Today was like no other here at Shad, as we awoke from the floor of a church hall on Fogo Island. All 48 Shads shuffled out to get some breakfast before leaving the island en route to a seven hour trip home.
We had been "camping" for the past two days there, visiting seemingly every site and taking full advantage of the community and its generosity, including some wonderful meals and sightseeing. After a bus ride during which many caught up on some much appreciated sleep, everyone ran for the showers they had been deprived of for two days. We then reorganized our house projects, finalizing designs and distributing the final workloads.
Our projects are coming into focus now, and the final stretch towards their completion is beginning in this final week of work. The coming week's schedule presents another array of lectures, activities, and seminars, and I'm sure that like every day we have been here, each coming day will feel like a month of socialization and effort. It’s a good thing the days feel so long, or else it would really be difficult to think that there are only 10 left.
Oliver Falvey, Shad Valley Memorial University 2011
Hometown: Halifax, NS
