From what I hear it happens about once a month, actually. A lot of the locals usually show up to help out, and to see if anyone from home happened to show up. It's only fair I help out, right?

Even if I haven't been here as long as everyone else, it probably helps to meet someone other than the locals to tell you it's not so bad here. Just, varying shades of awkwardness. I imagine people get homesick after a while, too, but I don't think that's really set in yet. At least not on my end.

[It had, he was just doing the totally responsible and not-at-all ill-advised thing, and trying to avoid thinking about it or dealing with it at all.]