There are many things that separate Côte d’Ivoire from the United States. One of them is the culture of litter. In the United States, before littering became illegal, more people threw their undesirables out the window without a second thought. Nowadays, because we care about the safety of our environment, want to preserve the beauty of our landscapes, and are frightened of fines, Americans, in general, avoid littering. (If you have lived in a city like NY however, you understand why I emphasized in general).
In Côte d’Ivoire however, there is no such culture (or law, as far as I know) against littering. In fact, I remember during my first month in the country, I asked someone where the trashcan was. I had finished downing a cup of Yoplait yogurt and wanted to dispose of the container. The guy I asked kind of chuckled and pointed to the ground. After I refused to throw it away Ivoirian style (you often realize how culturally programmed you are once you leave your homeland), he later told me to give him the container and that he’d take care of it for me. He walked away with the Yoplait cup and I felt grateful that he did me this favor. Later on, one of my colleagues told me that she saw him throw it away alright – on the ground.
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