Benoit is a man working at a pastry shop, living in Montreal. He enjoyed cooking since he was young. The opportunity for him to work at Cremino came when he came out for dessert at Cremino and asked the manager, "I am an intern in pastry making. Do you have any space for me?" The manager accepted him and he have worked there since then. Something that interests him is that he learns a lot. He doesn't necessarily do the same things, because what he learned is French pastry. There are small differences because the others are Lebanese.
The area is mostly Lebanese and he is a Quebecer and he doesn't speak Arabic so that was
one of the hard things when he was young. It's both a good and a bad thing because it makes
him open-minded, because he has many cultures around. His best friends are all from different backgrounds. That's something really special. He doesn't know if it helped him with languages, but in Arabic, he does know some basic words so he can get by in a conversation with some basic words. Kids that speak the same languages make a group together and then since you don't speak that same language...He even tried. He wanted to learn Arabic in middle school, but they didn't want him to. They were saying he was too far behind. He guess they thought it was too complicated for a child.
The major thing that he sees out of his window is a highway. What he see the most is Highway 15 North, a highway that people who finish work and go back home use frequently. But his wife does not need to use it because she use public transit such as the bus, train and metro. This way, they can meet their neighbours and get to talk a little more. Also, there are penthouses on the top floor of a building, not too big, but perfect for them. From there, they can see a buliding across the highway that had been recognized as being the nicest in Ville St Laurent. They "were" the nicest. Having outdoor pools, indoor parking. But that building deteriorated over the years; not sure if it was sold to different companies. One promoter decided to buy, and the city also got involved because rats(kind of like a swindler) got in. They couldn't be renovated; they had to be demolished. It's lucky that there is a highway that separates them. It's just enough so the "rats" didn't come on their side! The highway did a meaningful thing, blocking the "rats" coming over to their side and that is the major thing they see out of their window.
Benoit, who liked cooking has a very different but kind of similar characteristics from me. First, about cooking. As I already mentioned, Benoit liked cooking since he was young and he is working as a pastry chef. However, I really do not enjoy cooking. I am not that skilled in it and I especially dislike the whole mess that I have to clean up after cooking. I would never have a job that relates to cooking. Even though I do not enjoy cooking, I do like tasting new foods. It would be a good team, me and Benoit, one cooking delightfully and one enjoying the tasty meals.
Also, Benoit realizes and feels some differences from himself and the environment he is living in. The area is mostly Lebanese while he is a Quebecer. He feels that differences from pastry and the languages that others are using. Differences from pastry was okay, but language made him to have a hard time.He tried to learn Arabic, but the school denied. They thought that he was far behind. On the other hand, I do not feel any differences from the environment that I am living in. Everyone around my hometown is speaking in Korean, and even if it is English, everyone will be able to communicate for English became an important language that requires people to get a basic education about it. Also, I do not feel any cultural differences. We are all Koreans. No Arabic, no quebecers, just Koreans and most of them have spent their life only in Seoul, which is my hometown. There are some differences in characteristics, but no other differences.
Benoit sees highways out of his window, while I see the gardens, playgrounds, supermarkets and many other things of our apartment. It is impossible for me to see highways from my window. I can see a lot of people walking around, chatting, playing baseball, and enjoying their quality time rather than cars heading for their homes. I personally think that watching people is much more interesting that watching cars. And most importantly, I can keep an eye on my little brother whenever he goes out to play.
By watching these videos of Benoit, I was able to compare and contrast Benoit and me. There was some things in common, but mostly, Benoit and me are different in many ways. It was interesting to know how other people are living in a totally different place, doing a different things, and seeing totally contrasting sights from me.
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