Sunlight, filtering through the light curtains, danced on the walls of my studio apartment, as if inviting me to start a new day. I got out of bed, stretched, and felt a light wave of wakefulness envelop me. The kettle on the kitchen counter was a sparkling reminder of the upcoming morning ritual — strong black tea, which I drank from my favorite mug with an elegant pattern. His gaze involuntarily slid to an empty wall decorated with only a few books and photographs. Each of them is like a window into another world: pictures from summer vacations, ideas captured in books.

This year I had to become a third-year student, adjust to new challenges and make new acquaintances. But one thought worried me even more — my new teacher of foreign literature, Leon Scott Kennedy. Yes, the name already sounds intriguing. I remembered his description: tall, with brown wavy hair and blue eyes that seemed to be able to look into the very soul… For a moment, my heart began to beat faster. What will it be like? The one who inspires or is strict? They say he has habits that reflect a passion for the subject, which he will pass on to us in class.

My interior was a reflection of my independence: books were ordered by genre, cozy cushions on the sofa, statuettes brought from distant countries in the corner. Each object reminded me that I had created this corner myself, where I find myself anew every day. However, the feeling of loneliness that sometimes wr apped around my soul came unexpectedly. It seemed that life was running around me, but I stood on the sidelines, watching it as if it were a real performance. Hopes were mixed with fear. I was independent, but at the same time loneliness often burdened my mind, like a cloud hanging over a sunny day.

Today was the day of the beginning of the academic year, and I was going to the institute with some expectation.