Missing home at the halfway point in Sochi

Assignment editor Ken Wolff: If you want to put a story together, youll have time soon

Me: Why, is someone else at speed skating and figure skating?

Ken: Well, theres not much left.

Me: Whoa.

Ken: Were more than a week in. Theres going to be nothing left to do at the end of the week.

I couldnt believe more than week had gone by.

Some people have even started counting down the days.

Its not because they cant appreciate the experience.

After a string of days where you havent eaten a meal sitting down, or eaten at all, it just wears on you.

Luckily, Im familiar with most of the CBC team here.

I feel a pretty strong kinship with the Radio-Canada team as well since I see most of them in Montreal and the others that I dont.

Ive made friends with them simply because we speak the same language.I think Ive found my inner-Francophone!

Its not difficult to get to know people.

We have to work together and we have to get along or the job doesnt get done well or at all.

Even the Olympic Broadcasting Service (OBS) employees are getting to know us better.

They run the show when it comes to athletes speaking to the media post-performance.

Culturally, we work against them.

We ask one more question than were allowed if we feel we have to, or we take a little longer than we need to if the interview is good. Lucky for me, Im on their good side.

A touch of homesickness

No matter if youre working the mixed zone as a reporter, with the OBS, as camera operator, as producer or a technician, we all have something in common.

We miss home!

I cant tell you how many pictures of peoples children Ive seen. I dont mind, Ive shown a few family pictures of my own.

There are mothers and fathers and aunts (like me) and uncles and brothers and sisters behind the scenes and in front of the camera who are loving every minute of these Olympics and appreciate the privilege of being here, but who are also aching to call home at the end of their shift to check in on the family.

Do I miss home? Darn right! I miss all of my family and friends.

I miss random hugs, being able to call my family whenever I want, making my own coffee, Indian food (home cooked, of course), my couch andhosting All In A Weekend and Our Montreal.

Am I ready to come home yet? Heck no! I want some more Olympic action.

After covering Ice Dancing and seeing the battle between Virtue-Moir and Davis-White reach its peak, I got a little kick of enthusiasm (that I probably dont need, Ive been called perky by my NBC colleagues).

Im on two-arena day so that means TV ready from the waist up, ready to run from the waist down. When one event is over, Im off to the next one!

Tackling thetrinkets

Souvenir shopping has been a challenge to say the least.

There is one gigantic Olympic souvenir shop next to the Iceberg Skating Palace.

• WATCH: Andrew Chang shops for Sochi souvenirs

I have been there twice. The second time, I almost dropped everything and left but I was helping out a colleague.

Not all of the prices are sky high. Thats not the issue.

The lineup to get inside is insane.

Inside, its survival of the fittest.

You wait in a packed and pushy line to get to the cash.

There is no organized system or waiting until a free cash register opens up.

You shove your way to a cash register and jostle through people.

I may try again but Ill need to leave behind my polite Canadian habits for a while.

Did I mention I miss home?