Katie CP #2

Today Youssef and I went to Lake Ella. We went to the Black Dog Cafe and got lattes, then we walked around the lake and talked. Youssef told me that in his country they have elementary education, then the option to join the military. If you join the military, then you get your college paid for. College is about 5 years and it is the level below university. After college you can choose to go to university but this is not paid for. Youssef asked me how easy it is to find a job in America with a degree. I told him that it depends on what the degree is for and the market at the time. He told me that, in his country, it is hard to find a job unless you know someone, and that it is easier to get a job in the government. Youssef said that the government will only pay you about $250 dollars a month where private companies will pay you about $3000 dollars a month. We also talked about different pets that they have in Burkina Faso. Youssef said that ducks and pigeons are common pets there. After Lake Ella, Youssef was going to his friends birthday party and asked me to drop him off there instead of at home. I did, and he suggested I come in. I went in for a little and tried some African potatoes, fried bananas, and chicken. Some of Youssef's friends talked to me and one of them told me that French is harder to learn than English. I thought this was weird because my whole life all my language teachers told me that English is the hardest language to learn. His argument was that French words have gender so there are different articles instead of just one. Also he said that if you say something in English but you don't say the word exactly correct, then people can still understand you but this is not the case with French. Youssef agreed and used the example word "pigeon." In French the word is the same but with an emphasis on the "e". His friend could not understand the word when I said it in English until Youssef said it in French.