Erin - CP 3

Thomas and I met again today at Tea Time, and it was kind of a slow day because we were both very tired. Sometimes it is very difficult to get him to speak, and I cannot tell if it is because he is shy or tired. We both finally agreed on leaving the lounge because it was loud in order to walk around. Once we got outside, he started talking a little more- he shared a candy bar that his parents had sent him, I showed him where my classes are, and we went to the library so that he could put cash on his FSU card. After I explained how to use that machine, I gave him a tour of the library and explained how the smart rooms work, and then we got some Starbucks.
I asked him about Colombia and its composition, concerning agricultural versus urban areas, and he told me all about the rural areas and the country clubs that they have. He told me that theirs are not like ours in that, although theirs are somewhat elitist, they are not nearly as expensive, and not all of the people there necessarily have to be high class. He then asked me about salaries here and said, "$300/month is not enough to survive here, right?" To which I replied, "No, because simply paying rent costs more than that." He told me that many people there make $300/month or less; when I asked if this was enough becuase the cost of living was cheaper, he said, "No...people don't have enough." Since most of our conversations, especially considering his age, have been about having fun and dancing, I was actually somewhat surprised to hear him mention something about poverty. This was especially interesting to me since, around twenty minutes earlier, he had mentioned that his family had a maid; therefore, I hadn't supposed that he would be sensitive to or aware of those types of issues.
I hope to have more conversations such as this, as they seem to become deeper once I finally get him to talk. There is a movie we both want to see, so we agreed to go see it either tomorrow or Thursday.