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
