With multiple trips to the doctor during our 18 months of “Land Between” in the U.S., we were always asked the usual question by the nurses and the physicians.
“What’s your date of birth?” they would ask.
We would all hesitate, especially David.
He would always look at me with confusion. I could read in his eyes the plea, “Help me, Mom.”
Having grown up in Morocco and France, David knew that his birthdate was October 6, 2005. However, in Europe and in many other places around the world, dates are written in the format: day/month/year.
On the other hand, in the U.S., dates are written in the format: month/day/year.
When the usual question came, “What’s your date of birth?” David would freeze.
Where Am I Right Now?
It would take him a few seconds to ask himself, “Where am I right now? In what country? How do they write their dates?”
Multiple times, David answered, “6/10/05,” leading nurses and doctors to believe that he was born on June 10, 2005.
This wasn’t shocking to the doctors. Even if David had never corrected his birthdate, it would have only seemed like he was four months older than he really was. The doctors would probably never know.
On the other hand, Robert’s birthdate is March 26, 2000. If you switch the month and date, 26/03/00, it will bring a lot of confusion to American administrators. There are only 12 months in the year, so there is no 26th month!
After correcting his information several times, David finally learned his “American birthdate.”
During our last visit to the doctor, before returning back to Europe, the big question came . . . “What’s your date of birth?”
David answered with a smile and with confidence, “10/06/05.”
Thankfully, my 13-year-old son finally knew how to say his birthdate in America!
Until . . .
Until . . . we returned to Europe.
When we went to see our doctor in France recently, David was confused once again. When asked his date of birth, he looked at me again, puzzled and hesitant.
I could see his mind asking, “Where am I right now? In what country? How do they write their dates?”
It took him a minute to respond, but he said slowly, “6/10/05.” Yes, that’s how you say October 6, 2005 in Europe.
Two Birthdates
Wow, it’s quite confusing to have TWO birthdates—depending on where you are and in what country!
Maybe we should all take advantage of the confusion and have two birthday celebrations, two birthday cakes, double the presents . . .
When filling out forms, I have to constantly think . . . “How do they write their dates?”
At the veterinarian in the U.S., we had to fill out paperwork for Bernie to travel overseas with us. The American secretary diligently filled in all the blanks on the ten pages. It took her a long time. They were forms written in English and Spanish for us to show to the customs authorities at the airport in Spain.
European Format
As the secretary handed me the completed paperwork, I verified that everything was correctly filled out. I looked at the dates and saw today’s date. She had written 5/29/19, rather than 29/5/19. They were European forms, and the dates needed to be written in European format.
I explained it to the secretary, and she sighed with frustration. She had to redo the entire stack of papers to correct the dates.
Beware! When writing dates, always ask yourselves, “Where am I right now? In what country? How do they write their dates?”
—The Cultural Story-Weaver
Let’s Weave Cultures!
Have you ever traveled or lived in another country where the dates were written in a different format than your home culture and country? Did this cause confusion for you when writing dates?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures!” Write about them in the comment box below.
