I began the morning by missing out on the morning run by sleeping in. I guess that just goes to show how tiring and busy Shad life can be. After our usual breakfast at Leonard Hall, we heard two lectures. One was an introduction to materials engineering and the other was about teamwork. Following the lectures, we had our recreation time. We were told before coming to Queen's to bring a white t-shirt for tie-dying, and today was the day we got to do it. Another first! I have never done this in my life and it was an interesting experience to say the least. We let the shirts dry on a line while we had our lunch.
Today we were also introduced to four workshops that we could choose to attend throughout the month. I ended up going to the workshop about bridge building. After we discussed some theoretical knowledge, such as types of bridge structures and the types of forces that are applied to them, we built our own bridge. I later heard about the other workshops that took place, and it definitely made me more excited for the next three.
After returning to Leonard Hall and eating dinner, we were introduced to the main project. For the next two and a half weeks, we will be working on a project that is meant to help improve the quality of life of a Canadian child with a disability. While we do have two other projects at the moment, this has been the first time in a while that doing work is not all that bad. Unlike school where there is the constant pressure and stress, these group projects are really fun to work on. It’s only been 4 days, but already it feels as if we have all known each other for such a long time. We are all finally getting settled into all the routines and activities that go on, but no matter how routine things are, each day brings another new surprise at Queen's.
Perhaps tomorrow, I will be less tired and maybe be able to run in the mornings for the first time!
Bryan Qiu, Shad Valley Queen's University 2011
Hometown: Richmond Hill, ON
