[Maria notes the concern, it's always present on peoples' faces once she gets going into a bad coughing fit, or flare up, and she waves her hand a little with a soft apology. She really just isn't use to the air being so dry - her lungs are already pretty damn bad enough, but inhaling too hard or too fast in this weather is like swallowing glass shards. She has to remember that...

Earth may be a great place, but she's still not fully able to enjoy it. The Council even told her that - her illness will be in remiss, neither getting better or worse, but she still shouldn't overdo it to prevent an escalation.]

Yes, exactly!! I still get excited whenever I learn something new, or different, about an existing bit of knowledge. Different chemical reactions, how to make something in a quicker, more efficient manner...and even things like history and mathematics - a different formula. It's fun to learn things over again, too.

[Finally polishing off the last of her cocoa, Maria leans back into the plush couch cushions with a sigh - that hit the spot.]

Mm...I'll have to look into when the schoolyear in this world starts. I know different countries have different semester periods, if I'm remembering correctly. It may be either spring, or fall.