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A guide to moving to Latin America, finding work, and settling in.
Episodes
Friday Jun 14, 2013
Friday Jun 14, 2013
-When expats and gringos size up Latins by their first impressions, often times our ideas and judgements about them can be way off base. In many ways Latins can’t be profiled in the ways we generalize about first world folks. And here are some examples and reasons why …
-Soon enough expats learn that all 20 Latin countries have their own distinct Spanish accents, and native Latins can distinguish perhaps ten or more of the most common said accents blindfolded. But us long-term expats with decent Spanish skills can only begin to distinguish maybe four or five Spanish accents even after many many years of actual "boots on the ground”.
-Some 80 to 90% Latins grow up with nice, straight, beautiful white teeth without the aid of dentists or orthodontics, while 50% of north American kids need braces and professional help to achieve similar results (often to the tune of five grand or more). How can that be explained?
-A true story that can only happen in Latin America. Three brothers, fresh from the coffee plantation, strolled into a Toyota dealership and asked to test drive a brand new HI-LUX pickup truck. These guys, with their three-foot long, razor-sharp machetes, muddy cowboy boots and all, were not going to leave the place until they had their way. And man, did they have their way!
-Here’s a strange dilemma. Very recently another expat friend of mine, a former Illinois EMT, was sitting next to a macho Latin cowboy machete-wielding type and my friend spotted an obvious (to him) cancerous growth on the guy's nose. Yet the expat never said a thing to the guy…. he had his reasons. What would you have done in a situation like that- had you known a bit about medicine yourself?
-The upcoming Expat Wisdom “Latin American Insider Seminar” (well off the gringo tourist trail of course) will be Sunday, June 23, thru Friday, June 28… a full six days. Its 3/4 filled now so be be sure to go to www..ExpatWisdom.com and click on the seminar link for full details.
-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one
Monday Jun 10, 2013
Monday Jun 10, 2013
-Another story from the trenches; real life tales of an educated, first-world lady expat who came down and after a few years married an educated, upscale Latin gentleman… who turned out not to be such a gentleman after all, but well,.. remained a typical macho Latino .
-You may have heard there’s a Latin “baby boom” going on right now and that the typical family size can hover in the double digits. Well, that may be true for the poor folks and the lower classes, but its far from reality in urban areas, and with the more educated folks. Meanwhile the uneducated half just keeps pooping (er,.. popping) them out.
-Upscale and wealthy Latins (and their spoiled, entitled kids) routinely break minor traffic and civil laws since they know they’ll get a free pass from the cops. In Latin America, unlike in the states, the cops normally don’t use their authority position to harass or harrange folks, and in general they go very light on people they perceive to have money.. like people with upscale cars and such (that includes smart expats with junky vehicles too, because they believe we have money too).
-A true story of what happened when an expat (this time a lady expat)demolished a motorcycle and sent the guy to the hospital. Pay attention here because it can happen to you!!
-Latin women of all social classes put up with a lot in their men, because they’ve been brainwashed by their own mothers and grandmothers (and tradition) into believing “men have their needs” and can’t be changed.
-The upcoming Expat Wisdom “Latin American Insider Seminar” (well off the gringo tourist trail of course) will be Sunday, June 23, thru Friday, June 28… a full six days. Its 3/4 filled now so be be sure to go to www.ExpatWisdom.com and click on the seminar link for full details.
-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one
Friday Jun 07, 2013
Friday Jun 07, 2013
-Did you know that Latins of all socioeconomic brackets now have nearly the same life expectancy as first world gringos? Its a conundrum all right, considering the lower hygiene and sanitary conditions found almost everywhere down here. So why is that? Here’s the skinny…
-About half of all Latins have never taken a bath in a real bathtub. Only the upper middle class and the wealthy folks have them. And even if the middle classes had tubs in their houses, which most don’t, the majority of Latin homes are connected to municipal water so it would talk about 6 hours to fill one. No joke!
-Table etiquette advice and the do’s and don’ts when you’re invited to dinner at a Latin person’s house. Not that chicken will probably be served, and that there will be some unsettling moments for you, not them…
-The truth about healthy Latin American eating habits and why we all can learn a lot from their traditional ways. I don’t mean we should all switch to rice, beans, tortillas and tequila… but we first world guys and gals could do a lot worse (and we generally do)
-A few thoughts on how Latins party, and some things you never knew about bars, booze and cigarettes in Latin America.
-The upcoming Expat Wisdom “Latin American Insider Seminar” (well off the gringo tourist trail of course) will be Sunday, June 23, thru Friday, June 28… a full six days. Its 3/4 filled now so be be sure to go to ExpatWisdom.com and click on the seminar link for full details and the earlybird signup bonus…
-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one
Sunday Jun 02, 2013
Sunday Jun 02, 2013
-The big front page headline news all over Latin America is how just last week a former president of Guatemala (proclaiming himself a so–called average middle class man of the people) had been spirited away to NYC to face federal money laundering charges. The charges stem from 17 separate wire transfers to US banks. The funds went to accounts in his name, his ex-wife and his daughter… adding up to the tune of 70 million dollars. All of those transfers took place from 2000 to 2004, while he was president. But you don’t know the half of it so I’ll let you in on what’s really been going down with that case.
-Many gringos and expats have a weakness for celebrity... after all we grew up with Hollywood and the Boob Tube. And expats who spend a lot of time in the big city often fall in with wealthy Latin movers and shakers and media types and the scumbag political crowd. It happens a lot when you’re off the tourist trail where gringos are a novelty. And at first, hayseeds and average gringos from Dallas or Cleveland can be a bit awed when generals, senators or billionaires, with body guards and beach house heliports, invite them to a birthday party or a weekend barbecue. It may be fun at first, but I guarantee if you have any brains, that kind of entitled crowd will eventually suck the grey matter out of your noggin. In fact, some expat friends of mine have been so affected, that when the name dropping starts, I head for the exit… and when I see the caller ID I just don’t pick up anymore. But then again, if you like that kind of action ....
-Some discussion on the painfully slow Latin legal system and how it can actually be a positive thing for expats
-The upcoming Expat Wisdom “Latin American Insider Seminar” (well off the gringo tourist trail of course) will be Sunday, June 23, thru Friday, June 28… a full six days. Its 3/4 filled now so be be sure to go to ExpatWisdom.com and click on the seminar link for full details and the earlybird signup bonus…
-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one
Friday May 31, 2013
Friday May 31, 2013
-People just won’t quit sending me emails about wanting to become expats in Mexico. Now I do understand that there are over 1 million US expats who have already moved there, but that in itself should tell you much about what you can expect and why Mexicans like gringos for all the wrong reasons- just because they see dollar signs.
-Expats or gringos that say they’ve found (or heard of) first-world-like, high-end sections of Mexico City.. . they talk of perfect places to live, safe parts of town that have charming colonial looks and all the amenities, etc., etc. Well yes, on the surface they’re right but any first world tenderfoots who gush about Mexico or Mexico City are unaware of the serious infrastructure problems (forget about the crime!) that are starting to affect everyone there… rich and poor. And here are some stories from expats who see the bad effects….
-Along with many many other problems, expats and gringos in Mexico are favorite targets for a number of clever scams going on right now. here are a few examples...
-A few words about those well known US real estate franchises that have landed in Latin America (you know who they are) that have a large presence in nearly every city here now. Buyer beware! You should never assume they are out to help you get the best deal. Here are a few examples of how carelessly they operate and how you can use them to find what you want without paying them a commission.
-How the massive gringo influx has turned most Mexican lawyers into blood sucking vultures. Good luck finding a decent Mexican lawyer who won’t try scamming gringos and expats somewhere along the way. Oh, I’m sure there are some decent shysters in a big country like Mexico…. but I just don’t know any.
-How the Mexican government milks gringo property owners. And yes, property taxes are dirt cheap there, but here’s the bad news about the new gringo real estate sales taxes on Mexican properties. Be prepared to pay about a 30% tax on the total sale, whereas the locals only have to ante up about 4% when they sell. So be prepared to bend over, and take it in the er, ...wallet.
-The upcoming Expat Wisdom “Latin American Insider Seminar” (well off the gringo tourist trail of course) will be Sunday, June 23, thru Friday, June 28… a full six days. Its 3/4 filled now so be be sure to go to ExpatWisdom.com and click on the seminar link for full details and the earlybird signup bonus…
-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one
Sunday May 26, 2013
Sunday May 26, 2013
-Expats and wannbees occasionally ask if it’s ok to hire someone who’s been deported as an illegal from the states. After all, there are many thousands of these guys looking for work down here in every Latin country, and their bound to show up for and interview… especially when they hear that a gringo is hiring. They do have their advantages. These guys and gals generally speak passable English and many have been positively indoctrinated to the gringo first-world way of doing things. With them, your training almost never has to start from ground zero. They can be up to speed in no time and tend to “get it” a lot faster than your average “untraveled” local. Sounds good right? Well its not that simple and here’s why……..
-Did you know that a great many Latin men who are illegally in the US make it a point to try to impregnate a Latin girl in the big city barrio up there? That’s because a kid born in the US is automatically a citizen, and thus offers a good chance that the dad can get himself on the fast track to a green card. But there’s more… a great number of these guys also have a wife and/or kids back in their Latin homeland, a family that they often simply abandon forever...
-An update on the state of illegal immigration to the US, the revolving door, and the new scams and dangers for the Latins that try to sneak in through Mexico
-Some brand new and scary reasons why it is a very bad idea to even consider moving to Panama...
-The upcoming Expat Wisdom “Latin American Insider Seminar” (well off the gringo tourist trail of course) will be Sunday, June 23, thru Friday, June 28… a full six days. Its 2/3 filled now so be be sure to go to ExpatWisdom.com and click on the seminar link for full details and the earlybird signup bonus…
-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one
Friday May 24, 2013
Friday May 24, 2013
-People have a lot of questions about maids and housekeepers. In that regard here are some slippery slopes you should try to avoid and some words of wisdom when you have one.
-A few words for the ladies about the “Gringa Advantage” and Gringa expats who happen to marry Latin men.
-Some comments on US embassies in Latin America and why you should avoid just visiting them altogether(no matter what propaganda you may have heard to the contrary). What they really are is a tenticle of BB and they just want to keep tabs on you. You should also avoid hanging with or socializing with embassy personnel.
-The locals live on rice, beans, vegetables fruits, tortillas with a little cheap meat thrown in for color. Which means a typical meal like that is quite tasty and very good for you too…, as long as its prepared hygienically. And that means you should not eat tortillas bought from the street stands even if they seem very fresh and you have watched cute little ladies making them right in front of your eyes.
-I was a real old school pre-internet electrical engineer in former life (with two advanced degrees and a doctorate) and knowing what I know (er.. knew) I would never live in a Latin country that had nuclear power plants on their soil: so that rules out Mexico, Brazil and Argentina (again!) And here’s why….
-The upcoming Expat Wisdom “Latin American Insider Seminar” (well off the gringo tourist trail of course) will be Sunday, June 23, thru Friday, June 28… a full six days. Its over 2/3 filled now so be be sure to go to ExpatWisdom.com and click on the seminar link for full details and the earlybird signup bonus…
-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one
Sunday May 19, 2013
Sunday May 19, 2013
-Expats and wannbees occasionally ask if it’s ok to hire someone who’s been deported as an illegal from the states. After all, there are many thousands of these guys looking for work down here in every Latin country, and their bound to show up for and interview… especially when they hear that a gringo is hiring. They do have their advantages. These guys and gals generally speak passable English and many have been positively indoctrinated to the gringo first-world way of doing things. With them, your training almost never has to start from ground zero. They can be up to speed in no time and tend to “get it” a lot faster than your average “untraveled” local. Sounds good right? Well its not that simple and here’s why……..
-Did you know that a great many Latin men who are illegally in the US make it a point to try to impregnate a Latin girl in the big city barrio up there? That’s because a kid born in the US is automatically a citizen, and thus offers a good chance that the dad can get himself on the fast track to a green card. But there’s more… a great number of these guys also have a wife and/or kids back in their Latin homeland, a family that they often simply abandon forever...
-An update on the state of illegal immigration to the US, the revolving door, and the new scams and dangers for the Latins that try to sneak in through Mexico
-Some brand new and scary reasons why it is a very bad idea to even consider moving to Panama...
-The upcoming Expat Wisdom “Latin American Insider Seminar” (well off the gringo tourist trail of course) will be Sunday, June 23, thru Friday, June 28… a full six days. Its 2/3 filled now so be be sure to go to ExpatWisdom.com and click on the seminar link for full details and the earlybird signup bonus…
-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one
Friday May 17, 2013
Friday May 17, 2013
-A few words about those famous Latin “Quince Anos” parties. You should know that every Latin 15 year old girl has one of those “quince anos” parties and its a real big deal… a major shindig. Every expat off the tourist trail (who doesn’t hang exclusively with other expats) will surely get invited to more than a few of these boring events... especially if you have a Latin significant other. And if you don’t show up you’ll catch hell and if you do show you’ll probably be the only gringo there.
-A local Latin pharmacist’s take on the Mormon penetration in Latin America.. his pharmacy is down the block from a big Mormon church and he sees the occasional walk-in.
-Deported Latins are everywhere down here. Expats run into them all the time. And after having been ingloriously booted out of Uncle Sam land (some many times.) these guys want to bond with expats and be our friends. Why? Because they feel displaced and embarrassed and not quite at home back in Salvador or Nicaragua… the places they escaped from. They found out quickly that only in the US could a guy with a 6th grade education, no skills, poor hygiene and homemade tattoos have his own a car, apartment, flat screen TV, A/C, hot running water and such. Many male deportees feel they are a notch above their local brethren in the home country and take every opportunity to warm up to gringo expats to try to be their friends. What should you do when that happens to you? Just be polite, but don’t ever give them your address, email, or real phone number or you’ll have a pest on your hands. Yes they do speak some English, so what about hiring them for your Latin business? Er…generally not a good idea. I assure you, most deportees have picked up some very bad habits in the barrios of Los Angeles and/or on the streets of Cleveland.
-A short primer on crude Latin American street slang
-Every long term expat must be prepared for the eventuality that he/she will be tapped as a godparent to a Latin child.
Can, or should, you turn it down? Well, here’s that story..
-Don’t laugh, but some have postulated that gringos are genetically predisposed to succeed in Latin America. Could that be possible? Let’s talk about it…..
-The upcoming Expat Wisdom “Latin American Insider Seminar” (well off the gringo tourist trail of course) will be Sunday, June 23, thru Friday, June 28… a full six days. Its over half filled now so be be sure to go to ExpatWisdom.com and click on the seminar link for full details and the earlybird signup bonus…
-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one
Sunday May 12, 2013