Gemotions

Her voice was strained and brittle when she talked to her mother on the phone. The news, when it came, felt like a physical blow to her. The scholarship, it turned out, was supposed to go to a student from a refugee background, not her.

She had been so busy enjoying the benefits – the freedom, the access to resources. She felt a profound sense of humiliation and shame.

The world seemed to lose its color. She lost interest in her friends and hobbies. She couldn't look anyone in the eye, and she found herself shrinking from social contact. She felt the weight of it, pressing down on her shoulders.