Volks,

Listees, please forgive the peripheral thread. Little VW content. If you
don't live North of the 45th parallel, you may find this boring...

Respond by p-mail, please; (Respondez a 'p-mail', s'il vous plait).

I am investigating the possibility of working with Cirque du Soleil, in
Montreal; moving my life and wife to Canada. I hope you can help me
evaluate. I shiver, just thinking of it.

I was born in San Diego, (read: coldest temp, 50 f), and grew up in the
balmy coastal plain of North Carolina (read: saw snow four times, and it
melted within a day). I can't identify with putting "antifreeze" in my
Westy's sink trap. I have only seen Windsor from the glass elevators in
Detroit's Renaissance Center.

I am CANADA Ignorant.

Those near Montreal, even in the USA, (Tony Mourkas, etc.), what is it
like? How cold does it get/for how long? How MUCH snow? What do people DO
in the winter? How warm does it get in the summer/ for how long? Is there
decent public transportation in Montreal? Are the folks friendly? How
helpful/necessary would it be for me to learn French? What laws in Canada
are drastically different from USA (like the alcohol or gun thing)?

Is Quebec destined to be another country, or is it like Texas, where
everyone just acts like it is? How difficult is it for an American to work
in Canada? If I have no intention of renouncing my US citizenship, do you
guys have a "green card" like in the USA?  On the map, it looks like I
could live in Northern NY or VT and commute to Montreal: realistic or
kooky? Do you use your Vanagon during the winter or mothball it and drive a
shifty beater car? Is it a hassle to move my car from the US to Canada? How
long can you expect a decently maintained, undercoated vehicle to last if
driven in the winter? Will I finally get to use the metric system?

I really love the idea of working for Cirque, but can't quite resolve my
angst about the cold, ice, and "foreign country" thing. Thanks for the
help.

Respond by p-mail, please; (Respondez a 'p-mail', s'il vous plait).

G. Matthew Bulley
Vice-Emperor of Nil
www.bulley-hewlett.com
(888) 468-4880 toll free