Shad Valley has been one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had in my entire life. Each Shad here is so very similar to myself, but we are all so diverse as well. Today at Shad Valley I continued to learn about each special person here, myself included.
It was a busy day at Carleton, from Shad Speak presentations to lectures, a crazy scavenger hunt to divided committee time, and finally our cultural night. We learned about chemistry in pharmaceutical drugs during a lecture by Jeff Manthrope, and the effects of illegal drugs on one’s brain by Kim Helleman. After three straight lectures we were all getting restless and were in need of some recreation time, so our Program Assistants and Admins sent us on a wild goose chase across campus in search of five clues all before supper time!
After supper we broke into our committees and worked on our individual chores; my committee is the mural committee! We’re in charge of painting a large mural in the tunnels beneath Carleton that represents our Shad Valley experience; it is nonetheless very interesting.
We finished off the night with a riveting cultural night where each Shad presented something from their own culture. I’m from New Brunswick, so I teamed up with a friend, Rachel, who is from Nova Scotia and we sang a song about being from the Maritimes. It was an eye-opening night and made me realize how different we truly are and how our differences have also brought us together in a wonderful, accepting way.
This month has been a whirlwind and continues to surprise and inspire me. There are 10 days left and I cannot wait to see what they hold for me and my fellow Shads.
Kate Ridgley, Shad Valley Carleton 2012
