one very good reason to speak French

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So we are walking along one evening when someone starts desperately speaking french in our direction. The man approached us and asked if anyone spoke french. One of us did. At this point he prays and thanks God in front of us and begins to cry. here is his story in summary.

He is a Student from Benin ( only about 8 hours from where i live in Ghana). He came to study topography and english in Ghana. He arrived on a bus with his diploma and went immediately to an internet cafe to write his family about his safe arrival. There, he met a man from Gabon who also spoke french. Speaking no english, the Man from benin left with the man from Gabon and got into a shared taxi to get to the campus. Upon arriving, he was mugged by everyone else in the cab who had pretended not to know one another until then. He as hit on the head and all his money and diploma were taken. At that point he was pretty stuck. He doesnt speak english, and only a marginal number of people speak french ( and by that i mean no one). Basically he wandered around for two days without eating until he found us. Everyone else had just passed him by.

Having told us his story while sobbing, he asked for the money to get to lome, the capital of togo. The cost is about three CAD, we gave him that and i bit more for food, and wished him luck. He thanked us profusely and set on his way.

Obviously this could easily happen to anyone travelling abroad, and its a lesson in many ways. First, always hide some money in your shoe or somethign when you are in an unfamiliar place. Second, dont use shared taxis!! Third, always help a fellow traveller in need, you never know when it couldbe you. and Finally, Learn FRench!

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