The Hat Off His Head
Mark wearing the hat, Elizabeth, and Collins after arriving at the bus station. Photo by Mark Gallardo.
Benin City, Nigeria
24 January 2018
We had just finished our tour of the Benin City National Museum, and were looking for a taxi to get us to the long-distance bus station. Our guide noticed and told his co-worker, Collins (Eghosa), to drive us over. We had a great conversation on the drive. Collins was especially interested in our national museums in Washington, D.C. because of his professional training in museum studies. Upon arriving at the station, Collins helped us secure tickets on the shared-taxi and then refused to leave until he was sure our go-when-full transport had actually departed the station. This occurred about 2 hours after arriving. During that time we shared stories about our homes, our families, and our future dreams, with much laughter and respect. To our great surprise, before our transportation pulled away, he reached up and took the hat off his head, offering it to Mark as a parting gift. At first Mark refused--it was such a large gift from someone we had only known for a short time--but eventually he decided to accept this gesture of kindness. This event, and the hat, stayed with us. It inspired us to share our stories of kindness across cultures with others, and let them share theirs.
24 January 2018
We had just finished our tour of the Benin City National Museum, and were looking for a taxi to get us to the long-distance bus station. Our guide noticed and told his co-worker, Collins (Eghosa), to drive us over. We had a great conversation on the drive. Collins was especially interested in our national museums in Washington, D.C. because of his professional training in museum studies. Upon arriving at the station, Collins helped us secure tickets on the shared-taxi and then refused to leave until he was sure our go-when-full transport had actually departed the station. This occurred about 2 hours after arriving. During that time we shared stories about our homes, our families, and our future dreams, with much laughter and respect. To our great surprise, before our transportation pulled away, he reached up and took the hat off his head, offering it to Mark as a parting gift. At first Mark refused--it was such a large gift from someone we had only known for a short time--but eventually he decided to accept this gesture of kindness. This event, and the hat, stayed with us. It inspired us to share our stories of kindness across cultures with others, and let them share theirs.
Mark and Elizabeth
Mark Gallardo was born in Los Angeles, California and grew up in Park City, Utah. He went on to earn a BS in Animal Physiology and Neuroscience from UC San Diego and then a doctorate of veterinary medicine from Cornell University. After several years of practicing emergency medicine he decided to return to graduate school and is now a PhD student at Cornell in the biomedical sciences. Elizabeth McCarthy is from Devon, Pennsylvania. She received a BS in Animal Behavior and Environmental Studies from Bucknell University, and a Master of Environmental Management in Conservation Biology from the University of Queensland. Mark and Elizabeth met on a tour of the Great Ocean Road in Australia in 2013. Since then they have lived in Massachusetts, California, Oregon, and are currently based in Ithaca, New York. They travel together whenever possible, often to places that do not see many tourists. They have been fortunate enough to experience many acts of kindness while traveling, and look forward to sharing them with you as well as reading your stories.
