On the anniversary marking 143 years since Canada's creation as a Dominion of the United Kingdom, everything seemed to fall perfectly in place: the sun was shining bright, the humidity was low and the spirit amongst the Shads was ecstatic as we all began the day in the dining hall, eagerly awaiting the fun-filled day we knew was ahead.
The day started off with the usual morning seminar this one focused on creativity and defining problems in relation to the theme of our House projects. This session allowed all the Houses more chance to brainstorm and develop ideas that will hopefully be used as their final product.
After the morning seminar was our first REAL recreation session with the activity being soccer on Dalhousie U's spectacular artificial turf field Wickwire Field. The session was based on allowing Houses to practice for the upcoming rec. time soccer championship. The session ended with 2 scrimmages under the leadership of some Program Directors, pitting the highly touted Team McCollins against the underdog Team Jeremy and sadly, there was no Cinderella story today. The sun was in full flight by noon, and most of the Shads were well worn out, warm and exhausted by the time recreational activities were finished.
Lunch break was truncated to a measly 45 minutes as the group was eager to depart on time for scheduled downtown Halifax activities. Most of the Shads decided to cool off by showering, and had to rush to squeeze in few pieces of fruit before disembarkment.
Fitted in new Shad Valley Dalhousie t-shirts, the group set out for downtown Halifax at about 1pm. The walk was a wonderful way to enjoy the beautiful weather without over-expending energy to the point of exhaustion. The first stop along the "downtown exploration tour" was Citadel Hill - the same point from which we watched Queen Elizabeth II's arrival earlier this week. That day, however, had been terribly wet, windy and miserable and the group did not have a chance to explore Citadel Hill, which is in fact a British Fort built into the hill as to be concealed from approaching enemy vessels.
We spent about an hour inside the fort, exploring the various buildings, artifacts and contraptions that one does not usually encounter in every day life. Needless to say, being inside an important and historic military strong-point is very inspiring.
After the tour of the Citadel Hill fortress, the group headed down to the Halifax Metro Centre (which was conveniently located at the bottom of Citadel Hill) to witness the 2010 edition of the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo. The show consists of various military bands and display teams and has taken place in Halifax since 1979 - it is currently the largest annual indoor show in the world.
The 2010 Tattoo was a 4 hour spectacle with enough pizzaz and marvels to rival the opening and closing ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics with Royal Bands from Canadian, American, German, French and British Armies and Navies, as well as extraordinary performances delivered by troupes from the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, France and Estonia. This performance is truly a one-of-a-kind - I have never witnessed an event that held so much individual patriotic pride from the individual groups of performers. The performers really offered insight into the importance of teamwork: alone, a trumpet player is nothing but an isolated musician, but within a symphony, he possesses a role, a niche, in which he can contribute his part to something greater than he alone could ever hope to become - and this sense of teamwork is something we can all implement as we work together on various projects.
After the event finished, the Shads were grouped into 5's and given almost 3 hours of free time to explore the downtown Halifax. The one thing on most of the Shads' minds seemed to be food, as most had missed out lunch and were also eager to taste luxurious Halifax seafood. The gigantic mass of 50 Shads all clad in matching t-shirts soon dissipated as different groups headed off in different directions with different destinations in mind. My group ended up at the waterfront and had a nice (although not entirely filling and overly expensive) seafood meal at Salty's. The fading sunset and the ideal temperature really amplified all the beauties of downtown Halifax, where no one seems to have a care in the world.
After returning to the University in the late evening, the Shads were divided into 4 committees each in charge of unique opportunities that will occur throughout the month. The 4 committees were: planning variety shows, planning open day and the banquet, Shad events and Thank you's, and the creation and compilation of a month-book to document everything we have and will do this month. It is painful to think about the end of something as wonderful as our Shad experience when it has just begun, but failure to plan for the future almost always ends in stress and sometimes failures and disappointments.
I was placed in the month-book committee and we complied lists of what should be included in the month-book, budget usage, and side accessories that may also be created to accompany the month-book as souvenirs. With all the projects starting up, this month seems to be getting busier and busier and yet all the Shads are willing to find fun underneath rocks, no matter the size, challenge and effort requirement these rocks might pose, and this is what excites me the most.
It is comforting to be around individuals who, no matter how rough the going gets, will never give up, never stop believing, and never stop living, and it is this vibrant 'Shaditude' that allows me to see my dreams, everyday here at Shad Valley Dalhousie U.
Vincent Ye, Shad Valley Dalhousie University 2010
Hometown: Coquitlam, British Columbia
