Land of the Upright and Honorable People

Yesterday at the training center, I helped my friend Kailey work on a project decorating watering cans that are being used as a thank you gift. We went to a boutique down the road and bought some paint to use. There isn’t anything similar to an art supply store in Burkina, so we found a shack on the side of the road selling all sorts of knick knacks. We saw little cans of paint, picked out colors and were on our way with them. We decided to paint handprints all over the watering can in different colors. So, I offered up my hands and was soon covered in red, green and yellow paint. I could tell once we started that the paint was stronger than typical craft paint because it felt thicker on my hands. When we finished decorating the watering cans, Kailey and I went to wash my hands off with a faucet near the latrines.

The paint was completely waterproof. As I held my hands under the running water, not a single drop of color came off. Not having any clue what to do, we went and asked one our tutors for some advice. Without any hesitation, he said, “Oh you need gasoline. Let me go get you some.” Then he got on his moto and came back five minutes later with a water bottle full of fuel. The fuel just spread the paint all over my hands and forearms more. Then, Kailey grabbed some paper and tried to scrape the paint off with it.

After struggling for a good 15 minutes, two random Burkinabe women walk up to us and grab my hands. They didn’t say one word to us; they just went to work. They had picked up a handful of sand and a rock from the ground outside. They used the sand to exfoliate and lift the paint and they scrubbed it with the rock. The paint started to come off immediately. Once we were seeing some results, Kailey and I began thanking the women profusely. They didn’t say anything in return; they just smiled at us and continued until my hands were completely paint free.

This experience is a great example of Burkinabe culture. These two women had been busy doing laundry outside when they saw two strangers struggling with a problem. Without being prompted, they put their work aside and came to offer aid. They found a solution utilizing completely free, local resources that were all around us and readily available, but neither Kailey nor myself had thought to use them. They asked for nothing in return. They simply smiled at us in response to our gratitude and they returned to their work.

While I was preparing to leave the US I remember reading a story from a returned Peace Corps Volunteer. They recounted a time when they were stranded in the middle of nowhere because their bicycle had broken. A Burkinabe was passing by and immediately stopped and started helping the PCV without being asked. He strapped the PCV and their broken bike to his own and took them some exorbitant distance to their destination. I remember reading this and being really surprised at the kindness this stranger offered to a foreigner.

After being in Burkina for two months, I now realize that I see random acts of kindness like this every single day. I am now so used to the hospitality of the Burkinabe that it has become the norm. These two women that helped me yesterday reminded me that I need to continue to appreciate every act of kindness that I encounter while I am here. The hospitality of the Burkinabe has made my transition to Burkina Faso very quick and easy. I really like it here and I now understand why so many of the PCV’s I’ve met applied for a third year of service.