Another Monday.

I just changed my calendar to September. It feels a bit surreal that a month has almost passed by since I moved back to Athens; it's been rather monotonous and I have a feeling the next few months will be the same. I hate having to rush to class on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (I have two classes that are almost impossible to get to). Tomorrow will be the first day I try to rush to Organic Chemistry lab, so I'm a bit nervous about getting there on time. On top of that, I've got to somehow charge my new phone (which should be coming in the mail tomorrow around 3pm) by 7pm with no break. It's going to be a very trying day. I guess I should just be happy that Monday is a holiday. There's also a game this weekend, so minus my lack of sunscreen, it should be fun.

I ended up getting my lab book from Jean for free, because she dropped the class. I was glad to get it and save myself about forty dollars, but at the same time I feel bad. The reason she dropped the class isn't a good one. I didn't know, before today, that Jean's mom was dying. She missed Japanese class on Friday, and when I asked her about it today, she said her mom was in the hospital. I asked if her mom was okay, and she said, "She's never going to be okay." Apparently her mom has colon cancer (that has spread everywhere), and now she's having heart issues too. Jean is basically on her own with her mom; she doesn't speak to her father and has an estranged relationship with her sister. Her mother is really close to her. The whole situation made me feel so insensitive. I wouldn't be able to deal with something like that. I don't know how she can.

And I honestly didn't know.

I guess that that situation has made me feel differently than I have been. It's funny, how when you look at a person, you have no idea what they've gone through or are going through. It's not as if our emotional scars show on the exterior. A smile may not really be a smile at all. I think that's one of the most intriguing things about human beings. Masks, I guess. Facades. They make me sad. But they also make me realize that the things I hide from aren't at all worth it. Being happy may just be something we're supposed to create.

And studying abroad actually looks like it might happen. I think I'm happy about it.