For most of the ten and a half months that I've been here in Paris, I haven't really experienced any significant bouts of homesickness. Don't get me wrong, there are some things and many people that I miss a lot, but for the most part, I've been pretty satisfied with life here, and don't find myself longing to go home. The only times that I've suffered from any degree of homesickness came on Christmas Day (not so much because it was Christmas, but because I had a truly frustrating day in Morocco), and for about a week at the beginning of June when I got back from a short trip home for a family wedding; truthfully, for a couple of days there I was really hating Paris and couldn't wait to go home...but those feelings have since passed. That being said, I've gotta say that I am missing spending the summer at home. In my mind, summer vacation is all about barbeques, swimming, and spending lazy late afternoons and evenings on sunny patios, sharing a pitcher with friends. Paris is a great city, but Parisians are a little too straightlaced and conservative for grilled meat and beer on patios....however, seeing as there's been a month-long strike by city workers in Toronto (striking city workers=closed pools, and piles upon piles of stinking rubbish everywhere...ugh...I don't even want to think about what Chinatown must smell like at this point), perhaps this was a good summer to decide to live as an expat.

On a totally unrelated note, I've recently discovered a relatively new music podcast that I think is pretty fantastic. If you have a chance, I would encourage you all to check out "Rough Sundays", which is hosted and produced by a guy named Aric S. Queen. I first became acquainted with his work when he used to help produce a podcast about life in China, and have occasionally followed his blog, and I think that he's just hilarious. Happy listening!