MedGames 2006

Did everyone survive Friday the 13th okay? On that day I had just arrived in Quebec City, where hundreds of medical students across eastern Canada meet up to compete in various sports (including dance and improv!) and it's also been known to be a giant excuse for partying, sightseeing and shopping... and the "sport" I participated in this year was mostly the latter.

So picture this... a big group of rowdy med students from Queen's descend on Chateau Frontenac at night and find a GIANT ICE SLIDE. For a mere toonie we all decide it is the best idea ever to go down this GIANT ICE SLIDE on really ghetto wooden planks that were probably also used during the formation of New France (circa 1600s). It was the MOST FUN I'd ever had on Friday the 13th... and despite the fact that there was also a full moon that night I'm really surprised we all emerged unscathed. I'm all about winter fun that is short and sweet. Give me skating on a rink for half an hour, intense horror down a giant ice slide on termite-ridden wood, or mad fun tubing and I'm good... but force me down a blue square trail after only two days of skiing I've ever had in my entire life without a proper lesson (true story) and I'll be a winter sport phobic forever.

Chateau Frontenac

Climbing up the giant ice slide

Priya and I hiding from the boys in Gatineau

I really love Quebec City and was so happy to be back. We stayed at the Loews Le Concorde (with a revolving tower restaurant), which has a sweet location on Grande Allée just outside of the old city and it happens to be located right beside two havens on earth, a Japanese restaurant called Ginko and a club called DAGOBERT. I had such an amazing time at these two establishments. My classmates and I had just happened to think that eating at Ginko across the street would be a good idea, since it was close and Japanese food is soooooo yummy and healthy... and it turns out my friend Carrie knows the owner of the restaurant! It was so amazing... I have to say it was the best sushi I've ever had and the best upscale restaurant experience, à la Food TV. (It is Mike's dream to visit Chicago and my dream to eat at Alinea.) I would love to go back as soon as possible, to reexperience the sashimi, spicy tuna rolls and amazing 70% cocoa chocolate cake, made to order! The owner was so nice, he even met up with us at Dagobert after. I love clubbing in Quebec City. Every night there is a party, there is no cover, there is no dress code and the music is amazing and everyone just wants to dance and have a good time. Yesterday night it was absolutely amazing because every so often, little snowflake-like droplets of foam would descend on everybody on the dance floor and it felt like the most awesome (non-drug)-induced feeling of euphoria. I've never been to a foam party (and would love to in Europe!) and the pseudo-foam snow at Dagobert was a wonderful taste of what could be.

Now I am back in Kingston and it is a freakish -20 out tonight. Tomorrow it is back to reality and to nephrology. We've started our genitourinary block and tomorrow afternoon I get the luxury of performing my very own urinalysis (and on my own urine sample if I choose to do so). Ooh la la. However, the memories live on (during last year's MedGames in Montreal Mike and I had our first post-new year's date) and I highly recommend that everyone visits Quebec City! There is so much to see and do, the food is amazing and there's always a good party.