We started the day in a typical manner at 9am with two lectures:our first one revolved around the topic of physical oceanography, by one of our PAs, and the second one awarded us with a wealth of valuable information regarding marketing strategies. After two hours of mind-stimulating sessions that aided us in the preparation for our house projects, we headed off for some recreation at the turf, engaging in some friendly soccer competitions between the houses, speckled with team cheers and an overwhelming sense of belonging and encouragement.
After an hour and a half of lunch filled with the eating of record-breaking amounts of burgers by some of our keeners, 50 energetic Shads strolled to the Cameron Room for an afternoon seminar with our very own enthusiastic Program Manager, Mike. We filled our minds with ideas about project management and engaged in a bridge-building activity with our house teams, inevitably with a catch, as we have come to understand as Shads – the main theme we were taught was communication as we had to wear labels on our foreheads that noted phrases such as “ignore me”, “praise me”, or “don’t make eye contact with me”, and much more, without each individual having the knowledge of the contents of his/her own label. We learned the importance of communication and team dynamics, coupled with much laughter throughout the process.
After some free time, a supper break, and a hurried house meeting on-the-go, we settled in for a quick assembly with some surprising news (we will be visiting Peggy’s Cove tomorrow!) and enjoyed five amazing Shadspeaks from our very gifted Shads; the breadth of the talent never ceases to amaze me. The penultimate item on the agenda was yet another surprise: our schedule for the day read “this space is intentionally left blank” at 7:30pm, which rendered much thought and wonder as to what the event could possibly entail. We discovered that we had a surprise two-hour session of improv and drama with a guest instructor, and everyone enjoyed an unbelievable experience, not to mention with much perspiration. To end off an excellent day, my house hosted our 10pm snack time with a fancy restaurant theme, complete with semi-formal clothing, serenading violin music by one of our house members, and a very interesting magic trick involving plastic thumbs and red light in the dark.
It is the near completion of Week 1, and I am thoroughly looking forward for the next couple of weeks with much anticipation. All of the Shads have bonded in an incredibly short amount of time and I know that we will all become very close friends in the weeks to come. An enlightening month in Halifax, Dalhousie University, and with my fellow Shads – what more could one ask for?
Sureni Gomis, Shad Valley Dalhousie University 2010
Hometown: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
