Posted by Kenneth Sloan on August 20, 2002 at 07:45:17:
In Reply to: Re: bringing Tuba across the Canadian border posted by rbastedo on August 20, 2002 at 02:40:23:
Customs is a strange business - and often nothing is as it seems.
The main function of those "government employee" types is to screen illegal immigrants, and other illegal activity. Questions about ID's, purpose of visit, and the like are usually a cover, or a stall, while the computer runs your license plate and description. Once you establish that you are a vanilla citizen going about normal business, you tend to be waved through.
For example: the conversation always involves the question "where were you born". Someone trying to fake it will almost certainly pick some large, well-known city. The customs official might then follow up with a few innocuous questions about that city. He doesn't care about your birth city - he's evaluating your body language and perhaps your attitude. When I get that question, my answer is "Millington, Tennessee" - which always draws a blank stare, followed by a wave of the hand sending me on my way. Works every time!
I suppose they figure that no one could possibly *invent* Millington, TN.
If I feel particularly playful, I tell them "on a Navy base in Millington, TN". That sometimes gives them pause (as they try to remember their geography, and then wonder why the NAVY would have a base there). [I'll bet Joe knows]
In your case, they figured that no one could possibly invent "I drove up for the day to purchase a used tuba". On the other hand, if you had tried to concoct some story that did not involve the tuba purchase, I'll bet that everything would have come unravelled, and you would have had to pay duty AND perhaps been delayed for an hour while everything was sorted out.
I don't think there are any circulars issued on the problem of widespread used-tuba smuggling in the NorthWest!
Now...Rubank, Arban, and a metronome...followed by Canadian Brass play-along CDs. You have just enough time to prepare for TubaChristmas (and, your 10yo has a good shot at the "youngest player here" recognition).