The moment Moon had come back to reality after leaving the stranger behind, he couldn’t stop thinking about the advice he had been given. “Maybe the place you are scared of can bring good memories into your life.” Moon trusted the stranger’s words to the fullest. He agreed to them, just knew that what the stranger had said was true. Maybe this place could make him happy again. Maybe his studies here would be the beginning of the best years of his life. Moon didn’t know what the future was holding for him. He didn’t know what was going to happen in the next years. But he did know that he was so sick of worrying and overthinking. He didn’t want to be scared of his future. At least this one time, at least once, he wanted to be brave. So he made a promise to himself. He promised himself to make the best out of this new part of his life. He promised himself to stay true to whoever person he wanted to be. He promised himself to make it through this, reminded himself that he had been through even worse in his past. He was strong enough for this new beginning. For this new life.

Moon took one last breath. One last deep and calming breath. He reminded himself of those healing words the stranger, who he had met at the airport three days ago, had said to him one last time. Although he had no clue who this person was and didn’t even know his name, these few words helped him so much more than weeks of therapy sessions. They calmed him down in a way no one and nothing had ever done before. And Moon knew those few words would get him through the next couple of days and weeks he would need to get used to all the new people, new classes, new environment, and changes.

For him it didn’t feel like a new life, it was more like a whole new world. As if he wasn’t on this painful planet anymore. Moon expected to be laughed at. He expected people to laugh at his extraordinary and unusual fashion style. He expected people to laugh at his tight high-waisted pants which showed off his tiny waist, at his shoes which had higher heels than what was usual for boys to wear, at the makeup he was wearing, at the three little sparkling stones he had glued under his right eyes. But no one laughed. They all stared at him, but they didn’t laugh. He wasn’t sure about what the people around him thought when he was walking past them on the campus to the building in which he had been asked him to show up. Moon still had to finish the last steps of his enrollment before studying here officially, still needed to fill out so many formulas and reports. Every step he took to find the way to the head office of his new faculty, he was watched. He wasn’t sure if people stared because he looked weird to them or if they stared because they thought he looked beautiful. He even considered that they stared at him just because internally, they were making fun of him. Whatever their reason was, Moon didn’t care. For the first time in so long, he didn’t care about the eyes which followed him. He didn’t care about the people’s opinions. This was Moon. He didn’t hide his true self anymore and he had decided to never do that again. He had been sent back here because everyone believed that he could make it. And if he didn’t do it to make all these people back in Europe proud, then it was to prove the people, who had decided to send him there in the first place, wrong. He had become stronger in the past years. Even if it had been a slow and draining process, he had become stronger. And he would show all these people that they had made the wrong decision when they had decided to throw him out of the family he didn’t want to be a part of anymore.

“Are you the new student from Europe? In the Human Sciences faculty?” A voice appeared next to Moon and put an end to his thoughts. He didn’t expect anyone to talk to him since everyone only stared at him. Until now, no one seemed to care enough to talk to him. No one seemed to be brave enough and help out the different-looking and lost foreign student. But when Moon stopped walking and turned to the side someone had talked to him from, he saw a boy who looked at him with his wide-open eyes and lips formed into a bright smile. For some reason, Moon could already tell that he would like the boy. The boy wasn’t scared to talk to him and smiled happily. Only these were enough reasons for Moon to think he would get along with him well. It had been so long since anyone had smiled at him like this. 

“I am a new student from Europe and indeed transferring to the Human Sciences faculty, but I can’t tell you if I’m the one you are looking for,” Moon responded and smiled back at him. The guy, who was at least a few inches smaller than Moon, laughed at his response. He showed his white teeth and his chubby cheeks seemed to almost make it impossible for him to keep his eyes open while laughing and smiling at Moon’s answer. Moon immediately smiled a little wider as he watched the boy smiling this cutely.

“You are the only new student in our department who is enrolling this late. And probably the only new student from Europe in the entire university,” the guy explained to Moon to make him understand that he was the one he had been looking for. “I’m Khem,” he introduced himself, put his hands together, and bowed slightly. Moon couldn’t understand what kind of greeting the one in front of him showed. He was confused, couldn’t figure out what he was supposed to do now. His confused look was the reason for Khem to laugh again. “I’m sorry,” he apologized and stood up straight again.

“It is my fault. I still have to get used to a lot,” Moon replied after he had finally understood Khem’s previous gesture. “My name is Moon.” Moon put his hands together now and bowed slightly. It was the first time in so long he was greeting someone like this. And Moon couldn’t help feeling a little awkward.

“I know.” Khem didn’t think about the meaning of his words, about what they could mean to the new student. “Everyone knows.”