Lauren CP#4

After our meeting earlier in the day, Maria and I met up again last night for dinner. Hayley was Maria's other conversation partner so she joined up as well with her mom. Our original plan was to go to Chilli's but unfortunately it closed really early. We ended up deciding to eat at Pitaria.

For our meeting the week before Maria and I had gone to Pitaria, so she was already familiar with the place. I asked her how she liked the food from last time since she ended up taking almost all of it home. She told me that the proportions were way too big and that there was no way one person could eat that much food. I helped Maria order her food and for this meeting she only chose the pita fries as a side item. Hayley and her mom got some really traditional Greek plates and Hayley explained hers to us since it was something we had never seen. She also told us about how Muslims categorize their meets since she saw a sign indicating the type.

As soon as we sat down Maria started asking some questions that Hayley and I didn't really have answers to. Maria had a lot of questions about healthcare and how people who don't have money can receive services from the hospital. Fortunately, Hayley's mom is a nurse and had a lot of information on the subject. Maria also explained to us how the healthcare system works in Brazil, and was shocked by how little the government is concerned about the very poor.

I thought that a subject like healthcare was a great one to touch upon. This is such an important topic that it is important to ask questions and hear about how other cultures deal with this issue. She also asked many questions about the Zimmerman trial and the protesters. She explained that there is often protesting in Brazil as well. All in all, Maria had just as much information to share as she had absorbed.