Hello, my name is Paul Belserene. I'm an American Living in Canada.

I've been living in the vicinity of Vancouver, BC, Canada for longer than I ever lived in the US. For 30 years as a Landed Immigrant (that's much more genteel sounding, but perhaps not as thrilling a title, as "Resident Alien" which is what my green-card- equivalent status has been called in the States). In 2003, realizing I didn't want to risk getting deported away from my wife and daughter, I became a Candian Citizen without losing my American Citizenship.

So I figure I'm now 100% Canadian and100% American and that's why I'm gaining weight.

I am one of the cohosts of this, the canada conference, and while I've been on the WELL now from long before the internet era, I've never hosted anything before. This is my first.

You might say that's definitive proof that an unqualified American can still get a job in canada.

I'm married to Nuala, a British Subject with dual citizenship. My daughter, Orla Rose, is American, Canadian and British. (we failed to give birth on a Japan Airlines flight, however).

I'd like to see my role here as one of a kind of mediator, straddling the world's longest friendly border. Interpretating as best I can, on behalf of both Canadians and Americans - and, because Canada takes its global responsibilities seriously - on behalf of anyone else who logs in here, too, wherever you may be from.

Welcome to Canada, everyone, whether to live, visit, study, or simply to stretch your experience beyond where you are.

Canada on the WELL, like the country, has room for many peoples, many issues, and many points of view. Please read, respond, start topics, ask questions. We'll try to maintain a Canadian sense of fairness, a balance of individual and collective rights, diversity, and a tolerance for peacekeeping amid conflicts. Oh, and we have two official languages.

If you're interested in Buddhism in Canada, or learning how to meditate, or specifically meditation in Vancouver, you can follow these links.

Yoga in Vancouver - Diamond Body

Pilates in Vancouver - Diamond Body

treating chronic pain - Carrie Abresch of Diamond Body Healing Arts

Craniosacral Therapy in Vancouver