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:

Just returned from a weekend trip to Grand Haven, Michigan. We stayed with my aunt Doris, who has a beautiful house on the beach overlooking lake Michigan. Had a reflective and restful time walking in the surf (still too cold to swim!) and watching sunsets from the hot tub.

While in Michigan, we attended a cousin’s wedding. It was refreshingly casual – the guests were invited to wear shorts and t-shirts, and to bring a potluck dish instead of gifts.

my dad and me

Dilling is in central Sudan – to get there you take a nine-hour bus trip from Khartoum. The ride itself is an experience, with Arabic music blared across the bus speakers and only one washroom stop. Then again, if the police at the checkpoints are bored, you may stop far more often.

Possibly the greatest highlight of the entire month-long trip, was seeing my sister Miriam at work. She positively excels! With baffling confidence, she crosses barriers of culture, language, class, and gender to offer her cheerful but powerful management ability. Most impressive is her interpersonal aptitude. After only two years, her Arabic has the sophistication to joke, tease, empathize, and comfort. I delighted in watching as she often talked animately with co-workers, her face all lit up – in her element. Her organization does fantastic work: development projects that involve the entire community in building wells, starting irrigated farms, and keeping schools open. This is done in the face of political turmoil and environmental stress from the encroaching desert. Miriam comes home next week to begin a Master’s at the University of Guelph in Rural Development and Planning. Miriam, I love you a lot and am so very proud of you!!