They’re scary. They’re purple. They wear chains around their torsos, and plastic utensils in their spiked hair. They are the Queen’s Engineering frosh-leaders:

And every year, these purple monsters invade City Park. Like flies to a pastry, or lice to a stylish haircut, they swarm and defile one of the most beautiful locations in Kingston:

Ha ha … okay, so maybe we love them for it. But I do have a problem with their giant mud-wrestling pits that end up scattering mud across most of the soccer pitch – mud that I then end up walking through on my way to class every day … grr.

The view from my favourite afternoon reading spot.

Every year on December 1st, physicians across Canada donate their day’s salaries towards HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention. As medical students we don’t have a salary to donate yet, but we do have time! So today, despite being in a state of grasping for every spare minute to study for our upcoming exams, lots of us took some time today to hear a couple of speakers. One was an infectious disease specialist who works on HIV/AIDS treatment in Kingston, and the other was the director of a Kingston community program.

I learned a few things that I wanted to share!

First, HIV/AIDS is a Canadian issue! That may be bleedingly obvious to some people, but if you’re anything like me then you tend to think of AIDS as a worldwide problem, where “worldwide” means not here. The reality is that AIDS is very present in our Canadian communities. While I should certainly continue thinking about AIDS on a global level, this realization encouraged me to re-think what I can potentially do to fight AIDS. Fighting may consist of sending money overseas and raising awareness of the pandemic, but it may also involve getting more personally involved with AIDS here in Canada.

The second thing I learned is more political. I had no idea, but apparently our current Conservative government has made it abundantly clear that they will not financially support any HIV/AIDS programs that have a “harm reduction” element. Harm reduction was new terminology for me: basically it means making it safer for people to engage in behaviours that they will be doing anyway, instead of trying to change those behaviours. Condom distribution and needle exchanges are two examples of harm reduction strategies that have had meaningful, well-documented success.

From a clinical perspective, there is no alternative to harm reduction! As doctors, we have no right to say what anybody should be doing with their lives. But, we do have the responsibility to advise people about risky behaviour and offer them the tools to protect themselves.

I’m disappointed that our government hasn’t recognized the seriousness of HIV/AIDS in Canada. Instead of looking at the evidence, which says beyond any doubt that harm reduction saves lives, they have reduced a tangled social problem into an absolute moral maxim that lacks relevancy in the complexity of the “real world”.

Anyway, I’d love to hear about anything you learned on World AIDS Day 2008! Post a comment and keep the conversation going!

Today, I stumbled upon the most beautiful library: the Stauffer Library of the Humanities and Social Sciences. This place is truly astounding! There’s a central atrium where the ceiling flies high overhead exposing many floors, all connected to one another by granite spiralling staircases. The hall is respectfully dim, while over every workspace is a bright desklamp that spot-lights the saints of this temple – the books. From all directions there’s a hushed choir of students studying: the flipping of pages, and the scratching of pencils.

Before settling to a workspace, I took some time to wander around. Maybe it’s because it was my first time there, but the place has a maze-like quality to it. There are lots of surprising little corners, and every nook seems unique. In one particular spot there’s a fireplace reading room where comfy chairs are arranged around a brightly crackling fire. 

What a wonderful discovery! It’s amazing how having the right environment can have such an influence on your studying. Stauffer has a sacred feel to it, as if you’re within a hall of learning that has fostered generations of bright minds and future leaders. You really feel inspired when you’re there. The potential for knowledge lives there, and all you must do is enter and be immersed.

I just voted without ever showing ID, or proof of residence. How was that allowed?!?!?! I could have been just anyone: a voter from another district or somebody not eligible to vote at all. For all they knew, I could have voted already earlier the same morning! 

You may ask: “Are you sure that you actually voted, Jason?” And the answer would be that, yes, I’m sure. I was given a ballot, I indicated my selection, and a dropped the completed ballot into the ballot box. Then I walked out clutching my driver’s licence, eager to show anybody … so that I could prove that I wasn’t actually trying to do anything dishonest.

But nobody noticed, nobody cared. And now I feel guilty

Took a trip to Kingston today, along with my younger sister Kristin. The goal was to spend some time together before she goes to school, and show her my new school, Queen’s! Having only been there twice before myself, though, we were exploring together.   It was a good opportunity to hit up the bookstore. I drooled over the medical textbooks (which take up an entire wall!!) but was very disciplined to only buy a few. The recommendation from previous students has been to wait for classes to begin before making any big textbook purchases. But when there’s one on sale, well, I just couldn’t help myself. Kristin also bought this mug for me as a welcome-to-Queen’s gift!

Grabbed the ferry out to Wolfe Island – it’s free! It was a nice way to see the Kingston waterfront, as well as Fort Henry from the water. Actually, as our ferry was going past it seemed like there were some cannons being fired from the fort. Not sure why.

We also peeked into the lecture hall that will become my new home starting from next week, and perused the walls where portraits of the previous med classes are hanging. The older class photos tell stories of overcoming inequality: you can pick out which years were the first to have women in the class, and also non-whites. The photos also show a shift in how we respect the cadavers. Seems like it was a tradition for the students to pose with their cadavers, in this case infants:

Today that tradition is rightfully seen as disrespectful to the people who donated their bodies. 

Well, it was a beautiful day in Kingston, and a great chance to get excited about starting classes a week from tomorrow!

Kristin and I get a little crazy when we hang out together:

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Found a lovely apartment in my new hometown, Kingston! Check it out – it’s the yellow pin on the map. The best part: I have a three minute walk to class (red pin, red path) through beautiful city park. Kingston General Hospital is also only a short walk away (blue path). Also note the proximity to the lakeshore, where I hope to do my morning jogging. Groceries (purple pin) and gym (green pin) also nearby.

The apartment itself is small, but wonderfully equipped – it comes fully furnished, along with some nice kitchenware, appeasing couches, and a stately wooden bed in my bedroom! With a large dining table and lots of wine glasses on the shelf, its the perfect for hosting – so please make sure you come visit!

I’ll be sharing the place with a fellow classmate from Vancouver.

Kingston itself is charming – having been there sum total less than fifty hours, my opinions are superficial, but I love it already. Most of the buildings feature limestone, and there are some beautiful cathedrals. Most importantly: lots of green space, especially on campus and in nearby city park. .