It has already been exactly 20 days, 7 hours, and 43 minutes and 50 seconds, and for many of us, our time here so far at Shad has passed right before our eyes. I believe I speak on behalf of all Shads that we will greatly miss our time spent here and will probably be unhappy when it is time to leave. That is only more reason, however, to make the last few days count.
Today is July 23 and it has been certainly one of the busiest days in Shad by far. Early in the morning, we left for Ottawa on a particularly fancy coach bus. After a few hours, we eventually reached our destination-The Canadian War Museum. We had to speed through each section of the museum because we had arrived late and so we had to make up lost time. Nevertheless, there were many interesting exhibits to see and we very much enjoyed learning about how war developed in Canada.
After about an hour, we broke for lunch in a local French-speaking Chinese buffet which served arguably one of the biggest lunches that we have had so far. In the afternoon, we visited the Supreme Court of Canada, where we participated in a mock trial with judges, plaintiffs, and defendants.
We then took a trip around parliament, and then had some free time in the local market and the infamous mall, Rideau Centre. It was really fun just socializing with other Shads and roaming around the busy streets of Ottawa. We then drove back in our luxurious bus to residence at Queen’s where we greedily ate a most hearty pizza dinner.
And then…it was time. It was time for SHAD COFFEEE HOUSE. There were many performances, ranging from karaoke, poetry slam, piano, violin, french horn, singing, and stand-up comedy. It is hard to explain what the night was like; it is just one of those nights that you never want to stop. Everyone around me was laughing, jumping, and all around just having a great time. This is what Shad is all about.
And now there are only five days left of this once-in-a-lifetime experience, which is sometimes a bit depressing. But rather than having our heads stuck in the clouds, let us try to make the most out of the days we have left here. And thus, I am resolved…and without turning back…I am off to the common rooms to have the time of my life.
Kevin Zhou, Shad Valley Queen’s University 2011
Hometown: Guelph, ON
