Monday July 19

It's funny how fatigue can give you a heightened sense of awareness. Scrambling out of bed at four thirty in the morning, I actually felt this sort of calmness and clarity in me despite everything--- missing crucial hours of sleep, last minute finalizations of the DE project, being away from family and friends. I felt untouched by everyone else's woes and even by my own worries. As cheesy as this may sound, theres still no place I would rather be at than Shad.

The skies seemed to match everyones anticipation as it was gloomy and almost foreboding as we headed into the presentation building. Yes, today was Carleton Shad's final DE project presentation. The house teams assembled into their respective places and seats, each wishing each other good luck. Then, the announcements were made and the judges were finally introduced. The first house team got the ball rolling right away. Every team's innovativeness and commitment was made clear by the end of the presentations. We have been so preoccupied with the project for the past week; it almost feels strange thinking, "This is the culmination of all our hard work. This is us. This is it." Then I realized, it's because isn't. The DE project did account for a lot, but it wasn't the culmination of all of our hardwork, it wasn't us, it wasn't it. It was just the beginning.

Azalea Atienza, Shad Valley Carleton University 2010
Hometown: Cambridge Bay, Nunavut