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A guide to moving to Latin America, finding work, and settling in.
Episodes
Sunday Mar 15, 2015
Sunday Mar 15, 2015
-Expat Eddie checks out the proposed Nicaraguan Canal Zone himself- looking for new business opportunities. Being Eddie, along the way he strayed into a few bars and casinos (both legal and dodgy) and finally ended up getting scammed by a brand new gringo acquaintance and two young female con artists in Costa Rica.
-Another example of why in Latin America it’s not usually a good idea to start a “brick and mortar” business when there happens to be direct gringocompetition nearby.
-Did you ever do something long, long ago that was so embarrassing that you’re ashamed to reveal it even years later? Is there something in your past that still makes you cringe when you think about it? True, they say people are basically the same everywhere, but you just may hit the reset button after you hear three true stories from young Latin ladies who reveal their own embarrassing and shameful stories(no names please)
-Expats looking to start businesses really do find the strangest niches to fill. Today you’ll hear about a veryunique two man operation…an expat and his Latin partner who travel all over Latin America, work about a one week per month in a very fun, low-tech business and make between $3000 and $6000 per day!
LATIN AMERICAN SEMINAR NOTICE: If you’re interested in attending the next, week-long, Latin American Expat Wisdom seminar (and to get in on the early-bird specials) send an email to theexpatfiles@gmail.com or johnny@expatwisdom.com. The next adventure will likely take place in the second week of July, 2015.
-SCHEDULING A PHONE OR SKYPE CONSULT WITH JOHNNY: Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to sort your plans, thoughts and ideas on living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America.
Friday Mar 13, 2015
Friday Mar 13, 2015
-With a whole lotta spamming, scamming and hacking of websites going on; today we discuss an email from an upset listener who complains that he does not like giving up his email address and dats when required by certain sites … for fear of landing on some list of suspicious of trouble makers and agitators himself. Yes, that could be a problem. But not to worry- there are some easy and deviously fun solutions to most any common web security worries, and today we tell you how smart Expats deal with those issues
-How would you go about finding a job in South America… in your specific career- if you happen to be a recent stateside university graduate- and were lucky enough to have a double major… with one being Spanish? That’s the email question posed by a recent college graduate.
-And now excerpts from a surprising interview with the new Colombian miss universe. She shows she has a brain -while discussing the debilitating effects of the institutionalized macho society along with her country’s female obsession with plastic surgery
LATIN AMERICAN SEMINAR NOTICE: If you’re interested in attending the next, week-long, Latin American Expat Wisdom seminar (and to get in on the early-bird discount) send an email to theexpatfiles@gmail.com or johnny@expatwisdom.com. The next adventure will likely take place in the second week of July, 2015.
-SCHEDULING A PHONE OR SKYPE CONSULT WITH JOHNNY: Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to sort your plans, thoughts and ideas on living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America.
Sunday Mar 08, 2015
Sunday Mar 08, 2015
-The strange relationship between dogs and coconuts
-Cockroach, “La Cucaracha” home invasions revisited. A new, expat gringa’s cautionary tale of her personal arthropodic woes
-Meanwhile one of our Expat Wisdom seminar alumni explains the new e-book he has written regarding his extensive “boots on the ground” experience and investigation of Spanish schools, Spanish tutors and Immersion families. Looks like it could be required reading for expat wannabees/ gonnabees with the idea of learning or improving their Spanish while in Central America
-There happens to be an outrageously successful Latin American TV series and mega-hit movie out of Colombia(in Spanish of course) totally unknown to people up in the first-world- though down here it has become a guilty pleasure for many, many expats both male and female. The title, “Sin tetas, no hay paradise.” English translation: “Without tits, there is no paradise.”
With a name like that, is there any wonder in Colombia, and in most other Latin countries, it’s the most watched program of all time? Then what’s it about? well its a stark, sad, true story of neighborhood narcos and the poor girls in the barrio who will do anything for plastic surgery. Definitely not a comedy…
LATIN AMERICAN SEMINAR NOTICE: If you’re interested in attending the next, week-long, Latin American Expat Wisdom seminar (and to get in on the early-bird discount) send an email to theexpatfiles@gmail.com or johnny@expatwisdom.com. The next adventure will likely take place in the second week of July, 2015.
-SCHEDULING A PHONE OR SKYPE CONSULT WITH JOHNNY: Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to sort your plans, thoughts and ideas on living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America.
Friday Mar 06, 2015
Friday Mar 06, 2015
-Some words about the recent hacking issues at PRN and the mega-spam issues at my ExpatWisdom.com website
-How does the Latin news media report first-world breaking news events? Do they have their own roving reporters on the spot in Cleveland and Atlanta out to get the Latin angle? Not likely. Yes, there are Latin foreign correspondents in the states but only concentrated in American cities with huge Latin populations like New York, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles. And note that 99% of the time they’re out covering purely Latin social events and entertainment fluff (sound familiar?) So any first-world hard news that appears in the Latin American papers, internet and TV media is generally a translated English version from the usual whitewashed sources like the AP, Reuters, BBC and CNN news wires.
-What do 99% of all successful Latin American media, TV and music media personalities have in common? Though 99% are total unknowns to the English speaking US, when a flamboyant Latin type finally makes it big “down Mexico way”, the usual pattern is to hit the first world and tour the Latin barrios of the biggest cities in the USA. There they can make a lot of dough off the ready-made big, local, homesick audience. Then the Latin celeb applies for a green card, and buys a house in a wealthy area of Miami. So that’s the “real life” and Latin “soap opera” or “tele-novela” definition of success. What’s yours?
-PT Marco’s email tells of new draconian freedom-limiting laws for travelling Canadians and how where he lives in Mexico (with all of its flaws) is still a great alternative to the Canadian Big Brother state.
-LATIN AMERICAN SEMINAR NOTICE: If you’re interested in attending the next, week-long, Latin American Expat Wisdom seminar (and get in on the early-bird discount) send an email to theexpatfiles@gmail.com or johnny@expatwisdom.com. The next adventure will likely take place in the second week of July, 2015.
-SCHEDULING A PHONE OR SKYPE CONSULT WITH JOHNNY: Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to sort your plans, thoughts and ideas on living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America.
Sunday Mar 01, 2015
Friday Feb 27, 2015
Friday Feb 27, 2015
-Some people speak of Puerto Rico as a Latin American country even though it’s a USA commonwealth. Unfortunately it’s so corrupt and badly run, and therefore broke and bankrupt, that political hacks are now threatening to drastically downsize government and services- if they don’t lay their hands on some ready cash. The right answer of course is to let the government ass-wipes go down with the ship… they’re all fat, thieving, dead-weight slugs, so why not fire them all! Yes, in a perfect world that would happen. But it won’t. The World Bank and/or some fool first-world bailouts will certainly be come to the rescue. What a shame...
-Some thoughts on those very crazy and chaotic "alternate day" transit regulations regarding driving cars in and around heavily polluted Mexico City. Note that the drive, no-drive, day rules are complicated: there are even different rules for cars with Mexican plates versus cars with foreign plates. But its worse than that…
-When off the gringo tourist trail, unless you are a loner or an unsociable jerk, it’s a given that you will get invited to various middle-class Latin parties and events. Be aware that often times what seems very normal to your Latin hosts will seem very strange and perhaps unnerving to you… so go with the flow and get used to it!
-It’s sometimes best to remain silent when spotting clueless gringos and foreigners doing stupid things: like drinking tap water, eating street food or swimming in polluted waters
Sunday Feb 22, 2015
Sunday Feb 22, 2015
-Expat Eddie rides again: today he tells another “It can only happen in Latin America” story- how he was recently shot by the security guard at his own restaurant … one of Eddie’s own employees!
-An upscale fashionable Colombian insider, a so-called “guy in the know” tells a strange tale of how and why that country’s fashion industry has split into two separate, and decidedly unequal, classes… and how both factions pretty much despise each other.
-From the “you’re never a hero in your own home town” department:
This one takes the cake!… did you know that in Medellin, Colombia they have turned the home of the world’s most notorious (and long dead) drug kingpin, Pablo Escobar, into a tourist shrine? Yes, you can go there yourself and get a “Scarface” T-shirt, or sit on his $100000 Harley. Do check out Colombia’s own tasteless answer to Graceland.
-Loan Sharks in Latin America: Part 1
-A few words about the ubiquitous used clothing stores called pacas that permeate practically all of Latin America
SEMINAR NOTICE: If you’re interested in attending my next week-long Expat Wisdom seminar in Latin America, to get the early bird discount, send an email to theexpatfiles@gmail.com or johnny@expatwisdom.com. If there is enough interest, the next one will likely take place in July of 2015.
-Do follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private phone, Skype or Mumble consult with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, we can talk about your situation one on one.
Friday Feb 20, 2015
Friday Feb 20, 2015
he descriptions for... EXPAT FILES SHOW #435-02-20-2015 (FRI):
-Ever wonder about living in Puerto Rico? There’s been a lot of press lately touting the place as a very good alternative for resident expats, mostly because the local tax laws allow residents to pay as little as 4% income tax as well as zero capital gains tax… and single digit corporate taxes too. That alone should make Puerto Rico a much favored expat destination, right? Well, not so fast…
-There are two main reasons stateside expat wannabees and gonnabees might consider Puerto Rico over other Latin American destinations; but on closer inspection, neither of these reasons seems to be all that convincing or hold much water.
-Speaking of water, the unprecedented drought in Brazil (mostly due to extreme deforestation) has forced the city of Sao Paulo, the most populated city in all the Americas, to ration water and worse….
-From the “It can only happen in Latin America department. “
A funny thing happened on the way to a big time Travel Agency and Tourism convention…
-Yes, you really have to hand it to whoever it was in the Disney organization that ages ago so firmly planted the Disney obsession in the minds of the Latin population. Surely it’s one of the greatest marketing successes of all time: the fact that every Latin feels the need to have a Disney wardrobe piece (or ten) and make at least one pilgrimage to Disneyland or Disney World before he dies (seriously!)
-Do follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private phone, Skype or Mumble consult with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, we can talk about your situation one on one.
Friday Feb 20, 2015
Friday Feb 20, 2015
-Middle Class Latin Party Etiquette (ignore this advice at your own risk!):
-When disinformation can be a very good thing: what NOT to say to friendly Latin guys and gals that you’ve just meet. -
-When stuck and somewhat forced by convention to make polite conversation with new Latin acquaintances (like at a party) its sometimes wiser to letthem do most all the talking… even if your Spanish sucks and you don’t get half of it.
-If you’re down in Latin America with school-aged kids, here are some of the better educational options available in K thru 12
-What really happens behind the doors of those exclusive helicopter (or bubble) schools? Today we have a few more strangely amusing stories as told by a long time gringo expat English teacher….. this stuff might very well piss you off!
-Do follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private phone, Skype or Mumble consult with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, we can talk about your situation one on one.
Friday Feb 13, 2015
Friday Feb 13, 2015
-This show goes out on a Friday the 13th and though Latin America is the land of superstition(on steroids), surprisingly enough the number “13” is NOT unlucky. South of the border it’s just a plain old digit.
-Why Gringos Fail: Today by popular demand, the entire remainder of the show is devoted to that red hot topic. Of course there are many varied reasons why things can go south for a gringo or gringa down here … forcing him/her to slink back to Cleveland, head bowed and tail between the legs. Failure to launch or thrive is on every fresh Expat's mind. And aside from that oft heard and frankly wimpy “homesickness” excuse, i.e., homesick for the Krispy Kremes, homesick for the favorite bar, beer, home team, hangout or restaurant, homesick for the grandkids, or even the 50% tax bracket, homesick for the ever comforting police state (Stockholm Syndrome) or whatever- the fact is there are two general categories that a vast majority of gringo failures fall into. And nope, it’s not the obvious lack of a job or money either- that is... unless you live on the gringo tourist trail- since its cheap everywhere else and much more expensive to live up in the states.
-Do follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private phone, Skype or Mumble consult with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, we can talk about your situation one on one.