1. Your trash is someone else's treasure.
I love telling people about the circle of life of my trash. Nothing is ever "trash". About 4-5 different parties go through my trash before it is ever completely disposed of. If I throw out a rotten tomato, my house help may take it home with her. She goes through our trash meticulously (took some getting use to for us) and selects treasures to take home. Anything that can be eaten, cards that people have written us, Pringles cans, and Coke cans. When she is finished, the "trash" is put outside our home in the bin. There, children go through it on their way home from school, and dogs eat anything they can. Next, the trash man comes to pick it up and goes through it a third time. After he has had his fill, he takes the "trash" to the dump (a field near our house) where more children, goats, cows, dogs, and sheep go through it. Finally, it is burned. The process makes me aware of what I am throwing away. But it all goes to use!
2. Old age does not have to mean less energy.
It doesn't matter how old you are, Burkinabe are still moving and shaking well past their prime years. I love seeing old women walking in my neighborhood. They are often loaded dow with a sack of rice on their heads, a baby on their backs, and a basket of vegetables in front of them. Women here are
strong. They are forces to be reckoned with, and I'm pretty sure they could beat any 80 year old American woman in a Crossfit competition.
3. Traditional lifestyles are not a bad thing.
Burkinabe place high importance on maintaining their traditions. Being trendy, edgy, or cool isn't too much of a thing here. Last semester, my ESOL students debated that they did not want Americans in their country because Americans (and I quote) "wear ugly clothes". Ouch. Then I looked down and examined my blue jeans, flip flops, and v-neck shirt. What a contrast to their bright, embroidered West African outfits with puffy sleeves, custom fit skirts, and high heeled shoes! I identified with their mindset and saw the value they place on traditions. They did not want a movie theater in the city because it brings in ideas from Hollywood that my students found to be a negative influence on their youth. They are wary of foreigners because they want the young people of their country to value their culture and not aspire for another. They maintain their culture through festivals, movies, music, fashion, and storytelling.
4. Life moves slow...
Sometimes life is about the little moments--and there are a lot in a normal day in Burkina. I remember running errands with a Burkinabe friend when we arrived last year. We had a list of things to do, and I was in the mood to check them off. Alas, he was on "Africa time". We pull up at the post office, he goes to get a cup of tea, and proceeds to sit and chat for a while with the men nearby. I was there tapping my toes, itching to finish my "to-do" list. Those lists don't exist for Burkinabe. Often I feel like people make "Africa time" sound lazy, but Burkinabe are far from lazy. They just know how to take time for the small pleasures.
5. ...Unless you decide to have a revolution for 6 hours.
Yes, it takes 2 weeks for the plumber to come fix my toilet. It takes 7-8 weeks for a package to arrive. It takes someone 3 minutes to cross the street. It takes 1 hour to find a lightbulb. It is amazing how long it takes to do small tasks sometimes. Until the Burkinabe decide to oust their president. That only took a few hours of madness. They were on a mission. Let's take that motivation and put it into other tasks too...?
6. Vous êtes invité! and showing hospitality.
If you show up at a home anytime near a meal, you will be invited to stay. The family will invite you to share the food with them. Even at a restaurant, if your neighbor gets their meal before you, they will invite you to share because you haven't eaten yet. Their homes are always open to guests. They are never too busy and always ready to socialize. These are my kind of people!
7. Life can always get better (because it can't get much worse?)
I heard a statistic in church one time that Burkina is the most positive country. When asked if their lives could improve in the next 5 years, some 90% of Burkinabe said yes. Now the question emerges of if it could get worse, but we'll stick to positivity. The Burkinabe are quite fashionable, and the current trend is graphic tees. My favorite that I see everywhere has neon letters saying "My money grows like grass". I like that positive attitude because we all know that grass doesn't grow in the desert. They are always counting their blessings and see a positive twist to every challenge. They don't give up and always fight for a better tomorrow.
8. Mandatory nap time is culturally acceptable.
When we first arrived, we were in "GO" mode and wanted to get settled as quickly as possible. We would work for a few hours at our house, and our supervisor would say "well, it's nap time so we gotta go". Seth and I were befuddled at how people would stop in the middle of something to rest. Now I can't imagine it any other way. From 12-3, nearly everything shuts down--some of the major grocery stores, local schools, boutiques, markets, and businesses. There are 4 rush hours in Burkina traffic because everyone goes home to eat and nap. It is one of my favorite things. I partake in nap time, ya know just trying to meet people where they are.
9. Class size is all a matter of opinion.
I remember facilitating the conversation last semester in my ESOL class about class size in Burkina. My university students claimed they had over ONE THOUSAND students in their Economics 101 class. WHAT?! Going into an elementary classroom is equally overwhelming with 90-100 kids in one room. The children are SILENT, not poking each other, and all eyes are glued to the front. It isn't the size of the class, but rather it is how disciplined they are. In America, we see 18 students as the golden number in a classroom. That would be an impossible dream for a teacher here. Too many kids, too few schools, too little funding. So for my fellow educators out there, don't get too worked up when you have 35 in a class! If you walk around with a stick, they quiet down pretty fast.
10. No matter how traumatized you think your kids are, they'll turn out fine.
Seeing parents parent in Burkina is so encouraging. I realize how truly resilient children are. These kids get thrown onto their mother's backs when they are a few days old and stay there until they are 3 years old. They ride on motos, bicycles, and motobikes with no helmet. They ride in cars without seatbelts, and what is a carseat? They play in the street, eat rocks, and roll in dirt. They play with wild dogs, throw rocks at strangers' cars (like mine!), and run naked through the streets. And they all turn out just fine. They grow up and get jobs. They get married, and the process repeats itself. American parents put too much pressure on themselves. Kids know they are loved and cared for. Let it be natural. Don't stress about perfect birthday parties, choosing the perfect summer camp, or making sure they eat all-natural, organic, gluten-free, joy-free meals. Just love them and be present. That being said, I probably won't let my future kids throw rocks at people and they WILL be in a carseat until they are 15.
