Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller explores the unique cultural experiences of expats living in Latin America. He begins by discussing Thanksgiving celebrations in the region, noting that these are often hosted by first-world hotels and restaurants catering to expats and gringo wannabes. Johnny shares a personal anecdote about attending a Thanksgiving party at a hotel in Guatemala, where he met another expat with a bad hair dye job. He also comments on the cultural norm of patience with long lines and the non-judgmental attitude of Latin women toward expats.
Next, Johnny recounts a conversation with a tall gringo who is retiring and moving to a foreign country permanently. The gringo, who is described as having bad hair, is an embassy worker with 30 years of experience. He expresses concerns about the U.S. dollar's future and the potential collapse of the United States. Johnny engages in a conversation with the gringo, who shares insights about embassy life, including the perks of living in a four-star hotel instead of an apartment. The gringo also mentions that embassy staff are often aware of the U.S. government's issues but are required to keep their opinions private. Johnny reflects on the conversation, noting that it's refreshing to hear such perspectives from embassy workers, who are often seen as mindless lemmings.
In another segment, Johnny discusses the cultural and legal differences between the United States and Latin America. He references a controversial help wanted ad that was deemed sexist and inappropriate in the U.S., but is considered normal in Latin America. Johnny emphasizes that in Latin America, there is a lack of legal protection for individuals against discrimination based on age, sex, height, marital status, and even religious beliefs. He also mentions the ease with which people can change their names and start anew in Latin America, especially if their reputation is sullied in the first world. Johnny concludes by reading several examples of help wanted ads from a Latin American newspaper, which illustrate the extent of discrimination and the lack of legal enforcement in the region.
Johnny then discusses the prevalence of discriminatory job advertisements in Latin America, highlighting examples such as requiring specific physical traits, religious beliefs, or car ownership. He also touches on the challenges faced by feminist movements in the region, noting that while they exist, particularly on college campuses, they often face resistance from a macho culture. Johnny also contrasts the situation with the presence of English language clothing items, which are common but often worn without understanding their meaning. The segment includes a detailed description of a public punishment event in a small Honduran town, illustrating the informal justice systems that exist in some areas.
Finally, Johnny explores the cultural phenomenon of loan-seeking behavior among Latin Americans, highlighting the common practice of asking expats for money. He references a t-shirt with a profound quote about lending money and the consequences of doing so. Johnny also shares personal anecdotes and observations about financial mismanagement in Latin America, including delinquency on bills, credit card usage, and the social implications of these behaviors. He concludes by promoting his seminar and YouTube channel.
Topics
Cultural experiences of expats in Latin America, Thanksgiving celebrations in Latin America, Cultural differences in patience with lines, Expats and relationships in Latin America, Embassy life and perks, U.S. dollar and economic concerns, Expat experiences and interactions, Government and diplomatic secrecy, Cultural differences between the U.S. and Latin America, Discrimination in the workplace, Legal and societal norms in Latin America, Reputation and legal protection in the first world
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:26 Overview of the Show's Content 00:01:16 Thanksgiving Celebrations in Latin America 00:02:12 Gringo Holiday Celebrations and Cultural Observations 00:02:54 Cultural Patience with Long Lines in Latin America 00:05:00 Expats and Relationships in Latin America 00:05:50 The Hallmark of a Bad Dye Job 00:05:56 The Hallmark of a Bad Dye Job 00:06:04 The Hallmark of a Bad Dye Job 00:06:10 The Hallmark of a Bad Dye Job 00:06:13 The Hallmark of a Bad Dye Job 00:06:20 The Hallmark of a Bad Dye Job 00:06:27 The Hallmark of a Bad Dye Job 00:06:29 The Hallmark of a Bad Dye Job 00:12:01 The Moral of the Story: Some People in the U.S. Government Don't Believe the Party Line 00:12:37 Commenting on a News Article About a Controversial Help Wanted Ad 00:13:50 Changing Your Name and Starting Over in Latin America 00:17:29 Discriminatory Job Ads in Latin America 00:19:05 Feminist Movements in Latin America 00:23:11 English Language Clothing in Latin America 00:23:25 The T-Shirt and Loan Culture in Latin America 00:23:39 The Profound Quote on Loan Seeking 00:23:55 Expats and Loan Requests in Latin America 00:24:48 Financial Mismanagement and Credit Card Use 00:25:46 Delinquency and Social Stigma in Latin America 00:26:41 Credit Card Usage and Financial Habits 00:27:13 Promotion of Seminar and YouTube Channel
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 You know the strangest things happen when you're in Latin America never a double moment Let me tell you a little story now Thanksgiving was about a week and a half ago as per the date of this recording and what? Usually happens down here on Thanksgiving is some three and four star
[00:46] Restaurants and some hotels and such offer what they deem is a gringo style complete Thanksgiving dinner because they figure even off the gringo tourist trail if there aren't enough gringos There are plenty of gringo wannabes And you know gringos do get sucked into events like that because their homesick are nostalgic or just up for the party So if you happen to be in a medium to large-sized city or definitely if you're on the tourist trail You'll see those gringo holiday celebrations more and more now 10 or 20 years ago You hardly saw it But these days you'll see notable first-world restaurants like the Clarion, Radisson, Intercontinental, Holiday and etc Catering to all the gringo holiday festivities and they'll advertise them in the local newspapers a couple of days ahead of the event And since I'm doing my January 2016 Latin Insider Seminar
[01:34] I'm in and around Guatemala myself So I decided to shoot off some emails to some former seminar attendees that are hanging around this area Basically the email said why not let's all get together at one of these big hotels and have ourselves a Thanksgiving party I mean, let's face it. We have a lot to be thankful for Look, we all voted with our feet and we're no longer in Obama land if that's not something to celebrate I don't know what is so anyway that night about 15 expats showed up. We had our big table in the hotel dining room It wasn't a huge room, but it was a full house. I'd say a hundred or more people in all and Surprisingly enough for a pure first world gringo holiday We were the only gringos there because well, we're way off the gringo tourist trail as I like to be
[02:22] Anyway, at first it looked like we were the only gringos there and we were Almost now. Let me set this up. It was a full buffy Thanksgiving spread about 20 bucks a plate So only gringos and gringo wannabes with a little dough could afford to make it and as usual this being Latin America Some of the details were wanting for example when you got up to go to the buffet you'd wait at least 15 minutes in line no matter how many times you went back You'll see it yourself when you get down here It seems like Latins and lines go together like water and chocolate. You'll see they just have unlimited patience for lines No matter how long they are and I'm sure they get that Unflagging calm and patience from having to stand in government lines all their lives
[03:08] So it's just second nature to them In fact, I think some Latins are just looking for someone to stand behind in other words They just don't feel comfortable without being in a line somewhere Anyway being that this Thanksgiving event was at a first world hotel a kind of run-down first world hotel You think with all the banquets and weddings they give they'd have that line thing under control Well, they didn't you know if you went back a few times like with any Thanksgiving feast I mean you do pig out at those things you could easily spend a half an hour to an hour total in that line But that's not the point of the story the first time I went into the line I ended up standing there holding a plate for at least 20 minutes And since I was fashionably late to that party I was standing in that line while my gringo buddies sitting at the table had already been through at least once
[03:56] So I don't know anybody in the line and since all the other people in the line were Latin Americans I was the tallest one there as usual except for a tall guy standing right behind me. Guess what? alone gringo So our little group of 15 expats were not the only gringos in the house So as things go we two gringos who don't know each other at all are standing in line And so he used this little icebreaker on me. He said hey guess we're the only gringos here, huh? I said not quite. I'm at a table over there in the corner with about 15 gringos He seemed surprised and he said oh, yeah You know, I'm here with my wife and I said is she a gringo too And he said no half Honduran and half Nicaraguan by the way, let me describe what this guy looked like
[04:44] He was a tall skinny guy, maybe six one six two Maybe a hundred and sixty seventy pounds a straight arrow type a little bit longish hair and I could tell he died it In fact, it was an obvious bad die job though I'm sure no one ever clued him and not even his latina wife Least of all his latina wife. Oh, and by the way latinas with gringo husbands or gringo boyfriends are very non-judgmental I'm serious Even if you're a kind of rough around the edges backpacker Your latin girlfriend will never be harsh on you about the way you look or the way you do things because well You got that gringo advantage going for you. That's another story It's a big story too, though. We won't get into that right now Maybe in a later show if enough of you listeners out there send me emails and want to hear about Latin gringo
[05:31] Mating dating and relationship stuff. I know that can be a touchy subject, especially with the PC crowd But we'll have none of that politically correct BS here So if you want me to talk about it, I will so anyway this gringo guy standing next to me had some really awful hair You know having a bad Trump day now You know how you can tell when an older guy dies his hair way too dark for his pasty skin tone The hallmark of a bad dye job is when the color is absolutely solid. No variations in color tone like normal hair Hey, I'm no expert, but it could have been a wig who knows anyway. The next thing he says is the usual gringo cliche What are you doing down here? And I fed him a little bit of disinformation I told him I was with my gringo group over there and we were down here building out houses for Jesus and he looks surprised
[06:20] He said I never would have known you don't have matching polo shirts with your church missions logo on it and I laughed and said, okay Busted you see he got it Right all the do-gooders and missionary groups that come down have matching t-shirts or logos on their polo shirts You know, there really is some kind of competition between do-gooders down here You got to see it to believe it like for example st. John's Lutheran Mission, Cleveland They've got beautiful hand-stitched polo t-shirts with a little white dove and a handshake logo I've actually rubbed shoulders with about 30 of those guys coming in at the airport How'd you like to be stuck in the cheap seats with those guys singing 500 verses of Michael who rode the boat ashore? Then imagine how many beers or shots a tequila it's gonna take to get that damn song out of your head
[07:06] But I digress as usual Anyway back to that tall gringo with the bad hair then I said, what are you doing down here? And he said he's got about two months to go on his job down here and he's retiring and moving here permanently But for now, he's renting he said he's waiting for the real estate bubble to blow and he's gonna either build or buy I said, yeah, isn't it funny how it seems only the gringos that come down here for a while and look around Notice there's a huge real estate bubble just to wait in the burst. He said yeah I know I've been down here long enough to figure that out Then he said i'm just waiting for my pension and my retirement starts in about two months Turns out he didn't have to retire. They offered him a very plum job in that cesspool, washington, dc Those are his words and i'm thinking man. He's got bad hair, but he's a guy after my own heart
[07:57] He said I won't even go back for a funeral. That place is absolutely falling apart It's just a matter of time. He said and the whole damn country is going down for the count Then I said, yeah, you got that right which tipping point you think's gonna go first Then he said definitely the u.s Dollar the chinese and the russians are wising up that it's just fiat money It's just paper and once they're fully out of the petrol dollar and hooked in with the bricks countries That's the end. He says for the u.s dollar as a world's reserve currency Then I asked him so what do you do down here? Are you involved in finance or economics? What's your line? Then he looked around as if thinking someone was spying on him and he said in a low subdued kind of voice Don't tell anyone, but i'm one of those embassy guys
[08:46] Ambassador type, huh? That's what I said and he just nodded So I was forced to say wait a minute You're telling me you're so sure the u.s is gonna crash and burn that you're never gonna go back and you're gonna live down Here permanently and he said that's right. Then I said well how many years you've been doing this? He says well i've been in a diplomatic corps for 30 years Then I said you really must be the odd man out with those kind of thoughts floating around in your head Then he said nope, you'd be surprised how many of us posted overseas feel exactly the same way Then I said surely that's not the party line. Who do you talk about that stuff with? He said well You learned very early on when you walk past that very first guard at the gate you check your brain at the door I kid you not those were his exact words Oh, and by the way, he said for the last couple of years
[09:31] You've been living in a suite always in a four-star hotel at whatever latin embassy He happens to be attached to now, you know I've met a lot of embassy types over the years and i've been invited to a lot of their parties and places where they gather And I never heard the following little tidbit He says in cities where u.s embassies are located the u.s state department permanently rents a number of townhouses and condos near the embassy That's always the high rent district And if you're a high level embassy guy like him or a diplomat They give you free housing of course and they give you a choice of a number of these nice apartments to live in However, if you don't like those apartments or apartment living in general You get the choice of living in a four-star hotel in the nicest section of town And this guy said screw it all the smart embassy guys
[10:20] Take the four-star hotel every time because of the sauna the steam baths the pool the 24-hour kitchen and room service And maid service every day who would ever want to trade those conveniences for apartment no matter how nice it was So there's another fine example of your tax dollar at work, huh? Now I have to say this guy was subtly trying to get information out of me too. I guess that goes with the job So I fed him some disinformation and as expat eddie would say I polished the turd and he seemed satisfied with that Anyway, when I got back to my little gringo expat table I mentioned there was an embassy guy in the house So I told some of the expats at that table what that guy's story was and I kind of stealthily indicated where that guy was Sitting you could see him in the other room through the glass
[11:07] And yes, this 60 something guy had a beautiful young 30 something latino wife now that aside It really is kind of refreshing to know that government types down here sucking at the taxpayer trough aren't all mindless pinheaded lemmings They actually get it now that kind of talk might be refreshing to us expats However, if I was living up in the states and knew that kind of info It would scare the hell out of me like this guy said you keep your mouth shut at work and check your brain at the door Otherwise you won't get promoted and you won't get that fat pension Oh, and by the way when I was standing in line like I mentioned he had a nice pretty young latina wife and gave me a wink Then I said yep That's part of the gringo advantage. Then he scratched his head and said Hmm gringo advantage good one. Gotta remember that
[11:57] Obviously, he doesn't listen to this show Probably a good thing too So moral of that story is of course some people high up in the u.s Government do not believe the party line or eat the slop. They're feeding everyone else Apparently there's some people stationed at embassies who see the collapse coming and they're not going back Does it surprise you that some of these guys have their own plan b and they're gonna permanently live in latin america? Well, it shouldn't they're closer to the beast and they know a lot more than we do Even so i'd rather not make friends with much less live within a hundred miles of a guy like that Can't be too careful. You know, okay moving on here I like to comment on a news article that's been floating around on the internet on the huffington post google and yahoo news and all that
[12:43] I'm sure you've probably seen it too To me, it just shows that you're living in kind of a bizarro parallel universe up there And i'm kind of living in a universe that set maybe 30 40 even 50 years in the past in some respects Anyway, that said you remember this story, don't you? Some guy posted what a lot of feminists and other people called a totally sexist help wanted ad It wasn't a joke. It showed up on many serious business internet sites, including linkedin As a result since his mug is all over facebook and twitter and those pathetic social sites He'll never live that down and women will be spitting in his face for the rest of his life Oh, and by the way, speaking of the cases where first world people's names and reputations are sullied by whatever divorce bankruptcy
[13:30] Trouble with the irs trouble with the feds loan sharks the mob x's maybe a beheaded your mother-in-law Whatever or even if you're an innocent victim of circumstances, you could come down to latin america change your name Get residency then a passport essay corporations, etc In other words lower your profile and get a brand new life all of course perfectly legal Maybe not in the states, but down here it is Anyway talking about that guy who put a so-called sexist help wanted ad on linkedin Well, guess what? I just happen to have a latin american big city daily newspaper in my hand So right now i'll go to the yellow pages in the help wanted section I'll translate a few of these ads for you and you tell me how many microseconds it would take for the person
[14:16] Responsible for writing an ad like this to end up in court now You could never get away with this kind of stuff in the states, but down here Perfectly legal and nobody seems to care. Oh, and by the way, did you know that down here in latin america? Parents actually whoop their kids now I don't mean they whoop them until they bleed or they bruise or they suffer internal injuries I mean kids who misbehave sometimes actually gets banged And of course then the next door neighbors are appalled and they call social services and they show up in 15 minutes Take the kids away Put mom or dad in a halfway house for a couple of nights to cool off and then there's a court date set Yeah, right in your dreams, man Anyway, let me read you some of these help wanted classified ads now and you tell me if this doesn't seem like it's coming
[15:04] From a parallel universe. In fact the legal staff on any newspaper would never let any of these fly not in the states Here's the first one and i'll translate here position open for bilingual secretary good salary benefits Must not be a recent graduate must be no more than 30 years old. Hmm. See any problem with that? How about this one? This company says wanted assistant to the human resources person Recazitos which means prerequisites must be between the age of 20 and 30 Must be female with excellent presentation Send cv Headshots and full body photos. Okay. Now, could you ever get away with that up in cleveland? How about this one?
[15:51] medical supply salesperson wanted femininea, which means female must be extroverted age 24 to 35 minimum height 1.6 meters, which is five foot two. So there we've got age Sex and height discrimination. How about that? Here's one hostess wanted for a high-end restaurant evenings only female 18 to 35 years old minimum astatura. That's height 1.6 meters. That's five foot two Delgada sin compromises Now what that means is she can't be married or have any kids or even be engaged to a guy Sin compromises literally that means without compromises Believe me. This is not a joke. These are normal help wanted ads
[16:39] Okay, so you've got age sex height as well as marriage status discrimination going on in this ad Have you heard of that one before? How about this ad receptionist and girl friday wanted for hotel beach resort must live no more than five kilometers from the property Must be a christian with pelo liso. That means Straightened hair again. It says sin compromises, which means no kids no husband like the last head So here we've got age sex marital status hair quality religion and distance discrimination all in one little one ad Whoa. Oh and why do some of these one ads say you must live within a certain distance from the job site
[17:24] Well, that's an easy one latin's being notoriously laden on manana time Then can't use that excuse that there was too much traffic or the bus was broken down or didn't come no excuse They can just walk to work Here's another one assistant to the credit and collection department of a big chain of retail stores. They want a lady femininea Chispudo now chispudo means someone with a lot of energy a self-starter must be Catholico that means catholic, of course, and then it says you must have your own car Now if you think some of those ads were kind of outrageous. Listen to this one It says and i'll translate again upscale woman's beauty salon and health spa looking to hire two experienced stylists It says estilis does here. That would be female stylist pelo liso, which means must have straight hair preferably
[18:16] Concha means light skinned Holy crap, you put that in a first world newspaper and they'd tar and feather you but that's not all this help wanted Ad also says no sobri peso. That means no overweight ladies need apply Now here's one for a salesperson's job and it's a woman's job, too Must be christian again aged 20 to 35 on this one, but it says must have a caro del ano Caro del ano. That means he must have a new or light new car Well, i'll tell you that's very very restrictive because it eliminates probably 99 out of a thousand latinas So there you have it pick up any latin american big city newspaper and you'll find help wanted ads exactly like i've been reading
[19:02] They're never challenged. In fact, it's a non-issue So then what about the feminist organizations in latin america? Yep, they do exist and yes in all latin american cities, especially on college campuses There are small groups of latin american feminists But being brought up in a macho society and culture they don't bother with the want ads They go after a lot more severe abuses in fact over the last year or two I've spoken to a couple of latin american college-age feminists and each one of them freely admits they get no respect They get heckled. They're the black sheep of the family. Why? Because they're brothers fathers uncles grandfathers even their boyfriends and sometimes husbands Are macho to the bone themselves So feminist movement lag time down here. It's hard to believe but i'd say 30 40 even 50 years
[19:54] Oh by the way when it comes to equal pay for equal work down here Nope, it's not in their vocabulary. Sorry ladies However, if you're coming down here on a very low budget and you're kind of broke and you have to pick up a job Fast you can get a call center job or an english teaching job in a helicopter school in those two career fields Males and females do get equal pay However, that's not much consolation starting pay for english teachers and call center jobs are only around four to six hundred dollars a month Now remember I started out this little bit today by saying that sometimes when you're down here you think you're in a parallel universe That said a couple of weeks ago I was sitting at somebody's house and of course they got the tv going all day Telling novellas soap operas and all that and generally every half hour or so you get local national and international news
[20:43] Though the news presenters and telecasters are embarrassingly pathetic not even rank amateurs That said sometimes they have some great even spectacular news footage like for example a couple of weeks ago I saw yet more footage of a little town in honduras Where the whole town came out must have been four or five hundred people to watch a big exciting event happening in the central park Oh, and by the way No matter if you're in a city of millions hundreds of thousands or just a few hundred The cities are always set up the same there'll be a central park and that'll be ground zero And that park always bordered by a church and a number of government buildings Anyway, a few weeks ago. I saw some footage of a small town in honduras where an indigenous lady was the center of attention
[21:32] In the middle of the central park. It was midday and the whole town turned out to watch her beat on another lady Yep She had a switch in her hand a stick about two feet long and about maybe a half inch wide And she was beating on the backside and the back of another lady who was down on all fours And of course in small out of the way towns and villages in latin america That's a sort of common public castigation or punishment Now the lady that was getting her ass whooped in front of the whole town turns out She was a three-time offender breaking and entering and I guess in this town three strikes her out. I mean literally knocked out So that's what they call the unwritten indigenous code of law down here Now it's not that these little towns don't have cops They usually have a tiny little station and two or three guys sitting on their dead asses watching tv or reading the newspaper
[22:23] If they can read since generally the patrol car is broken down or they don't have any gas for the day That's why when enough is enough the locals take the law into their own hands and the cops stay out of it That's why down here every so often you read about the occasional stoning or lynching now. That doesn't mean an actual hanging It's just the public's rage against the criminal repeat offender Once I was actually in a town where a dad beat the hell out of his own Delinquent kid in the central park square with about a hundred people standing around watching sure you might think that's cruel and inhumane But all you expect gonna be is and wannabes up there the ones that never laid a hand on your kid Or castigated them in any way just one question. How'd they turn out?
[23:09] But I digress as usual By the way, like i've said many times before you can't go anywhere in latin america without seeing english language t-shirts and clothing items And I mean everyone wears them. So truly a hundred percent of latinians have articles of clothing like that And 98 of those people wearing them have no idea what the words say Now the other day I saw such a t-shirt with a saying that was quite profound It was in english, of course, and here's what it said If you want someone to speak ill of you lend him some money. I mean, come on truer words were never spoken So has that ever happened to you? Of course it has It's a subject i've mentioned before on the show only because when you come down here as expat gringos
[23:55] You are going to get hit up for loans be prepared for that. It happens to all of us gringo expats So count on latin's trying to hit you up for a loan That doesn't mean gringos won't try to hit you up too Though with gringos, it depends on the company you keep what i'm saying is you're considered the rich gringo So all classes of latin's will try to hit you up. Trust me I'm talking about the cleaning lady to the maintenance guy to your next-door neighbor Who's got a nice house kids in a helicopter school and a Mercedes Benz The fact is just last week I was talking to one of my english teacher friends again and he said he was in the office at his helicopter school And he happened to see the tuition delinquency report and he said there weren't names on that list That would just shock you people that were behind a whole year in their tuition payments for their kids
[24:43] But still managing to make that yearly shopping trip to my jammy in fact The one thing you'll learn about latin american people and money and finance and the way they manage and mismanage their accounts I'm talking about credit cards bank accounts payment plans, etc Somehow latin people have no shame about being terribly delinquent on their bills Even the most upscale families will get their water or electricity shut off on occasion Because they haven't paid the bill in a couple months It just seems like the whole damn society is living on the edge from day to day So why wouldn't they hit up a so-called rich gringo for the occasional loan? Now you might remember i've mentioned in a past show. I was driving into an upscale residential community
[25:31] I mean really upscale cameras everywhere Well trained guards and nice uniforms riding around the subdivision on bikes checking everything out beautiful gardening great lighting Wide expansive roads yet when you drive in there's a bulletin board That's got a list of about 30 people who are over three months delinquent on their maintenance bill Yep, full names and house numbers now would that not be embarrassing to you? Everyone in the whole place plus all the visitors and the workers and the delivery trucks coming through Seeing exactly who the deadbeat families are now to really drive the point home how really deep latins are in debt With this new credit card society. They have you know 20 years ago No one had a credit card now every middle class person and above has five credit cards stuffed in his wallet and they're all maxed out
[26:21] Well the other day I was at a very upscale shopping mall where they had valet parking Costs a whole buck to have valet parking and guess what? They got a big sign that says we take visa and I walked up to the guy who's handling the valet parking booth And I said you're kidding right about taking visa And he said no about a quarter of the customers put their one dollar parking charge on their visa card Are you getting this let that sink in valet parking costs a buck and they put it on their visa card I know I know it's for those delta air miles, right? That said we're nearing the end of the show and I have to mention my january 2016 latin insider seminar you can still sign up by going to
[27:08] Www. The new expat.com just click on the link that says johnny's 2016 latin seminar for full information get your plan be in action before it's too late And don't forget to check out my new youtube channel You'll definitely get a kick out of the slideshow that follows along with the expat files audio And when you're there don't forget to subscribe it's free south of the border 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 if you want me to help you sort out your own latin american plans schedule a one-on-one consult with me Just send an email and let me know at the expat files at gmail.com. Nos vemos