Friday, July 29, 2011

July 29 - Day 27

The dreaded day of departure had finally arrived; the 29th of July, also known as waterworks day. Most of us at Laval stayed up the whole night. After the amazing performances at the Open Day celebration the day before, we headed back to residence to spend our last night together. I went up to my room to pack my luggage. It was about 12:05 AM as my roommate and I simply dumped our clothes into our suitcases in a hurry. Soon there was a knock on our door and Valeria stood in the doorway with my monthbook. We rushed down to the dance room in the basement where most of the Shads were on the floor signing each others' monthbooks. It was an overwhelming experience having almost 50 people in one room scribbling their thoughts/feelings and yelling "IM DONE! DOES ANYONE HAVE ANOTHER MONTHBOOK!" What's more depressing was the fact that mostly slow songs were being played on the speakers. After a while some Shads simply could not take it anymore and had to go to bed. Others went to the laundry room to do laundry, while some went to the recreation room to play ping pong and sign monthbooks there. After writing in half of the books I was exhausted and did not want to write anymore. It was like writing an essay for most of us procrastinating Shads; up past midnight, drinking coffee too keep our drooping eyes wide open, the difference was that we wanted to write and had many emotions to share. My message to each person was unique because each of these wonderful people moved me in a special way. Before we knew it, the time was 6:00 AM and the first 2 people had to leave. Hugs all around, tears falling down; it was an emotional time for all. Soon after, some Shads called a cab and left because they could not deal with the emotions. I missed their departure as I went up to check if I had packed everything. I came downstairs and discovered that my cab which was supposed to arrive at 8 was rescheduled to pick me up at 9. I walked around trying to comfort those who were crying and I lied on the couch and took a short nap. I was suddenly woken up by Bryan (a program assistant) who asked for my keys and meal card and told me that the cab had arrived. I was dazed and thought that I was dreaming. I could not believe my Shad journey had actually come to an end as I hugged the sobbing Shads at the door. I was in the cab with Meagan, Midori and Judy, and as we drove in somewhat of a silence I realized that it was truly over, I was not dreaming. I had to accept that we would all never be in the same place at the same time ever again. It was time for me to pop my Shad bubble and enter back into the real world. We checked in at the airport, caught our flight and soon we were on our way back to Toronto. I was greeted at the airport by my parents whom I dearly love for sending me to Shad. I am extremely glad that I got to spend my month of July at Laval University with some of the most incredible youth in Canada. Thank you all at Laval (especially the staff) for enriching my Shad Valley experience and making it one of the most memorable months of my life. I miss you all already and wish you guys the best if luck in whatever you choose to pursue. Remember it is not good bye for us at Laval, it is au revoir (until we meet again).

Mervyn Mendonca, Shad Valley Université Laval'11
Hometown: Toronto, ON

July 29 - Day 27

We've all been gone from campus barely 5 hours as of my writing this, and I still don't think it's really set in yet. Today really started at 11:00pm last night with the end of our Variety Show. We all ran back to our rooms to pack everything within an hour. Needless to say, much panic ensued, and when that dust settled, we had to clean up after all of the Open Day stuff, from posters to signs to chairs and more.

We then went on a silent walk to reflect on our month and all that had happened to us, sharing what we thought being at Shad meant to each of us. Afterwards we all came back to the residence, where we sat down, got our monthbooks and proceeded to spend the rest of the night/morning signing everyone's autograph pages. Finally we stumbled outside and watched the sunrise over the St. John river.

Throughout this entire experience, we had been clinging on to every last shred of sleep we could get, and yet on this last day we gave all of that up for a few more hours with each other. And it was totally worth it!

I want to take this opportunity to give a special thanks to all the P.A.s for their hard work in making sure that we didn't miss a minute of the Shad experience. I also want to extend a massive thank you to our Program Directors, Ian Fogarty and Dhirendra Shukla, for all the hard work they put in to designing the spectacular program we've had this month, finding us all those incredible lecturers and creating a fun-filled, if stressful, schedule for us every day.

As we look back on the month we've had here at UNB -- building robots, designing Rube Goldberg machines, learning the ins and outs of the stock market, working tirelessly on our CT projects, and learning about exploding dinosaurs -- I can't help but think about the importance of what we've all been through here. Everything you do in life changes what happens to you, changes the course your life will take, and though it's usually something small like turning left or turning right at a crossroads, sometimes it's something bigger. Shad was an absolutely massive change, and to have been a part of this experience, and to have it change us the way it did, words could never do justice to what this whole month has meant to us, now and into the future. We started this month as 58 high-schoolers -- confused, bewildered, and a little nervous -- but we leave here as 58 Shads, and that's something that I wouldn't change for the world.

Alex Perelgut, Shad Valley University of New Brunswick '11
Hometown: Etobicoke, ON

July 29 - Day 27

The last day of Shad Valley Lakehead 2011 didn't ever begin. The preceding day continued until the moment the first two Shads to depart left at 5 am. The moment the Lakehead Shads were separated represented, for me, the end of Shad Valley. That is why I choose to write, this ''last day'' of Shad Valley, about a few special memories made and lessons learned this month.

There was perhaps no moment that I enjoyed most at Shad Valley than the moment my team exited the Shad Cup presentation room. The moment was one of pure relief and of pride.

There was something special, something touching about seeing the friends we had been with through the highs and lows of the experience don their finest attire and deliver business presentations with professionalism. It made me take a step back and realize that, wow, my fellow Shads were an impressive bunch! They were inspiring individuals that I could learn from and that I had in fact already learned from.

My fellow Shads helped me handle an issue I had been struggling with recently, as a new university student. A first year of university marked by stellar results, but even more so by sleep deprivation and frustration left me wondering if my weaknesses -a limited supply of energy and overwhelming test anxiety- would keep me from achieving my goals. I attributed my success during the year to motivation and zeal for what I do. However, it seemed to me that if I didn't keep running a never-ending marathon, I would ruin everything. It worried me that perhaps at some point motivation wouldn't be enough. I wondered if I should accept that my mere humanity would warrant my eventual failure.

Shad Valley taught me that even the most amazing star students -the concert musicians, the teen serial entrepreneurs, the kids who take all at math competitions- were just as human as I was. In the writing of the Shad Cup business plan, my Shad Cup Group had many ups and downs, but we nevertheless were able to write a business plan that garnered us the ''Best Business Plan'' award. My Shad Cup Group was made stronger by overcoming difficulties. Through the Shad Valley experience, I realized that I had legitimate strengths and that the weaknesses I had wouldn't hinder my success. Rather, weaknesses might help me become better. Taking a water break in the middle of the marathon would benefit me. This is just one of the lessons I have learned at Shad Valley.

I know that I will continue learning from my experiences as a Shad, even though my plane pierced through the clouds hovering over Thunder Bay, Ontario this afternoon. A month wasn't long enough to absorb all the new life experiences that I was exposed to at Shad Valley. Shad Valley has already changed the way I edit a paper (Perfection! The Shad Cup judges will see this.), give a high-5 (Watch the elbow!), and feel about pulling all-nighters (I can do it!). However, it will change so much more as time goes on. How could it not, when I have felt my perspective on life itself slowly evolving all month long into something more clear and more reassuring? When the people I have met at Shad are promising life-long friends? I feel that I will look back on Shad in future years, not just as one of the most memorable summers of my life, but also as the beginning of a new era in my life.

Shad was an action-packed socializing marathon that I would live forever if I could, but I am ready to go home now and dive back into the real world. I am ready to kick-start my post-Shad life.

Aurelie Pare, Shad Valley Lakehead'11
Hometown: Moncton, NB

Thursday, July 28, 2011

July 28 - Day 26

For the past few weeks, I've set my alarm to six AM so I can give myself an hour to sleep in, and then eventually roll out of bed at seven-thirty, get ready in about ten minutes and race down to breakfast. Today I actually woke up at six and laid awake in bed for about an hour, just thinking about the day ahead. Today was the second last day of Shad Valley, our Open Day, and really the finale to the wonderful four weeks we've had together before tomorrow morning, which is absolutely sure to be a steady flow of tears from the moment we wake up to the moment we get on the plane.

Open day was mentioned more than any other event over the duration of the program, and with good reason -this is the day that our parents, our lecturers, professors, and even complete strangers, will come to see exactly what Shad Valley is all about. I think Shads across the country were all meticulously preparing CT boards, posters and variety show acts, but at Shad Valley UNB our program directors decided to give us total carte blanche for the reception, banquet and variety show. It seemed like such an opportunity at first to be able to organize our own open day, but I can tell you that it quickly became, for lack of better description, a gong show. Last night encompassed a very bumpy dress rehearsal filled with cracking up mid-act by the performers (I did it too, so no judgment), the program having to be redesigned about four times and an absolute cacophony of about five or six computers all blasting music for people to practice to. Suffice to say, it didn't look like today was going to go too well, especially as my three fellow MCs and I had barely started on a script that was supposed to cover from five all the way to eleven PM.

This morning was a whirlwind of last-minute practicing, running around for gluesticks to finish posters and, of course, delicious pancakes for our last breakfast at meal hall. After a quick lunch and chaos in the girls' hall as we all rushed to get ready (as overweight as we all were on our baggage, apparently we still had to borrow things off other people), Open Day kicked off at one PM with everyone milling around the CT projects, Rube Goldberg machines, lecture posters and a giant world map that marked where each and every Shad had been born. It was so fun to get to see everyone's parents being led around and the guests going from booth to booth, and of course there was an incredible sense of accomplishment looking back on all that we've done over the past month.

The reception and banquet started after a short walk to the student union building, and I have to say that I think for a last-minute patch job, us MCs did the Shads justice. With only a few minor hiccups, the banquet ran pretty smoothly with some sentimental PA thank-yous, a few amazing guest speakers, scrumptious chocolate cake and a general air of excitement and accomplishment. The 'Shad Valley graduation ceremony' was particularly momentous for us Shads; it simultaneously represented a month of hard work and growth but at the same time marked the end of an unbelievable experience.

Our variety show was the perfect way to end open day. Everyone changed into their white-on-purple Shad UNB t-shirts and we saw an amazing three hours of singing, dancing, speeches and instrumental performances, punctuated by bad MC jokes and culminating in a whole-group rendition of "Time of Your Life", which I know will make me cry the next time I hear it. There have been so many memories made in the short four weeks we've been here, so many lessons learned and so many great friendships forged. It's actually July 30th as I'm finishing this, which doesn't say much about my punctuality, but the last twelve hours of Shad Valley definitely took precedence. I feel so privileged to have been a part of this community, and I know it doesn't end here. The Shad legacy will continue on for years to come, and the bonds between everyone will only strengthen over time.

Yuting Pan, Shad Valley University of New Brunswick'11
Hometown: Calgary, AB

July 28 - Day 26

The day’s events began with Open day, where all of us prepared and presented all the different aspects of Shad Carleton program to the parents, the general public, and the media. I was personally in charge of the booth for late night and lectures so I got to really tell the visitors about all the fun we had at the different late nights and all the interesting things we learned at the lectures.

Later that night was the closing banquet and the variety show. The banquet had delicious food and was really special because the staff, some of our family members, along with important speakers and Shad Valley supporters were there. What was even more special was the variety show afterwards. All of us got to showcase our talent to everyone, including our parents, for the last time. At the end we all got up there to sing our Shad song and had a large sentimental group hug afterwards. By the time we all packed up and exited the banquet hall, we were all tearing up.

What I didn’t expect were the events that happened after the banquet. We got our Shadwear (sweaters) and took a long walk over to a clearing where we had our closing ceremony. After that we headed over to Dunton towers where we had another one of those emotional sharing sessions. Everyone was pouring their heart about how they have changed and how Shad helped them.

Looking back, these events really reminded me about how much all of us Shads bonded, changed and learned over the course of the program. Shad Valley was amazing, or should I say, Shadmazing, and I will never forget it nor let go of the friendships I’ve made this summer.

Sharon Chen, Shad Valley Carleton University'11
Hometown: Scarborough, ON

July 28 - Day 26

As we woke today, trying to sort out realities with dreams, we come to the sudden realization that this is last day that we will be together as one. Although we would much rather it is a figment of our imagination, what is real can’t be denied, no matter how hard we may try. Yet discussion of the date and its significance was still a taboo at breakfast tables.

The day then started picking up. Setting up for open day, then frantically changing into appropriate attire… Running up and down the ten flights of stairs we have all become so familiar with… By the time the banquet finished, everyone was ready to just relax. But of course, as always, we had to book it back to Hedden Hall to get ready for the next event.

The variety show was held in the prestigious convocation hall, where we danced, juggled, sang, and everything in between. From the confused faces of parents when Shads break out laughing, it does seem like we have more than a few inside jokes among us. Time flashed by as memories of Shad also flashed before my eyes: each challenge, each event, each dorky moment, and each astounding realization.

It was only after the finale of the variety show, (I think it’s the shock of the fact that we had finished the last of our responsibilities) that tears flowed. These tears were genuine. These tears were heartfelt. These tears were a result of our futile attempts to halt the progression of time.

Once upon a time, we walked in complete silence to sacrifice something towards the community. Today, we marched down the same path. But this time, instead of individuals walking towards the same destination, we grabbed hold of each other and formed chains. We walked together. Our footsteps in sync. No one talked. Yet we communicated.

For a whole month everyone has put in effort to create this community. Now, we had to place it on the chopping block with our own hands. No one’s willing, and no one’s glad. But what needs to be done has to be done. Everything beautiful must eventually come to an end so we can look back at it in awe. But then again, “end” is not the adjective for Shad @ Mac 2011. Rather, it is a stage. I will never forget the lessons I’ve learned here. I will never forget the incredible individuals who have taught me in ways they might not even be aware. Thank you, I love you all.

Alisha Chen, Shad Valley McMaster ‘11
Hometown: Calgary, AB

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

July 27 - Day 25

In the morning, we walked together to the campus' sport complex for a surprise physical activity: a football-bootcamp where we all endured three hours of various physically demanding activities and a touch football game. Lunch went by at lightning speed after the morning of constantly running around.

Before we knew it, it was nighttime and it was time for our final conference. This conference was unlike all the the other, more academic ones this month -- all the staff members shared an intimate piece of their lives that they felt had really shaped them. It felt like it lead all members in that room to another plane of interpretation on their lives, relationships with each other and inevitably, brought everyone closer together. The intimacy between everyone advanced as all the Shads stood in a line, holding one piece of long string that we had to grasp onto as we travelled to the next building (where our group activity would be held).

As we made our way slowly to the Kruger building, I'm positive we appeared to be a cult since everyone had their Shad Laval t-shirts or sweaters with the hood on. Upon arrival, we all received electrical-look-alike candles (rather than using actual candles = good risk management), and sat in a tight circle. The moment was truly magical as everyone shared their dreams and promises for the future.

Today is the second last day of creating beautiful memories with these 49 wonderful Shads. However, today with all it's diverse activities, undoubtedly was the perfect way to end the final 'program' day.

Jade Choy, Shad Valley Laval '11
Hometown: Mississauga, ON