For the Record (and Recordkeeping)

A gazillion is a little high but it is close. We are talking in the tens of thousands range for a 20 pound turkey. The price is 3.600 colones per kg. So, for a 9,072 kg turkey, the total price is 32.659,2 colones. If we use the easy factor of 500 colones to 1 dollar we end up with a 20 pound turkey costing $65.32. (Of course that doesn’t account for the extra you have to pay on your credit card for a “foreign transaction fee”.)

You may have found it difficult and confusing when you read the sentence above. In Costa Rica, there are two major recordkeeping differences from our practices in the US. The first, is that they interchange the use of periods and commas when writing numbers. So, 3.600 colones per kg. should be read as “three thousand – six hundred” colones not “three point six” and 9,072 kg should be read as “nine point zero seven - two” and not “nine thousand – seventy two”.

The second difference is how they write dates. This past week, I went back down to the Immigration Office so that I could have my picture retaken, so that they could replace my stolen Costa Rican cedula. I had to look at the computer screen to verify my information and had to think twice before agreeing to the information. My birthdate was written 4/3/1959. This was written correctly, but my birthday is March 4th, not April 3rd.



Two weeks ago, Costa Ricans started to put up their Christmas decorations. There are now holiday posters on the light poles along the highway, Christmas trees in front of stores and inside of stores and businesses. People have put lights on their fences and houses. There are blow up Santa Clauses and wreaths. I haven’t yet seen anything that looks unique to Costa Rica or different than our holiday decorations.