The last night with the Shads was hectic, bittersweet and slightly surreal. Four weeks of jam-packed schedules had made most of us already pretty sleep deprived, but we certainly weren’t going to miss out on the last few precious minutes with the people who had effectively become our family over the past month.
Past midnight, all the Shads assembled in the basement dance studio to sign month books, exchange phone numbers and reminisce. From there, we trickled out into smaller groups – talking, dancing or learning tai-chi with Chris at 3:00 a.m. I had some of the most meaningful and memorable conversations at 4:00 a.m., only hours away from parting with my friends.
At 6:00 a.m., after I had lugged my packed suitcase downstairs, we had one more Shad group hug before I climbed into the taxi. Everyone was considerably damp from the crying, and I hopped out of the taxi more than once for a last-minute hug and reassurance that a reunion was happening soon. Finally, driving away to the airport, I had the feeling you get when you just wake up from a really great dream. The program is over, but I know that the Shad Valley experience is not.
Saima Desai, Shad Valley Laval 2012
