Cicadas

The drone of cicadas (sih-kay-duhs), a locust-like insect, sounds like a painful drill to some. To me, it’s returning to college at the University of Kansas after a summer off.

August guaranteed oppressive heat and a plethora of the bug I once considered annoying. Now, back where I grew up in Minnesota, the relatively few cicadas I hear make me long for friends, adventures, learning, and the relaxing innocence of simpler times (even though I graduated just a few years ago).

[thoughts submitted for BBC World Service's piece on the sounds of 'home']