Boy

I stared at the boy for a long time. He finally noticed me and whispered to his friends. They looked at me too. They all smiled, and I couldn't tell if their smiles were self-satisfied sneers or genuinely curious grins.

They knew what I wanted. I didn't approach them. I was too scared.

For all my talk about how much easier it is over here, how much friendlier everyone is—it's still hard. It's still very, very hard.

The doc provided me with the analogy to a classroom. Some children thrive in experimental classrooms where everything is hands-on, whereas others thrive in stricter classrooms where memorization is key. Either way, they still have the same issues they need to work through.

And I still have a lot to learn—clearly.