Local Team Mate?
At work, I am the only member of my team in Vancouver (Burnaby, actually). All the others, including my manager, are in San Jose. Yep, in the very heart of Silicon Valley.
It takes a little getting used to, but I’ve been doing it for the last nine months and it’s been going quite well. Without doubt, it helps that I know many people at the local office here from a previous job, so I still have (and always had) people to hang out with and talk to.
The fact that the team is 1500km lead to something else as well: The opportunity to travel to San Francisco and the Valley three to four times a year. For others this may be a downside, but I actually enjoy going on a little trip every four months or so, even if it’s for work. (Being on the road too much wouldn’t be so good, though.) When I go down there, there’s usually lots of good food involved and my co-workers are really nice people. I always enjoy meeting them in person. Besides, there’s the option of extending the stay over the weekend and having the wife come down as well. 
Mini-vacation. We did that early this year and we are planning on doing it again next spring.
However, for the second time now it looks like I might be getting a local team mate here in Burnaby. The last guy, a couple of months ago, rejected the job offer, but this time around it may actually happen. I should find out fairly soon one way or the other. If he accepts, he’s supposed to start in November.
