It's so nice and strange to be back in Lublin after three years. When I was here before, it was winter and there was nothing but snow on the sidewalks and grey clouds in the sky. But now the sidewalks are lined with cafes and are crowded with people shopping, browsing and wandering around Old Town. I feel at home here, in a very weird sort of way. And I'm surrounded by other expats, lost souls and intellectuals who have found their way to Poland this summer to study the lingua franca of Central Europe.