of enlightened Educated latin women and they didn't believe it Of course, they never went to school up in the states or hung around with gringas either Now remember i'm talking about that 80 to 90 percent of latin america That's lower class poor lower middle class and middle class
[15:39] Now when it comes to the upper middle class and wealthy class as well Since they're all on the fast track to being gringo wannabes It turns out that unwed teenage girls living at home who become in a family way often Disappeared for a while on quote vacation too, but in the latin american case It's almost always to have the baby never for that dreaded abortion heaven forbid So that said when you talk to enlightened latin ladies with a college education generally about the very slow But sure liberation of women down here in latin america they'll nearly always tell you that the biggest hindrance to having equality in latin america and The ability of a woman to have control over her own mind and body is one the macho society and two the catholic church
[16:25] And when you talk about abortion even enlightened latin women sort of cringe It's like that old saying once a catholic always a catholic and even for the most enlightened educated and liberal latin ladies The abortion thing is something they just can never get over. For example one enlightened latin woman told me she said Johnny did you say abortion don't say that too loud. Everybody will stop and stare at you It's not something nice people talk about in casual conversation. That's just the way it is here Then when we moved to a more isolated area in the coffee shop She said honestly johnny even if I wanted one, I wouldn't know where to get it I mean you can't look in the yellow pages and in latin america. It's pretty much illegal even if it's incest or rape
[17:13] So there you have it. You've got double even triple sets of conflicting social standards You've got poor lower middle class and middle class young guys running around bragging about how many girls they knocked up Because you know the more kids you father the more tough beryl and macho you are Then you've got the fathers of these girls who grew up with that same kind of attitude though Really disliking the idea that their young unwed daughters are getting knocked up Yet on the other hand, they just love the idea and brag about being grandparents Especially if the kid's a boy then finally you have the heavy hand of the christian faith saying if a woman has an abortion It's the worst of mortal sins and the woman's gonna go to hell even in the case of rape or incest
[18:01] So then how do you juggle all those contradictions? Oh, and there's more Now once a young unmarried underage girl gets pregnant in a latin family It takes about two seconds for the news to travel through the neighborhood and it's not bad news It's fantastic news according to them, especially in the minds of the women folk. Guess what? Good news Did you hear there's gonna be a new baby in the family? The fact that the mother's only a kid of 14 15 16 or 17 doesn't matter That's part of the reason why they call it the third world 90 of the people down here don't look farther ahead than the next payday Think about it What we consider up in the first world to be the worst kind of news Turns into one huge grand event down here in latin america No exaggeration here. Everybody's happy about it
[18:49] And you know, it's not uri or any expat gringo or tourist job To try to talk any kind of sense into these folks and tell them there's something wrong with this whole scenario Bottom line the third world is always going to be the third world if those kind of attitudes prevail That said you don't want to get into any kind of discussion on those issues with the average latin person You'll never win against that double whammy of machoism and christianity Not for a second So my advice is next time you get invited to a kintseanyo party or a birthday party and a happy beaming very Pregnant young teenager sits down in the chair across from you. There's two questions. You don't want to ask her one How long you've been married and two who's the daddy? But let me qualify that for a second oftentimes you'll be at one of these parties and there'll be a heavily pregnant young teenage girl
[19:41] And she will introduce you to the teenage father Because you see the fact is in macho latin society oftentimes and believe me. I just don't get this 16 year old hector the guy that knocked up 15 year old sylvia is Welcomed into the family if not with open arms at least he's tolerated and makes himself at home And as expats, you know, we just don't get it. So you just bite your tongue What we're always thinking is how is this young jerk who knocked up this child? How does he have the balls the huevos to show up at these family get-togethers? Sit there like a member of the family and hold his head high I mean come on I could never see that happening up in my neighborhood back in chicago
[20:26] Now call me old-fashioned. Call me a prude. Call me a stick in the mud. Call me anything but dude or awesome I hate those two words I just know that back in my day if an unwed young teenage girl got pregnant And by chance she did stay home and sit that nine months out and have the baby She would not be out there parading her belly at dances and birthday parties in that delicate condition Not because she wasn't up to it, but because she'd be too damn embarrassed to show her face Come on, you know her parents would suffer a great deal for it, too And the young teenage guy the perpetrator of the event he'd be no guest at any family get-together He'd be public enemy number one. I tell you that the fact is down here in latin america There are no so-called shotgun weddings not like years ago up in the states. Anyway, it's just become so
[21:15] Acceptable and so the norm to have a young underaged unmarried pregnant girl in the family It's no wonder that down here in latin america. There still is a baby boom going on and Planned parenthood forget about it. Oh it exists down here All right There are all kinds of first world do-gooders coming down here and giving courses, etc But they are not making a dent And worst of all when you're at a party And you happen to be sitting next to or across from one of these bulging young underage ladies Not only does she seem to be ecstatically happy about it All the other ladies in the place are hovering around her and catering to her, too It seems to me and a lot of other expats when these young girls see all the attention that pregnant ladies get
[22:03] That in itself is a big reason why these young girls want to have babies now Remember things are a bit different with the upper middle classes and the wealthy Like I said their daughters get pregnant too. I mean it's inevitable, right? But in the family there is some residual pain and embarrassment because remember like I said for the upper middle classes in the wealthy It's all about appearances keeping up with the next-door neighbors the joneses the martinez's whatever And it wouldn't do to have your young teenage daughters running around barefoot and pregnant That would neither be cool nor first world-like As one upper middle class latin lady told me you don't see unwed underage pregnant girls Shopping at high-end malls or ordering cafe latte's at starbucks, do you? Which by the way brings us full circle to the end of our story
[22:50] So anyway, I sat there for a while listening to those city parking meter coin collectors talk about their pregnant young underage daughters And the amazing thing was they weren't complaining at all They just seemed thrilled to have a new grandson in the house A very very common story down here in latin america. So don't be surprised when you run into that situation So anyway, that was the conversation I heard in a nutshell as I eavesdropped on those six city workers collecting money from parking meters And weren't they surprised when they heard me speaking in spanish? And of course, I offered no opinion on unwed daughters with kids living in daddy's house Like I said, that's a subject a gringo does not want to touch with a 10-foot pole Instead I said something that was meant to be a slight insult, but instead they just laughed about it
[23:41] So I know they didn't get it. I asked them seriously How come it takes six city workers and a new golf cart to remove what couldn't have been five dollars and change from each parking meter They empty and you know They were so used to being government slugs that they just kind of shrugged and laughed and said Well, that's our job And I said yeah sure it goes right along with your president and his party's governmental slogan And I pointed to a big billboard across the street with a big thumbs up that said To muni kumpe, which means your municipal government works They didn't get it. They just laughed again And then I said to all six of those guys Remember they're standing around me clinging to my every word because none of them
[24:26] I'm sure has ever spoken to a gringo before in his life Unless of course they've been up in the states and deported a very likely possibility by the way And then I said, you know, it kind of reminds me of back home up in chicago For every five guys on the street department. There was one shovel and these parking meter guys didn't get that either So let's change gears again. I was looking at the major panama daily newspaper and I came across this little ad I'll translate you can study in the year 2015 to become a visiting Medical professional. Okay, let me stop here and say i've never seen this degree offered before anywhere What it is is a course that'll train you to be a drug rep for doctor's offices Now if you remember in a past show about maybe two and a half years ago
[25:14] I mentioned the fact that I was in a doctor's office and I saw some visiting medical sales people come in Beautiful girls that look like runway models pulling little airline flight suitcases loaded with samples and goodies for the doctors Now way back when when I asked these two young ladies in the doctor's office how they qualified for a job like that They said they began by studying psychology or sociology or some other useless allergy And they both answered an ad in the paper from a drug company That was hiring and training people to become visiting medical drug reps Well that was then a couple years ago now It looks like some smart first world gringos have looked into their crystal ball and are projecting That latin america will be the next growth area for pharmaceutical drugs
[26:01] Obviously thinking the drug companies are going to be hiring a lot of medical reps Of course twine and dine and schmooze latin american doctors. I mean, come on That's the only way to get them to push your drugs, right? Anyway, that said just note it's an absolutely wide open field and drug companies want in in the biggest way As of now at least there are no ads on latin american tv for prescription pharmaceutical drugs No pills for gastric reflux high blood pressure or anal fissures Which means there are no warnings for fatal side effects either Haha, all you see on tv down here are mild over the counter drugs like pepto bismol That's because the average latin just could never afford to buy today's proprietary prescription drugs
[26:49] Not on three or four hundred bucks a month. They can't hell I know some seniors up in the states who pay seven thousand bucks a year for prescription drugs That would be two complete yearly adult salaries in latin america But anyway, it seems like when you see these ads in the paper for schools training medical drug reps Fact is first world drug companies must be seeing the writing on the wall They know they've drained the blood out of all those first world cows and their next stop the third world But little do they know people don't have the dough or the insurance to pay for that kind of stuff So I hope their big plans just crash and burn couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of corporate assholes You've been listening to the expat files living in latin america coming to you twice a week from somewhere south of the border
[27:43] Email me the expat files at gmail.com And don't forget to check out expatwisdom.com to sign up for your free reports on latin america See you next time. Nos vemos She was a picture