We finished our stay in Vancouver with a killer wrap party by the PuSh festival people and a trip to the Lynn Canyon Park. I say we, because at this point I’ve been joined by Rob (my brother, although I can call him “gramps” now) and his friend Mike. You’ll see them pop up in pictures, which should start to show up.
Here is my absolute recommendation when going to the US: Fly into Canada (direct) and drive across the border in a rental car. If you’ve ever gone through immigration at a US airport you’ll know what kind of terrible experience that usually is. Driving across the border in a public transportation bus is even worse, but I found that driving in your own car is an absolute breeze, almost a welcoming experience. The immigration check was literally two questions and 2 minutes long. It makes you wonder: do Americans only trust people that (seem to) own a car? This is the second time I’ve gone through Canada first and I think I might just keep up the habit.
Seattle’s got my attention now. I was quite happy to be able to cook a bit at Mike’s house, after the overwhelmingly omni-present string of restaurants and coffee shops in Vancouver. A coffee shop on every corner, I kid you not. Mike’s house also quickly pointed out all the little differences in the American style living. Wall-to-wall carpets, little knobs you have to twist to turn on instead of the familiar push knobs, remote controls with a gazillion buttons and round doorknobs everywhere. Some things seem to be more practical (a vertically rotating washing machine allowing easy access from the top), some seem to oversimplify things (the indications “cold, warm and hot” instead of an actual temperature on the very same machine). I believe that you could drop me in any house in Europe or the US and I would probably find a dozen indicators of where we are by the time you breathe twice. If anything, it’s common household design that make you feel like a “stranger in a strange land”.
Language is another thing. No, not the language itself but the way people talk. One striking difference is the way people here will tend to “soften” their conversation: “I’m not sure, but …”, “… but I could very well be wrong” and of course the familiar “It’s kind of like …”. In many ways this feels like premature apologizing, but I am also very conscious of the fact that it makes me seem way to self-confident and probably arrogant all the time. So, of course I find myself starting to mimic this behavior. I think.