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A guide to moving to Latin America, finding work, and settling in.
Episodes
Friday Jun 15, 2012
Friday Jun 15, 2012
-Some disturbing info about those Latin American Spanish immersion programs. If you’re the sensitive type, have a weak stomach or a case of bashful kidneys, those family immersion programs can be an unpleasant experience in more ways than one (but you’ll sure learn your Spanish!)
-More proof that most Latin men will fail a basic third grade cleanliness, hygiene and smell test. In fact, women of all classes routinely refer to their men as “cerdos” which means pigs, (and it’s no term of endearment)
-Great advice on eating out healthy and happy. How to pick a good clean restaurant and how to avoid Montezuma’s revenge even when everyone around you seems to be stricken by it
-News about cheap bottled (actually plastic bagged) water for the masses. Something that you’ve probably never heard of before- but when you see it don’t try it!
-Expat Eddie gets a doggie bag - adventures in a Latin American Chinese restaurant
- A warning to ceviche and shrimp lovers
-One new spot may have opened up in my Latin Insider’s seminar (in late June). If you want to attend please email me ASAP at theexpatfiles@gmail.comput the word “Seminar” in the subject line to ask about that space.
Monday Jun 11, 2012
Monday Jun 11, 2012
-After getting another slew of emails asking me why I don’t recommend Mexico, here are 20 more reasons not to live or invest there. And actually, I feel sorry for anyone who has a lot of their nest egg invested there because its only going to get worse. However the south western Yucatan area from Cancun down to Belize (called the Mexican Riviera, or the Mayan trail) has much less crime than any of the north border towns or Mexico City itself and its not so congested or overpopulated.
-A word about the kidnapping and extortion business in Latin America
-Expat Eddie on the road- and he gets pulled over by the Mexican cops (nothing is ever simple with Eddie)
-Now you can follow the link on the main page at www.expatwisdom.com to schedule a 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 08, 2012
Friday Jun 08, 2012
-Most expats want to help to poor Latins who are living on the edge or worse. But we don’t exactly know what kind of help would benefit them the most. What can we give or do for them that would permanently improve their condition? (Not the usual govt or first world feel-good giveaways please!) Now for some cheap, easy, satisfying ideas for first world do-gooders who really want to see some progress.
-Because of poor basic hygiene and unsanitary food preparation techniques, half or more of the lower and middle class Latin population are infected with intestinal parasites and don’t even know it. The question is; why they can live like that and not feel any obvious ill effects? Well that’s due to the volumes of hot peppers, chiles, garlic and spices they consume- all foods with high anti-parasitic activity(and locals are blissfully unaware of that fact too).
-Are Latin American beaches safe for swimming or not? How dirty and polluted are they, and what kind of water quality do they have? You’ll be surprised.
-If Latin American waters are so polluted, then you shouldn’t eat the seafood either right? Well here’s the scoop on that conundrum too!
-The sorry, sad state of Lake Nicaragua, one of the biggest most scenic and most terribly polluted lakes in all of Latin America.
-One new spot may have opened up in my Latin Insider’s seminar (in late June). If you want to attend please email me ASAP at theexpatfiles@gmail.com put the word “Seminar” in the subject line to reserve that place.
Monday Jun 04, 2012
Monday Jun 04, 2012
-Be sure to follow me on www.expatwisdom.com to get more new audios, blogs, stories and expat info as well as my big personal report, “17 Undiscovered Latin American Paradises”
-Now you can follow the link on the main page at www.expatwisdom.com to schedule a 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.
-The state of Latin American healthcare and the availability of medical insurance is one of the topics people are very interested in. Lately there have been some excellent developments in the medical insurance industry here and you’ll be more than pleasantly surprised when you hear about how expats can get insurance insanely cheap and yet have complete first world style HMO coverage
The real dope on Latin doctors; their training, their medical degrees, the medical schools they attend and the state of medical specialties in Latin America
-The things they never tell you about those so-called fantastic Cuban medical schools and Cuban doctors in general
-The story behind the preponderance of ugly, dented, sun-bleached cars in the $500 to $1000 range. All I can say about that is, with all of those 25 to 35 year old Datsuns, Hondas and Toyotas humming along down here- you really gotta hand it to those Japanese engineers!
-Explaining the details behind two competing private Latin American HMO health insurance plans (based on a single person of 45-50 years). One plan costs $1000 a year (no typo!) and the other one $550 a year (still no typo!). And you won’t believe the coverage, though of course there are some exclusions and contingencies.
Friday Jun 01, 2012
Friday Jun 01, 2012
-One new spot has opened up in my Latin Insider’s seminar (in late June). If you want to attend please email me ASAP at theexpatfiles@gmail.com put the word “Seminar” in the subject line and reserve that place.
-Be sure to sign up for my Saturday am, June 2nd teleconference call. Do this by going to www.expatwisdom.com and signing up for my free report- “17 Undiscovered Latin American Paradises”. By signing up you will automatically get an email with the details on how to participate in the teleconference.
-Money and grief saving tips on buying, building and renting in Latin America.
-Water, water, everywhere. And unfortunately, during the rainy, season it’s not always in your shower or your sink, but more likely percolating down your windows and seeping through the walls.
-The state of homeowner’s insurance in Latin America; less than 2% of homes are covered, and as for now- I don’t recommended it. There are way too many exclusions and loopholes and very high deductibles. It’s an all round bad deal.
-The truth about those horrible sewer smells that pervade about one in four private Latin bathrooms (and about 100% of the public ones)
-Silicone caulk is used by the trainload down here. It’s a contractor’s best friend and the Latin version of duck tape (Though duck tape is immensely popular down here too)
-Tips on outfitting your Latin American digs using good quality plumbing and appliances. If left to their own devices, 95% of the local contractors will install cheap second rate stuff that will come back to haunt you some day.
-How to avoid a very preventable (and frequent) type of house flood
-Do not plan on having carpets or rugs, unless you want a new ecosystem in your living room
Monday May 28, 2012
Monday May 28, 2012
-Be sure to sign up for my Saturday am, June 2nd teleconference call. Do this by going to www.expatwisdom.com and signing up for my free report- “17 Undiscovered Latin American Paradises”. By signing up you will automatically get an email with the details on how to participate on the phone or skype.
-Some advice about changing US dollars to local Latin currencies and vice versa, and how to avoid getting gouged when doing so. The truth about buy/sell (compra/venta) rates, and how to work them in your favor.
-In places that accept both dollars and the local currency, every so often the exchange rates will actually favor the dollar over the local funny money. Here’s how savvy expats can take advantage of that discrepancy. For example; when off the tourist trail, and making a purchase of over $20 in any Latin American store, always ask if they take dollars (acepta dolares?). Many that do take dollars will actually give a much better exchange rate than the banks do (don’t ask why) just take advantage of it.
-The changing face of Latin American airport security. Are they tightening up? Are they getting stricter? Yes, but this is the third world so their version is always a much more lax and imperfect copy.
Friday May 25, 2012
Friday May 25, 2012
-One spot may have opened up in my Latin Insider’s seminar that will be taking place in late June. If you want to attend please email me ASAP attheexpatfiles@gmail.com put the word “Seminar” in the subject line and reserve your place.
-Announcing a "call-in" teleconference and Q and A session on Saturday June 2nd with Johnny discussing the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America. Now we can talk about it on a teleconference call. Just go to www.expatwisdom.com for details.
-Lost in Translation: some of the strange quirks and funny idiosyncrasies observant expats eventually discover on their way to becoming passable Spanish speakers
-Why certain English common slang terms make the translation to Latin America and some don’t (You’ll run into scant few “awesome dudes” down here.)
-The mild language of even the poorest Latins far exceeds the first world when it comes to good manners in mixed company.
-Our English curse and swear words don’t mean a thing to Spanish speakers. It’s very amusing when expats see this phenomena in practice.
-If Latins don’t use the English “F#@%” word, what do they use in its place? Every culture has its own equivalent and their crude fornication word is “joder”.
-Reason #32456 not to travel to Venezuela!
-Some great pointers if you ever get pulled over at a police road block
Monday May 21, 2012
Monday May 21, 2012
-Be sure to follow me on www.expatwisdom.com to get more new audios, blogs, stories and expat info as well as the big personal report, “17 Undiscovered Latin American Paradises”
-Now you can follow the link on the main page at www.expatwisdom.com to schedule a consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, you and I can talk about your situation one on one.
-Some folks -who aren’t in the know- think that the only lush, plush Latin American eco system and rainforest expanse worth seeing is in Costa Rica (with Panama running a distant second). That mistaken impression was created by marketers and travel agencies. Who people don’t know is that there are many other Latin countries lusher, plusher and with greater bio and eco-diversity than CR… but they’re off the radar (which is great news for us!)
-Truth in advertizing just does NOT exist in Latin America. You can advertize your product does everything from kill tapeworms to raise the dead and you can make infomercials, sell it and make million. Yes, there are consumer protection laws but with no staff (or gas for their cars) and zero enforcement. There’s really no one watching out for the consumer and a strict case of “buyer beware”.
-More examples showing the indefatigable gullibility of Latin Americans (rich and poor) and how certain first world gringos are starting to take advantage of it.
-Expat Eddie shares some personal examples as to why Latins much prefer to work for gringo/gringa bosses (the gringo advantage rides again!)
Even the most humble of Latins have great pride in their meager possessions, and expats should realize that.
Friday May 18, 2012
Friday May 18, 2012
-Be sure to follow me on www.expatwisdom.com and get more new audios, blogs, stories and the big personal report “17 Undiscovered Latin American Paradises”.
-Now you can follow the link on the main page at www.expatwisdom.com to schedule a 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.
-A bit about expat wanabees that never get off the couch; the ones that know deep down that they will never take that step and become true expats.
-Labor unions in Latin America; why they aren’t making much progress at all but do exist. They occasionally stage walkouts and go on strike (called “huegas”) but they really don't improve the labor situation much. And in places where unions actually have a foothold, they are pretty much a joke compared to their first world counterparts(even though up North most unions have been weakened too).
-The very high cost of electricity in Latin America, and a truly amazing irony about that fact. DYK that so called “progressive” little Costa Rica has switched over to completely renewable hydro and geothermal electric power for the whole country? They are 100% self sufficient! And guess what? Prices not only DID NOT drop as you would logically expect, but they actually doubled! Whats up with that?
-Here’s another terrific, simple, extremely low startup cost business idea for expats and wanabees that’ll make you wonder why you didn’t think of it first!
-Latin American governments always subsidize cheap electric power rates for the poor (a traditional vote-getting measure aimed at the unwashed masses). But it’s a stupid regressive idea that always backfires and here’s why…
Monday May 14, 2012
Monday May 14, 2012
SHOW #153 - Mon, May 14, 2012
-My Latin American Insider’s seminar is all booked up but if you’re interested in getting on the waiting list for the Guatemala event, email me attheexpatfiles@gmail.com with the word WAITING LIST in the subject line or better yet, go to www.expatwisdom.com and sign in with your email to get full details and updates as well as any info on last minute cancellations.
-Be sure to follow me on www.expatwisdom.com to get more new audios, blogs, stories and expat info as well as the big personal report, “17 Undiscovered Latin American Paradises”
-And now you can follow the link on the main page at www.expatwisdom.com to schedule a 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.
-We always talk about first world expats who start successful businesses down here. But what about successful expats who came to Latin America with much greater handicaps than we have? Those folks who come from other third world countries like China, India and the Middle East? These guys have cultural and language barriers that are not just small inconveniences but extremely difficult to overcome. But somehow they do it.
-Expat Orientals, Middle Easterners and people from India who come to Latin America DO NOT have the beloved “Gringo Advantage” as we know it- yet they do quite well as a rule and do much better in business then the local Latins ever do.
-How to get cheap repairs on your household items, or find specialty parts for all manner of home and industrial stuff like air compressors, washer/dryers, electric generators, weed whackers, chainsaws, espresso machines, pizza ovens, etc.
-More on Latin men, their infidelities and their mistresses, and why it’s obvious to us expats that Latin guys are some of the world’s best liars and criers. So, why do Latin women tolerate this twisted behavior? What choice do they have? (The gringo advantage rides again!)