Here in Nicaragua, there’s money on the streets. Due to the different money denomination, typically one can find the centavos left behind from a purchase at Pali, the WalMart-owned local supermarket. Outside of Pali, really people don’t use the centavos and discard their change on the street. As a result, one can find coins on almost any walk around town. So much so, it becomes a fun activity, almost like a real-life Where’s Waldo book. Since I live on a Peace Corps budget, every cent counts and my day yesterday was particularly rewarding. I ended up finding the following:
1x 5 centavos (0.2 cents USD)
13x 10 centavos (5.2 cents USD)
4x 25 centavos (4 cents USD)
3x 50 centavos (6 cents USD)
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Total: 3.85 Córdobas (15.2 cents USD)!
Now, for anyone in the States, if you find a quarter you feel like it’s your lucky day. Well that day, you found more than my new all time day high, but in reality for about 2 Córdobas, you can purchase a small bag of chips, or 1 Córdoba you can buy a box of matches. Money just goes a lot farther here.
All that said, I really don’t get the idea about throwing money on the streets. But somehow it’s become a self-motivating competition…how much can I find in a day? -Tim