TravelBlog » Mateo Amaral

Mateo Amaral - Matthew Amaral

After working hard in the Bay Area for the last few years, my wife and I have decided to take this next year off to travel before we have kids. We are going to live in Costa Rica from October to February, then we will move to Peru until June. While abroad, we are signed up to take Spanish language classes five days a week for the first three months in Costa Rica. After that, my wife plans on working with Midwives in Peru (she is a Labor and Delivery Nurse). While she helps new mothers in Peru, I will be focusing on my writing. I am just wrapping up my Master's Degree in Creative Writing, and plan on using this time to finish another novel, do some travel writing, keep a blog, and also tinker around with a few other projects I have in mind. We're looking forward to learning Spanish, and having an amazing, life-changing year abroad in Central and South America!

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Joined on: October 6th 2009
Last Login: November 25th 2009

Blog Entries: 5
Photos: 4

TB Code: [blogger=138506]
Status: BLOGGER

Blogs & Travel Journals

by Mateo Amaral, order by Date newest first.

By Mateo Amaral
November 7th 2009

A Lesson in Culture Shock: Getting Used to the Wildlife in and Around the House Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Guanacaste » Samara

“There are no words to describe that paradise.” These were the words of my friend Jeff, who lives in San Jose, Costa Rica, when I asked him about Playa Samara. It is a beach town five hours west of San Jose, on the Pacific Coast. It is one of the last and best pure beach towns left whose coastline hasn’t become an advertisement for hotel chains. “You’re going to love it.” Our itinerary from the Language School told us we were to live on the beach with a mid-twenties Costa Rican couple with two kids and a dog. The short synopsis [View Full Entry]

By Mateo Amaral
November 2nd 2009

All Those Dangers You've Heard About Living Abroad Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » San José » San José

My wife and I were having lunch in the Central Mercado in downtown San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. The market was at one time the sprawling outdoor heart of the city crammed with vendedoras and goods. Now the entire city block is covered with a roof, but is still the carazon of the city. Alisa ordered Olla de Carne (Pot of Meat), and was surprised at the heaping plate of vegetables and beef placed in front of her for a mere 2.200 colones, or 4 American dollars. I was more than happy with my seafood stew—giant crab claws sticking [View Full Entry]

By Mateo Amaral
October 19th 2009

Speeding My Way Through Costa Rican Spanish Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » San José » San José

Taxistas
Even cab drivers in downtown San Jose have caught on to the ghost-riding phenomenon.

On the first day of Spanish class in Zapote, Costa Rica, Alisa and I were supposed to arrive a half hour early. So even though we are on vacation, we got up at 6:30 to adequately prepare for our first day. Alisa spent an hour and a half putting on makeup. I actually showered. The mornings in Costa Rica are amazing. At 7 am it is an intensely sunny 75 degrees. Every morning. Our walk is so short we can hardly begin a conversation before entering COSI, which stands for Costa Rican Spanish Institute. My confusion in trying to figure out [View Full Entry]

By Mateo Amaral
October 6th 2009

Hella Stealing From Our Roommate's Ghost Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » San José » San José

The Boombox
This is our language school in Zapote, San Jose, Costa Rica. It is built to look like a boombox. I do not know why this is so.

Getting off the plane Alisa and I couldn’t have been more relieved; we had 5 months of language learning to look forward to in the lush green land of the Ticos: Costa Rica. As bleary as our eyes were after Traveling Day, we were still able to flash grateful smiles to my friend Jeff, an American living in Costa Rica, who had agreed to pick us up at the airport and house us that first night. The humidity met as at the threshold as we left San Jose International Airport, walking through the double doors to a crescendo of cab drivers [View Full Entry]

By Mateo Amaral
October 3rd 2009

The Price of Living in Nicaragua Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » San José » San José

Volcano Concepcion
One of two volcanoes that make up Isla de Ometepe in the middle of Lake Nicaragua.

We could tell right away something was horribly wrong by the way people were running toward the gate. The intense movements of every muscle, every arm and leg, bespoke catastrophe. We were a hundred yards away, on the shores of Isla de Ometepe, just getting out of the warm waters of Lake Nicaragua after an afternoon swim underneath the smoking backdrop of Volcano Concepcion. I thought to myself, You only see people move that quickly just before the paramedics show up. Therein lay the biggest problem. There aren't paramedics on Isla de Ometepe. Our small group of Americans warily jogged [View Full Entry]

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