One day feels like an eternity. Twenty-six days could not possibly be enough. This is the thought with which I awoke today on our fourth day here at Shad UNB. In the little time that has passed since our arrival, we Shads have already come to anticipate days that are fast-paced and fully-packed; this one has not disappointed.
After a 7:00 am wakeup and breakfast at 7:30, we had an exciting hour of recreation. Even Capture the Flag and Ultimate Frisbee are more intense with this group! We then made our way to lecture with muddy clothes and renewed energy. The beautiful weather was a welcome change from the heavy rains of the past couple of days, and we were able to sit outside in the New Brunswick sunshine for our program director Ian Fogarty's lecture. Ian's enthusiastic talk about his experiences at NASA and the mystery of the Mars observer (complete with burning rubbing alcohol and exploding root beer bottles) definitely captivated the attention of everyone in attendance.
Next was a short and mostly successful attempt to set up the tents that will be our homes on our upcoming camping trip to Fundy this weekend, followed by lunch as usual in McConnell Hall. We then had the opportunity to continue our research for the design project that will be a central part of our month here. That's right, the national theme was finally revealed last night: "Designing for Canada's Aging Population". All sixty Shads spent the hour preparing presentations on issues that the growing number of Canadian seniors will face – issues that we will attempt to resolve through our projects.
"Shad time" was a chance to briefly unwind and was passed in various ways that included going for a swim, squeezing in some more research, and just hanging out with new and interesting friends. After dinner, we met in Ludlow Hall for some important procedures: voting on a Shad UNB t-shirt graphic and presenting and choosing topics for the design projects. By the end of the evening, eight groups had been formed to deal with everything from Alzheimer's disease to driving dilemmas.
Finally, we ended our day with Shad Late Night, the theme of which was wind and string instruments. The Shad community was kept entertained by acts on the clarinet, violin, harmonica, pennywhistle, and even a trumpet mouthpiece!
Now, everyone is off to bed so as not to doze off during lecture tomorrow - an occurrence that's becoming more and more frequent, much to the staff's dismay. Besides, with Canada Day tomorrow and Fundy the next day, we'll need all the sleep we're able to get! Despite the insane business of our everyday schedule here, it’s the quiet moments in between that are helping me realize that Shad, as promised, is shaping up to be the experience of a lifetime.
Courtney Firestone, Shad Valley University of New Brunswick 2010
Hometown: Thornhill, Ontario
