The anticipation came to an end this morning as I woke up knowing that I'll be on my way to Québec City. As I rushed my goodbyes, I pondered over the possibilities that lay before me at Shad Laval.
The university itself is spectacular. Laval is a huge campus and it is easy to get lost on your first day, which is why we were given a map at the beginning of the program. We were taken for a short tour of the campus and were given boundaries for the next 27 days. The buildings are interesting and the architecture is wonderful. One cool aspect about the Laval campus is that it has a series of interconnected underground tunnels! As we walked through these tunnels we were amazed to see some of the works of art and graffiti on the walls.
The program director and supervisors at Shad Laval are hilarious, interactive, friendly, and generally fun to be around. Our group of 50 Shads was divided into smaller groups (houses). We are introducing our houses to each other tomorrow and I can't wait to see everyone's cheers and participate in the ice breaker games.
Oh and I forgot to mention my roommate. His name is Sachin and he is a "dynamic young person from the west coast who has eased my transition into this month long journey". Hahaha he will laugh when he sees this. I can truly say that the friends I've met here at Laval are AWESOME! I know that this experience is going to be (and I quote) "Legen... wait for it... DARY!"
Well to end this off, it has been a tiring first day at Shad Valley Laval. There has been a lot of excitement in the air and I know that there's more to come tomorrow.
Mervyn Mendonca, Shad Valley Université Laval 2011
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
