I LOVE IT HERE

© Hugues Léglise

Don't you hate these expats who move to a country because the weather there is more lenient, but never bother to learn the local language, never make any effort to integrate into their local community, and keep bitching to other expats how backwards and deficient their new adoptive country is compared to "back home"? Well, I do.

I have always thought that unless you have been kidnapped from the verdant valleys of your home country, and brought bound and gagged to the unhospitable shores of some hostile nation, not making the most of living under different skies is more than a lost opportunity: it's a crime. You might think that ending up here is merely the result of a quirk of fate, and that your home is somewhere else. The truth is, somewhere in your family tree, there's a similar quirk which resulted in your being born in your native country, or indeed your being born at all. While you may understandably remain attached to the place where you spent your formative years, home is really where you are living at the moment.

Of course, I may bitch from time to time about my adoptive country. You should have heard me criticise France when I lived there! It is something we French do quite easily: we have what is known there as "l'esprit critique". Believe it or not, it's a good thing...

In any case, let me say today loud and clear: I love it in London! I live in a house, which would be next to impossible in Paris, I have friends from all over the world, I can taste, or cook, food from around the world, the cultural life is second to none... And maybe best of all, Paris is only a little over 2 hours away. Que demande le peuple?