Bamboo's participation in SharePoint Summit 2008 provided the opportunity for my very first visit to Canada as an adult. I barely remember a trip to Niagra Falls as a toddler when we briefly crossed the border on a day trip. While I have travelled well over 100,000 miles on business around the globe, I've never had an occasion to visit our neighbors to the north.
Frankly, as much as I looked forward to meeting our partners at Alcero, and participating in the conference, I wasn't entirely thrilled to be heading north this time of year. It has been a wet, chilly and generally late Spring here in Virginia. The prospect of intentionally heading toward the Artic Circle was not all that appealing.
I would also like to confess some general prejudice and skepticism about the nation of Canada. I am embarassed by these views and highly aware that they represent an ignorant, US-centric view of the world. Still they are hard to shake. We tend to think of Canada as a second rate country, territory we didn't bother annexing because nobody wants to live there anyway. Somebody told me once that 90% of the Canadian population lives within 50 miles of the US border. I have no idea if that is true, but it tends to reinforce this idea that nobody really wants to live there.
And of course our knowledge of Canadian history and culture is an abomination. Ask the average American for a list of Canadian contributions to world culture and you are likely to hear three things:
As an intellectual, I am also aware that Canada has a healthcare system that seems slightly less ineffective than ours. I also know it's a great place to go shopping for affordable prescription drugs. Beyond that I am pretty hopeless.
So somehow it seems a little ridiculous to have to present a passport for entry to Canada. Like, c'mon, really? Filling out a customs card is altogether too much. Let me in already, I'm an American citizen!
The flight from Dulles to Montreal is amazingly short, it took only an hour and five minutes from tarmac to tarmac. The view from the plane was not especially encouraging. The river was still jammed with ice and the ground was covered in snow as far as the eye could see.
The taxi ride from the airport to our hotel also featured a somewhat dismal view of the city. I was reminded of the economically depressed regions of upstate New York where I grew up. Acres of brick buildings and roads pitted with potholes caused by severe freezing and chemical de-icing agents. Older cars have rusted out wheel wells caused by unabated exposure to road salt.
However, the weather was actually spectacular. Despite the snow cover, temperatures were in the 50s and 60s well into the evenings. I spent the first night just wandering around on foot. My impression of the city evolved quickly. The people of Montreal are young and beautiful. The ethnic diversity of the population was surprising and wonderful. The gothic architecture is compelling, side streets charming and vibrant.
Suffice to say that I left Montreal with a greatly enhanced appreciation for a modern, thriving and important center of global commerce. I felt welcomed and pampered by the people of a proud nation I hope to learn more about and explore further. Much ignorance was extinguished, although much remains. I am looking forward to many more visits in the future, both personal and professional.
Posted
Apr 11 2008, 05:57 PM
by
Steve Gaitten
My name is Steve Gaitten, I am Director of Online Operations at Bamboo. My primary mission is to make Bamboo Nation the most useful SharePoint community site on the web. I am also focused on ensuring a world class shopping experience for customers who visit the Bamboo Solutions Online Store. Prior to Bamboo, I spent over a decade at America Online. At AOL my most recent roles included Director of Product Management in the Messaging & Social Media division as well as Managing Editor of AOL Money & Finance. I am a patented inventor, a bad golfer, an enthusiastic horticulturalist and a dog lover.