Don Mateo

I still remember my introduction to Spanish as spoken in rural Costa Rica. I had a good, but inflexible vocabulary, with one word in Spanish for most nouns and verbs. Cerdo was the word for pig, until it wasn’t. No one called their pig a cerdo. Chancho was the word […]

My son and daughter’s annual visit was over. We said our goodbyes at the airport and I dropped off the rental car. From the airport back to San Jose I had two options: Twenty-five dollar cab ride or a few hundred colon bus ride that would save me twenty-four dollars […]

I live in a typical Costa Rican barrio. I define a barrio here in much the same way I define a village. Is there a soccer field? Is there a Catholic church? Is there a place to buy the basics and a place to get a beer? If the answer […]

A question many of us are asking right now is: How is the colon appreciating so rapidly vs the dollar? Since June, 2022, the USD has lost over 25% of its value against the Costa Rican Colon. No other currency worldwide has appreciated so much against the dollar, not the […]

Early one morning in the waning days of the pandemic, I found a wallet in the street while cycling. The contents consisted of 8,000 colons, a one-dollar US bill, and a Costa Rican cedula. The photo was of a young man. The signature was his first name only– Gustavo– printed […]

Here in the city of San Isidro de el General, in the canton of Perez Zeledon, they are taking it to the streets. Well over a thousand locals gathered recently inside and outside of the Centro Cultural, where the city council met to vote on whether to confirm or reject […]

A friend who lives in New York City was all over social media in the wake of the 4.8 earthquake that hit the east coast of the US on Thursday. The sensation of the earth moving, and the building he was in swaying was a first for him. All I […]

Broken lines, broken stringsBroken threads, broken springsBroken idols, broken headsPeople sleeping in broken bedsAin’t no use jivingAin’t no use jokingEverything is broken—- Bob Dylan I can certainly relate. Consider this: In a period of a couple of weeks, all of the following happened: ● My cell phone was knocked from […]

Is it hot enough for you? Can we blame this blazing heat on the little boy? You know– El Niño? The first year I lived in Costa Rica we had a major El Niño effect. It rained sporadically September through November, and I remember thinking that the long rainy season […]

Years ago I was walking down a street of the city with my Tico friend Edwin. He was in his 30s, married with two young sons. He was a college grad, an excellent poker player and had a good job in sales. On two occasions along the same block, I […]