Today was an unforgettable day because we had our Presidents' Luncheon. All the heads of faculty in McMaster University came, including Barry Bisson, President of Shad Valley International and Peter George, President of McMaster University.

Shad Valley is always keeping me on my toes and especially today since we had two tours and a couple of lectures. Doug Boreham gave us a lecture on Nuclear Reactors and as he gave this lecture "The Nature of Things" (CBC Program) videotaped his lecture.

After the luncheon I went to visit McMaster University's new Planetarium. The planetarium gave me an impression of what the size of space in on a 360 view. Once the tour of space was over I went on a tour to the Nuclear Reactor building. The tour with Doug Boreham was very impressive since this is a one of a kind Nuclear Reactor built in 1959.

After the tour of the Nuclear Reactor I realized that Northern Lights are cosmic rays coming from the sky. All of us do not need to be afraid of nuclear radiation because we are exposed to it everyday!

My day was fantastic and I hope every other day at Shad will be the same!!

Aloka Wijesooriya
Shad Valley McMaster
Hometown: Iqaluit, Nunavut

Psychological Experiment Shad Valley Dalhousie: Subject Log, Day 11

7:30.000 – Wakeup, the barrage of knowledge and learning is taking its toll, sleep deprivation evident as mind fixated on month project theme while showering begins: fibres, fibres, fibres…

8:45.000 – House group Vagapelago (derived from Vagabond and Archipelago, ergo hobos on an island) gathers final details for project pitch to group, 100% biodegradable pen idea on verge of reality

12:30.000 – Dared to down a slice of pizza in one bite, beginning to feel dreaded “Shad 5.000” coming on

13:30.000 – Walked from residence to Rowe Building for seminar on math and probabilities, have yet to see sunshine in Halifax for more than a total of fifteen minutes, weather predicted to be good for camping trip Friday, Vitamin D deficiency will soon be quenched…we hope

16:30.000 – Head swirling from overload of permutation, combination concepts, feeling sleepy and hungry, a good day’s work

17:15.000 – Practice for piano, singing duet for coffee house successful, probability of “rocking the house” significantly raised

22:30.000 – Beginning to suspect cool roommate is part of experiment to observe behavior of Shads in response to wild antics, sleep deprivation and hunger creeping in again, thought processes failing…having the time of my life!

Jonathan Lim
Shad Valley Dalhousie
Hometown: Calgary, Alberta

Today was another exciting day at Shad Valley at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay. It already feels like we have been here forever, as we have all made amazing connections with each and every 65 Shads.

This morning we started off with Shad Speaks, which were presentations prepared by each Shad on a topic that they have become an expert in. Next we had a lecture on entrepreneurship, which was really helpful for our Shad Cup project and provided us with some excellent pointers.
Mealtimes at Shad, are always entertaining. You never know what conversation you will be having, or what kind of activity will be happening.

After lunch, we had a very informative session on career development. The focus was on writing resumes, which will be very useful to every Shad some time or later. This was followed by a lecture on technology, specifically on computer communications and networking. Learning in the field of technology was continued with hands on experience with building a chatroom with Java and HTML, as well as working with a robot.

After supper we had time to work on our Shad Cup projects, which are on the theme of natural fibres. Although our time at Shad is so busy and our schedule is packed with different activities, it is definitely worth being here, and I will miss everyone terrible when Shad (sob) is over! Today was also my birthday, which was definitely a unique experience, and a day I will never forget. Continuing on with the birthday theme, I would like to wish my mom a happy birthday tomorrow!

Heidi Bentley
Shad Valley Lakehead
Hometown: Halifax, Nova Scotia

Fun, stress, fatigue and remarkable are the four adjectives most often used to describe Shad Valley Carleton ’09. We came back from camping yesterday, bitten, dirty and exhausted. However, the thrill of the camping experience cannot be described in mere words. Using the outhouses, sleeping in small tents with four other Shads and mosquitoes was, believe it or not, EXCITING!! This was because we were all together.

Today, Yellow House presented ShadNews in a very entertaining manner which distracted us from scratching our bug bites. ShadNews really helps us stay connected with the outside world which would be impossible otherwise as we are always caught up in the hustle and bustle of Shad. We then had the pleasure of listening to three fellow Shads present their Shad Speaks. It is really intriguing to listen to the Shads speak about their passions, since all 52 of us come from different backgrounds. In Shad, we learn about things which we hardly learn about in school, such as, recent developments in scientific research and volunteering opportunities.

Next, we had the honour of listening to Mr. Al Pilcher talk to us about the business aspect of the legendary DE project! It was then time to start exercising our bodies with a game of soccer. I got to see the Emperor and Empress of Japan; they were visiting Carleton as part of their two-week Canadian tour.

After lunch, the houses presented their codes of conduct to Al Pilcher and received some very useful tips for improvement. We then worked on our DE project for a half-hour (a very busy half-hour). After dinner, we had Committee Time. I am part of the Shadwear and monthbook committee so during this time we designed the logo for Shadwear. After a few more fun activities, it was time to go to bed and get a restful sleep. This only captures the essence of Shad, which is really hard to do in 200 words! In order to truly know Shad, one has to live the experience!

Sapna Shah
Shad Valley Carleton
Hometown: Markham, Ontario

I can’t believe we’ve already been here a week at Shad Valley Queen’s! I quickly lost track of time as we’ve done so much! We got a bit of time to relax this morning and I woke up to the sounds of cows mooing, birds chirping, a wind turbine (NOT windmill we learnt) blowing and our tents rustling. Not necessarily the typical sounds we’ve heard at Queen’s.

Last night we pitched our tents in a field in Wolfe Island to prepare for a night’s camping trip. It was a little more luxurious than the Duke of Edinburgh camping I was expecting and I was pleasantly surprised to return from the campfire to temperatures above zero. After a rushed attempt to take down our tent, which had to be repeated properly a second time, we raced to breakfast. Being the last ones awake this was a rushed process as we didn’t want to miss anything.

We started the morning with more leadership activities, including catching each other, providing a path for each other across sticks and creating a seat for those behind you (left) and we successfully completed the tasks given to us by our fabulous guide Walter!

After rec time and lunch we set off on a hayride around the island and stopped to see its wind turbines. They are huge!! Then we got back on the ferry to return to our home for the rest of the month.

We finally had some time to relax. Most of us enjoyed a much needed shower, and took the opportunity to catch up with the world at home. After supper we worked on our house projects and then had our first house social - Casino Night, including a huge game of Uno, poker and, to begin with, a little awkward dancing but finished with everyone singing and dancing to the YMCA.

Then we went upstairs for a game of our own creation of Pictionary meets charades before saying goodnight to the boys as they left for their own floor. Another exciting day at Shad Valley has ended but I know there’s tons more to come! Must go to bed as I’m keeping my fabulous French roommate awake.

Bonne nuit!

Philippa Gosine
Shad Valley Queen's
Hometown: St. John's, Newfoundland

Expected number of mosquito bites since arrival at Shad: 27
Actual number of mosquito bites since arrival at Shad: 2
Average hours of sleep per night: far too few
Required number of morning coffees: 15
Actual number of morning coffees: 0

Let me start off by saying that today in particular was another exhausting day at Shad Valley UBC. Like all other mornings, breakfast was between 7:30 and 8:30. All 52 of us trundled into "The Lounge", anxiously awaiting a new day of unknown activities.

We boarded the bus to Lynn Valley (our first official 'field trip' as an entire group) at 9:05am sharp. As one knows, a school bus filled to the brim with excited teenagers is rather... noisy, to say the least. A near hour-long bus ride later, the Shads spilled out of the bus to take in their new surroundings. We were astonished. We were surrounded by lush green forest that towered above our heads. For those of you who haven't been to Beautiful British Columbia, perhaps the simplest way to describe Lynn Valley is that it looks as if it came straight out of the Lord of the Rings films. For those of you who aren't fantasy buffs, here's a photo: (coming soon).

We intrepid Shads got our first taste of exactly how frigid a creek is in early July. We waded through a rushing stream, and although swimming was not planned into the itinerary, quite a few of us ended up getting soaked. Yours truly managed to evade the worst.

About two dozen of us went hiking in the afternoon after lunch. (One learns to appreciate meals in a completely new way when one is away from home). The larger group (myself included) took the long route, which delved into the forest and spanned close to 14 km. The return trip took almost 4 hours! Needless to say we were exhausted on the bus ride home... but still as rowdy.

Not to forget our friends south of the border, the evening was finished off with cake and a rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner by Dr. Martin Adamson (our Program Director) on guitar and vocals and Steve McCarthy (our Program Manager) on vocals. All in all, it was such a busy day that I will wake up at 6:30 am tomorrow, anxious to experience another day at Shad. And somehow managing to get through the entire day without coffee.

Deanna Choi
Shad Valley UBC
Hometown: Kingston, Ontario

En Francais!

Pour chaque journée que nous dormons au campus, nous, les Shads, devons nous réveiller pour être prêt(e)s pour le déjeuner. Alors, aujourd’hui, nous sommes tous réveillés et prêt pour aller déjeuner. Au menu : des œufs avec des petites patates carrées et du bacon, des céréales ou du yogourt.

Puisque nous n’irons pas retourner aux résidences, nous avons déjà apporté tous ce que nous aurons besoin. Ensuite, nous sommes allés dans une salle pour faire une activité enrichissante. Voici l’activité : il y a deux pays : le Canada et le Mali. Chaque équipe doit essayer de survivre avec les ressources dont ils disposent et doivent ainsi acheter du luxe pour essayer d’être le plus riche. L’équipe ayant le plus de luxe gagne la partie.

Après l’activité, nous discutons de ce que nous avons vu et appris durant l’activité. Et puis, nous sommes allés faire du camping à St-Aimé-des-Lacs. Arrivés sur les lieux, chacun d’entre nous a une tâche à faire : préparer la nourriture pour ensuite cuisiner le souper, monter les toiles protectrices pour ne pas se faire mouiller par la pluie, mettre en place les tentes et apporter des tables pour s’asseoir.

Et vient le temps pour souper : du cousse-cousse avec des saucisses et du poulet (pour les végétariens, une combinaison de légumes et de fruits). Comme dessert, des bananes cuites au feu avec des pépites de chocolats et des biscuits à l’intérieur. Puis, nous nous sommes rassemblés autour du feu pour parler de nos peurs à Shad, ce que Shad représente pour nous. Il y a eu des émotions fortes dans cette discussion. C’est alors pourquoi nous nous sommes donnés des hugs après.

Finalement, nous nous sommes couchés.

Mathieu Dassylva St-Pierre
Shad Valley Université Laval
Hometown: Edmundston, New Brunswick