This morning was a refreshing one, as all Shads woke up with satisfaction at the successful house project presentations the night before. After all the learning, creativity, and a little bit of frustration, we had finally completed our house projects.

I woke up at 6:30am for morning recreation. Strangely, I'm not nearly as groggy waking up this early as I would be back home. I am unsure of whether it's because I'm too curious as to the day's events to be tired, or because I've grown accustomed to the schedule. Most likely, a combination of both.

We then received an honorary breakfast from MUN (I won't waste precious words on describing how delicious the food was), in which we learned useful information on programs offered at MUN, and it's many different campuses.

Perhaps the pinnacle of the day was our trip downtown in the afternoon, stretching into the evening. 48 Shads, let loose on downtown St. John's was bound to result in a great time, and it didn't disappoint. From the Newfoundland souvenir shops, to the genuine (and somewhat exotic) Newfoundland food, it was an experience that I will never forget.

But what truly defines my Shad experience, is not necessarily the particular events, but moreso the people I shared them with. Everyone here is unforgettable, and all played an integral role in making my time at Shad one of the best experiences of my life. I can safely say that Shad changed my life in so many ways, and that I would not be the same person without it.

Grant Robson
Shad Valley Memorial University
Hometown: Guelph, Ontario

Today was the day. The day where we found out the winning project that moves onto the Shad Cup. After countless screams of frustration, delusional images appearing and sleepless nights in the classrooms, all our efforts were rewarded.

The judges went over feedback for each groups' presentation, and made many valuable suggestions. After the comments from the judges, it was the anticipated nerve wracking voting time. All the presentations and projects were spectacular, it was difficult to choose the best one, but we all realized no matter which project was chosen, we are all winners because we have all learned and grown through this process (yes, it's that cheesy!).

After much sweat and nervous flitters, the ballots were totalled and the PAs announced the winner was... A TIE! Our project, InsulECO, and Gumline Green, were chosen and a revote was needed. Both teams were bombarded with a series of questions from the Shads. The revote has yet to be conducted; however, no matter which team wins, Shad Laval will be well represented. On a side note, we were also really sad to find out that Shad Cup gala will not take place in Waterloo this year as we were all hoping for a reunion.

With the project out of the way, Shads celebrated Twin Day emerging out with similar colours, matching shirts and hairstyles as twins, triplets, and even quadruplets. After lunch, Laval Shads headed to visit the EXFO headquarters in Quebec City. After a long wait in the sun, we were finally escorted up to a conference room to hear a presentation from the Director of Optical Production, Stephane Chabot. It was exciting to hear our newly learned marketing and business terms during his presentation.

After the presentation, we were split up into 3 groups and took a tour of the plant. We saw the production process and the research and development put into the creation of the fibre optic transmission in portable devices. The tour ended with a little game of pool in the lounge with some of the Shads while waiting for others to finish.

When we got back to the university, another suprise awaited us. We were finally getting our Shad Laval t-shirts and sweaters. Being part of the tshirt committee that designed both, I wore mine with great pride. With all of Shad Laval dressed in their snazzy tshirts and/or sweaters, we took our group photos. After numerous attemps to spell "Shad", we finally had our momentous picture for the monthbook. Houses got together to celebrate their success and took their house pictures while roommates scattered around to find each other for their own pictures. Many pictures were taken today for the monthbook that will be the most treasured memory and souvenir for many Shads.

As I sit here typing this blog, I realize we have about 50 hours of Shad left. Looking at that sentence makes my heart drop, as the tragic truth starts to hit me hard: Shad is almost over. Tomorrow will be our last "real" Shad day together as Thursday is Open Day and Friday everybody leaves at different times. Shad worked its magic into us that has created inseparable bonds. We know that the good times must come to an end but the bond will remain forever within us despite the distance that separates us. Let us value every hour that is left of Shad as it is our last chance to leave an impact with our Shad experience. Value each second spent with the Shads and PAs around you who have no doubt become your family this past month.

Susie Pan
Shad Valley Université Laval
Hometown: Guelph, Ontario

Today was the day: project presentation day!

After having a universal curfew last night, the UBC Shads awoke somewhat relaxed and renewed with fresh energy. In the morning, we were given three hours of preparation time, during which you could spot many stressed people running frantically from here to there, trying to print business plans or finish PowerPoint presentations. It was clear from the chaos all around that this was the day we had worked towards for the last three weeks. The presentation day had finally arrived.

For five hours, we heard each House Group present some of the most innovative and beneficial products and services. The magnitude of work that we had managed to accomplish in such a short time frame was truly impressive and awe-inspiring. As our judge so aptly stated, all the presentations were impeccable and definitely something to be proud of.

After our presentations, we enjoyed a relaxing swim at the UBC Aquatic Center. Walking back from the swim in the cool evening breeze, a realization struck me. Even though we had whined, complained and at times outright protested the ridiculous idea of creating a professional business proposal in two weeks, we came to the realization that there is a definite, if not twisted, logic behind this crazy House Project. By leaving us to complete this most arduous task almost all on our own, we inadvertently became all that Shad stands for. We were able to discover, harness and strengthen our talents, skills, abilities and potential. In the true spirit of Shad Valley, we were able to transcend our limits by driving, stretching, and dreaming further than we had ever before.

Shad Valley has truly found the best and made them better.

Shivani Upadhyaya
Shad Valley UBC
Hometown: Edmonton, Alberta

After recently returning from an amazing camping trip to Prince Edward Island, all the Shads were very tired and had a hard time jumping into a busy day. Usually Sundays are a chance to catch up on some long lost sleep, but considering the prototypes were due we had to do some serious work. Many of the projects required special tools and extra work which made the day incredibly busy but fun at the same time.

In the afternoon our large group of Shads went downtown and enjoyed the Tall Ships festival in beautiful summer weather. It was a sight to see and all the ships were magnificent. There was also a lady at the festival who brought her pet iguanas, which we found very fascinating.

This was one of many bonding experiences we were able to experience here and it was sad for everyone to think that we are entering the last week. We have had an amazing time so far and the hard work we all put into our projects is starting to show. It is getting close to the end but we are enjoying every minute.

Shane Wiebe
Shad Valley Dalhousie
Hometown: Fort St. John, British Columbia

Bilingual Poste Bilingue!

Je me suis levée un peu plus tard que normalement, mais la ligne pour le petit-déjeuner était courte. Alors, quand je suis arrivée, beaucoup de Shads mangeaient encore. Nous avons discuté de notre prochaine activité et de la Nuit Multiculturelle.

After breakfast, we made our way to the activity room, wondering what our second design challenge would be: CATAPULTS!!! We were divided into six groups and began our quest for planning and building the most efficient catapult for launching green army men the furthest distance. Of course the groups first went to the computer lab, most likely Googling best catapult design or optimal angle for catapult. After ten minutes, my group had our basic idea and started to sketch the design, taking into account our limited supplies.

Après des heures de couper le bois fragile (ou briser par accident), coller, et construire le catapulte, les groupes ont décidé de tester leur machine avant la compétition. Mon groupe est allé dans un couloir et a commencé à lance les petits army mens qui ont perdu leur tête ou bras à cause de la collision avec le sol. Mais enfin nous avons trouvé quel angle de les lancer. Puis tous les groupes ont choisi un nom et la compétition a débuté.

I was surprised by the various designs. All teams did well. Next, we had two hours to get ready for Multicultural Night. As I was part of the Bollywood dance to the song "Jai Ho", I spent part of my time practicing with the other girls. Soon we were walking to the boudoir. The meal was delicious, including couscous, chicken, poutine, and brownies.

Now for what we were all waiting for: the show. The entertainment included the Tanzanian national anthem, Korean dance, Korean song, Chinese lessons (tongue twister), an interesting educational presentation, and the Bollywood dance. The night ended with a DANCE PARTY!

There is less than a week that remains of Shad, but I know that I will see some of the Shads from my hometown again in summer; in fact, we’ve already made plans of what we can do! Being at Shad Valley has really motivated me to do more activities, to push my boundaries, and to get out of my comfort zone. To top things off, my vocabulary has improved exponentially: innate, conventional, instigate, quintessentially …thanks to my wonderful Shad friends.

Sara Sassani
Shad Valley Laval
Hometown: North Vancouver, British Columbia

Our day did not have a typical beginning: some Shads stayed up working until ridiculous hours of the mornings, some woke up insanely early, while others did both. What was the cause of all our sleep deprivation? The business plan for our DE projects was due today. Even though some of us had approximately three and a half hours of sleep (note to parents: Do not be alarmed! On less abnormal days we do get a more decent amount of sleep!), we still experienced the day with the utmost of Shadditude, which here at Carleton is a term we use to describe all of the actions and behaviours that encompass the values of Shad creativity, excellence, community, diversity and responsibility.

This means that even though we were all thinking about the comfort of our dorm beds, we continued to work diligently on our projects and still managed to have some fun on the way.

After working on the project from 5:30 am, all of the Shads made their way to the Minto Centre for 8:30 am, where we had morning announcements, ShadNews, and a few ShadSpeaks. There was a Tim Hortons cup at every second seat; a feeble attempt to regain energy so that we could make it through the day without completely losing all consciousness during the lectures.

The Blue House, the house responsible for today’s ShadNews, decided to try something new and therefore presented their news in the form of improvisation. Members from the audience were chosen to improvise the morning news; everything from a plane crash caused by the throwing of a wedding bouquet to the announcement of Canada’s Next Top Model, Meaghan Waller from Winnipeg (and since I am also from Winnipeg, I was the privileged one who got to strut down the front of the room as I acted out winning the highly-acclaimed title).

Today was indefinitely the worst day to be a lecturer; Shads were passing out into states of unconsciousness by the second! As Super Sam (our most frequent lecturer) always says, I do not take any offense when Shads are falling asleep in my lecture because I know that it is due to the fact that this is a highly intensive program that does not accommodate for enough sleep. So although it was definitely a nearly impossible task to focus on the lectures being presented, I definitely induced all of my will power and found that today’s lectures were indeed interesting, wishing only that these lectures could have been presented on a day when conscious levels had been slightly higher.

Next it was crunch time! We had five hours (including supper) to finish the business plan for our DE projects. The process was indeed mentally draining, but at the same time, working with a group of 13 other passionate and driven students also made it extremely exhilarating! Besides, there is nothing quite like the feeling of accomplishment that sweeps over you when you get up after sitting at a computer screen for so long and you finally see the work that you have contributed so much time and energy to complete.

Though today was undoubtedly the most exhausting day at Shad thus far, it was also one of the most inspiring. And, just as the Blue House so wittingly expresses in their 13 syllable roll call (13 members in their group), This Shad won’t kill us; it will only make us stronger!

Nadine Demko
Shad Valley Carleton
Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Today, like most days here at Shad Waterloo, was one that was filled with many events. Today was no different than any other day here at Shad in the sense that the Shads were always on the go. However, it was a unique day full of surprises.

As usual, we had breakfast at 7:30am. Then at 8:00am, we had a Whole Group session for which we arrived for at “Shad time” (meaning 5minutes early). Today, Rob Gorbet (a faculty member) gave us a lecture about defining art. It was interesting to see that art could be anything (including a toilet), as long as there was a creator who made something with the intent of making an art piece.

After the intriguing lecture by Rob, it was time for us to attend our last day in Workshop Series B. I was part of the digital animation workshop and today my group finished making our final product. We linked a series of stop-motion photos in order to make a short film about Minnie Mouse, Pikachu, Misty, Nurse Joy, Goku, Luigi, and Serverus Snape on a Mario Cart Race around campus. We were proud of this production with its special effects (like floating characters) and edited background music.

Lunch at noon was uneventful except for the fact that most of the Shads were panicking about our design projects, which are due tomorrow. We were uneasy through the “Drawing on the Past, Communicating with the Future” we worried about getting our projects finished for tomorrow. Finally, at 2:30pm everybody rushed to different parts of the campus building to tackle the final parts of the design projects. After 3 hours of hardcore working, we had dinner and recreation. For recreation, we were split into 6 teams and raced against the clock as we tried to beat the other teams in the Amazing Race. All the Shads required a hot shower after that…

Unfortunately, the relaxing showers ended all too quickly as everyone got back to working feverishly on their projects. Many people stayed up late in an attempt to make their projects even just a little better. By 1:30pm tomorrow, this will all be over and we will all feel accomplished and proud of ourselves at finishing the process of design.

Minnie Kwak
Shad Valley Waterloo
Hometown: Oakville, Ontario