So comes the end of our tenth day at Shad Valley Queens. I cannot count how many times I have heard one of my fellow Shadians say ‘It’s ONLY been ten days?! It feels like a month!’ Not because we are tired or bored, but because of the tight bonds between friends that have formed and the tight-knit community that has developed. It’s hard to believe we only met for the first time a mere week and a half ago.
One might think that it would be hard to write about what would appear to be just a normal day at Shad but that’s simply not true. I’m sure I speak for all the Shads at Queens when I say that each day here is distinctive, unique and full of new experiences. As usual I started off the day with a refreshing run around the Queens campus, soaking in my relatively new surroundings.
In this mornings lecture Mary Hamoodi from Shad International visited us and pressed upon us the significance of our participation in Shad. Mary reiterated how becoming a part of the Shad community is a life-long connection. The speech had a huge impact on my fellow shads and I and I’m sure many contemplated these words on the breezy walk back to McNeil. After project time and the afternoon’s activities we got to take part in either yoga or fencing. I took part in the yoga activity, which was very unique as the session took place in a long banquet hall, reminiscent of Harry Potter (which excited everyone to say the least). The night consisted of dinner, house meetings and our first round of ‘Shadnars’ including informative demonstrations ranging from Karate kicks to Rubik’s cube solutions. The night will probably end with a rousing round of ghost stories, mafia and Chinese whispers with a couple of new found friends.
I can’t express in this short blog how surprising, challenging and eye-opening Shad Valley 2011 has been for me…and we are only ten days in. Lets see how the rest unfolds.
Aislinn MacPhail, Shad Valley Queen’s 2011
Hometown: Lantau Island, Hong Kong
