Chapter 8.4: Being consistent

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From Rowan's diary

Rowan: (cautious ) Hi, how are you?

Juno: Uhm... Well, this semester I have to follow a lot of new subjects, and also catch up on the exam I didn't pass the last time, I really don't know how I could solve it.

Having said that, she went back to staring at that PC. I had no idea about what she was actually thinking about, but I was pretty sure it wasn't happy thoughts. I shook my head, even though she didn't want to ask for help it was clear even to me that she needed it.

Rowan: Juno... I know you're used to studying another way, but I think that if you really started focusing on your studies right now, at the beginning of the semester, you could do it. Really.

Juno: (sceptical) Bah…

Rowan: I remember well the tax law essay you made me read, there were several interesting ideas. The only problem was that you gave it to the teacher just after a few hours of work, and so there were still a lot of careless mistakes and a few half-developed arguments. But I think if you had had a whole day to work on it instead, you probably could have gotten an A.

Juno: … What do you mean?

C'mon, was that really that hard to understand? It didn't seem like a hard concept to me.

Rowan: (trying to remain patient) I mean that, in my opinion, to do well you should just commit to studying for the entire semester, and not just the last week. Follow all the lessons, keep up with homework and projects, get on with your studies... things like that, in short. In other words, I think you could get good grades, if you were just a bit more consistent with your schedule.

Juno's eyes widened, for a second I feared she was about to get mad at me. Did I say something wrong?  Well, thinking about it, my suggestion implied that she should have stopped wasting all that time with Francis and their friends around the campus pubs. Yes, I guess that could be the kind of implication that could upset some people, probably I should have thought about it beforehand. 

Then her expression changed into something even harder to understand, she picked up her notes and books, and then said:

Juno: Then I'd better start right away!

And, at that point, she just left.

Even if I did not really understand what had just happened, her last phrase seemed quite promising. In any case, I think I'll try to keep an eye on her a little more this semester than I did during the last…

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It seems like this time Juno managed to wake up in time to go to class at 8 AM, maybe I shouldn't worry too much. Also because she's not the only one with a greater workload this semester, I have a ton of stuff to do as well.

This semester we were asked to prepare a poster presentation. As if it was possible to develop a whole topic in such a small space, in my opinion this is just an excuse the professors found to avoid reading any more essays... And so now we students ended up with these enormous posters occupying half of our already small rooms, spending hours attaching photos and writing ridiculously short captions, clearly unable to effectively summarise what I've in mind.

I shook my head, a little annoyed, I didn't like that task at all. I would come back to it later, also because at that moment I had to worry about the next debate group's meeting. Especially because the next debate doesn't look easy at all...

???: Ports and airports around the world employ millions of people, what would happen to them all if we switched to teleportation like that, out of the blue? Also, in my understanding, a very large amount of electricity would be required: do you really think we can pull it out pull out of the hat, like a magician?

I shook my head, how could some people still prefer planes to teleportation? Was their distrust towards sixamian technology really bad enough to lead them to give up such a versatile technology?

Rowan: Like every economic transition in the past, the change would require the reallocation of numerous resources and workers. Furthermore, we should remember that also teleportation can occupy a quite large workforce for tasks such as the organization of a network, the maintenance and construction of the required devices, and actually approximately 15% of the inhabitants of New Sixam are currently employed in this sector. As far as energy is concerned, however, teleportation technology is also the one that made it possible to access the thermal energy directly from the stars' cores, allowing the production of enormous amounts of energy available at much lower prices than traditional methods. Many countries have already understood this and are already relying on New Sixam's engineers to build new electrical plans employing this technology, and...

???: However, the investments necessary for the construction of these plants are enormous, excessive for many less developed countries. Many of them would be obliged to buy energy from their richer neighbours, just enlarging the disparity between...

I'd love to give a witty and comprehensive answer, even more so than I was already doing, but these debates are not the right place for the register I had in mind. Under these circumstances, I often have to remind myself that here only the validity of my argumentation matters, and that I should leave everything else outside.

Sometimes, however, it's very hard not to lose my composure.

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Juno: Let's see... Yes, this should be the last caption.

Juno: Rowan, can I bother you for a second, please? I have so many doubts about this poster, and...

Rowan: Sure, no problem.

So I closed my notebook, and then read what she had written on that poster. “Short and long-term economic impacts of teleportation on international trades”, so said the title, under which several diagrams and tables with long captions were pasted with tape. “Effects of the aeroplanes-teleportation transition”, “Future of fossil fuel-based economies: necessary transition?”, “Unequal access to teleportation among countries”... 

Those seemed to be exactly the same topics we were discussing yesterday at the debate group. But she didn't simply copy what she had heard us say, she had developed each of those points, supporting every section with data and trends. I didn't know what to say for a few moments, I certainly didn't expect to read this when she asked me for help. Why did she think to need any help, to begin with?

Rowan: By chance, did you follow yesterday's debate?

Juno: A little, I also took some notes because you guys were talking very quickly.

Rowan: I see...

I returned to focus on the poster draft, there were a lot of numbers and graphics I had never seen before, actually...

Juno: It's bad, isn't it? At least can you understand something of what I wrote?

Rowan: What? No, it's all the opposite, actually!

Juno: (surprised) Seriously?

Rowan: I mean, look at it, it's so clear!

Juno: Oh.

Being the one asking questions to Juno wasn't exactly something I would have expected, but there were so many interesting points presented on that poster, that would have deserved much more space than those short captions to tell the whole story... So I ended up asking her:

Rowan: It still needs some small refinements, like removing this tape and things like that, but the content is... remarkable. Yes, I would say truly remarkable.

Juno: Oh.

Rowan: By any chance, would you like to discuss a few points for a moment? For example, I had never thought much about the problem of the economic transition of countries that still base their economy on oil. What do you think about this topic?

Juno hesitated for a moment, I suspect that until then her (neglected) assignements had always been so mediocre that they didn't attract more than a few glances. Now, however, one of the brightest students was asking her opinion on something, that was certainly a big change. For the better, of course, because she began to answer with a big smile.

Juno: Of course! Do you see this graph here? It shows the simulation of the GDP trends over time, in practice this means that...

This has been an unexpectedly interesting afternoon, for sure I learnt a lot.

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The weeks passed, and in no time we reached the exams week for our second semester. It's now winter, and everyone seems to be already thinking about the Winterfest vacations starting in a few days, but I can't really say I care much about it. 

And still, even if everyone seems to be thinking about their vacations already, the statue is again in this horrible condition. Vandalism, that's what this is.

Juno: Ehy, hi Rowan! We're all at the student common area, would you like to join us?

Rowan: (perplexed) Oh, okay...

Rowan: But what…

Juno: I wanted to celebrate Winterfest before everyone leaves for the winter vacations, I hope you'll have fun too!

Rowan: What, did you organize all this? Didn't you have to study for any exams?

Juno: My last exam was yesterday. So, what do you think? Do you want a gift?

Rowan: But I really didn't get anything to reciprocate, nor I...

Juno: It doesn't matter, so that it was a last-minute idea no one else brought anything. So I got a little gift for everyone, I hope you like it!

Saying this she handed me a little package, she seemed to really care about it.

It was a bike helmet. I admit that I have never learned how to ride a bike, in Sulani the islands are so small that it is much more important to learn to swim and ride boats instead. Not to mention the sand, I guess that the wheels would sink in it quite often. I don't think the gift was that appropriate, but I still have to answer politely to a gift, I guess.

Rowan: Oh, thanks. Nice colour.

Juno: Good, I'm glad you like it! And happy Winterfest!

Rowan: Wait, what are you up to?

Juno: Oh, sorry. it was a merry-Winterfest hug! So you don't like hugs?

Rowan: (upset) No, definitively not.

Juno: Oh, I'm sorry. I'll do my best to remember, don't worry!

Rowan: … Thank you.

Saying this, I went towards the bookcases at the end of the room and went back to studying. Unlike her, I still had an exam later that evening. Juno on the other hand, after distributing the remaining gifts, had spent most of the evening clinging to her boyfriend Francis, I hadn't seen him around for a while.

I really don't understand why she wanted to hug me, why do people even like hugs? My mom does it all the time too, but I really can't stand it. Too close, that's what they seem to me.

^ Premise: I swear that was a friendly hug (I mean, also Francis was around!). 

Still, the moodlet says: 

"Flirty rejection (for failed flirty interactions with non-flirty sim):

Don't you know that flirty behaviour is absolutely hideous?"

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During that small celebration at the students' common I didn't think too much about it, I was too focused on my last exam to seriously focus on anything else. Thinking about it the next day, however, I immediately realized that, willingly or unwillingly, I was in debt to her for one gift. Consequently, even if I'm terrible at making presents, I had to find a way to return that gift.

Rowan: Juno, about that Winterfest gift... I think I may have found something to reciprocate.

Juno: (surprised) What? Oh, but you don't need to worry about that, really. I didn't do it to get something in return, right?

Rowan: As you prefer… However, if I change my mind, be aware that tomorrow I'm returning to my parents in Sulani for the winterfest vacations. And it would be very easy to make you come too for a day or two, if you want.

Juno: What, are you serious?

As I said already, I'm really bad at gifts, I never understand what people would really want. But Juno had said several times that she would really like to see Sulani sooner or later. Actually, I had the strong impression that she had already forgotten everything she said about "not wanting anything in return" the moment she heard my idea. 

Rowan: I mean, it's winter, even in there the weather could be too bad for a real swim, but...

Juno: But I don't have any visa to enter the country, nor…

Rowan: Entering Sulani is actually much easier than coming here, it's one of the countries with the closest relationships with New Sixam, in fact. My uncle and my cousins ​​come to our place all the time, and for day trips like those no one has ever asked them to show any documents.

Juno: Well, then, if you're really sure I won't bother anyone...

For once, I might have found the right gift, after all.

The next day, in Sulani

Winter or not, everyone seemed to be in Sulani for the winter vacations. There were also Iris, River, and that friend of theirs, Not-very-chatty-Rick (yes, my dear diary, I've decided that "Not-very-chatty" became his nickname at this point). 

Alba: It's a pleasure to meet one of your friends! I'm just a little sorry about the weather though, I really hope it won't rain.

Rowan: I don't think she's too bothered anyway, she's already pointing to the water...

Juno actually seemed to have had fun like a child that day, later she admitted that it was her first time seeing the ocean.

Juno: Yeah, it turned out great!

I was expecting a calm and cool day by Sulani standards, perfect for recharging my batteries before getting back to study. Instead we ended up talking a lot. Especially my cousins ​​really seemed to have a lot to say.

Alba: River, at this point we're all curious, can you tell us what's on your mind? It's been a while since when I started noticing you're not totally honest with us anymore, should we worry?

River: Well...

Iris: (nudging him) C'mon, you should tell them anyway at this point, right?

Rowan: (confused) Tell us what?

River: (embarrassed) Well... It's not like we have the details yet, but, I mean... The fact is that Rick and I have decided to get married. That's what.

So my cousin River and Not-very-chatty-Rick were submerged in the congratulations and happy comments of the others. I, on the other hand, wasn't able to utter a word for a while.

I didn't even know that those two were in a relationship (unlike everyone else, apparently), hearing they were already planning to get married was probably too unexpected to me, I didn't know what to say.

But, even if those two seemed quite embarrassed for ending up in the spotlight without warning, I guess they have to be happy about the situation. I suppose that's what matters, after all.

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