By Lawrence Kootnikoff

This is where it all happens.
The White House is around the corner from my office, and a block from my temporary hotel accomodation. The Washington Monument looms in the background, Congress is down the street, and from the rooftop restaurant the Lincoln Memorial gleams in the night.

The accents are as broad as the swagger and confidence of this nation - contrasting with the quiet, precise, polite speech of Canadians. And the heat - humid, hot and heavy - I wasn't expecting this, coming from the cool, rain-kissed, spring weather of Vancouver.

Just over a month ago I was settling in for the long haul in Vancouver, trying to squeeze out a thin living as a freelance journalist. The job offer from the company here came suddenly, and they wanted me here quickly, so 11 days ago I found myself packing up (with the help of professional movers - a first) and 10 days ago I landed, in the belly of the belly of the beast.

I've moved around, traveled, and lived in a lot of different places. And Mexico was certainly more foreign and strange than the United States of America. But while I've travelled a bit in the Great Republic, I've never lived and worked here.
I am a Canadian. I grew up near the border mostly, and like most Canadians experienced the American Way of Life through television. I guess that makes us virtual Americans - I expect Marshal McLuhan had a lot to say about that.
That's where most Canadians get their knowledge of the States - through television and newspapers. Living here is another thing. The place and the people are much the same - only different, if that makes any sense. It's a deceptive familiarity, in many ways, that comes striking home in things like health care, the display of flags and the civic religion of patriotism, the booming economy, plentiful jobs, weak, watery beer, and trying to find an apartment.
I suppose I'll have have more to say after I've been here for a while. In any case, I think this is the beginning of a new adventure, at least as important as the 4 1/2 years I spent in Mexico. For now, I'll be here in Washington, looking south to Mexico, and north to home.

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