Months ago, when asked the question: What is Shad? I answered sarcastically that it's a nerd camp, little did I know that leaving this “nerd camp” would turn out to be one of the most difficult things I have ever done.
The last day of Shad started as a continuation of the previous day. As the clock struck midnight, everyone was still busy trying to sign each other's monthbooks, preserving every memory they shared during this amazing month.
After we spent hours signing monthbooks, I realized that it's impossible to summarize the memories of Shad. Every minute of every day meant something new to me - something unforgettable.
Finally giving up on signing monthbooks, we decided to leave the confined spaces of our lounge and spend the last few hours of Shad UBC under the night sky. Even while I was lying there in the grass, it did not feel like the end. I kept on telling myself that tomorrow will just be another day at Shad Valley: waking up early as usual and attending “intense lectures” or fun workshops.
However, as I sat there at Totem and watched the sunrise for the last time, signs of the end finally hit me. A sheet was posted on the lounge wall that listed when all the Shads are getting dropped off at the airport, and the blackboard which was always completed with the next day's schedule is now empty.
Shortly after, the first group of Shads started to leave for the airport, the good byes seemed to take an eternity and would've taken an eternity had the PAs not intervened. At the airport, a few Shads got together for one last good bye and then we all went our separate ways. At the gate, I looked back at the fellow Shads and realized just how much we have bonded in such a short amount of time.
During my flight back to Toronto, I read all of my monthbook comments, some were funny, some were sad, and each of the comments was as unique as the Shad who wrote it. When I landed at Pearson Intl. Airport, it surprised me how short ago that I was here waiting to board my flight to Vancouver. As I met up with my parents and drove home, so little seemed to have changed in Ontario. Yet at the same time, I have changed so much since I last drove by these same scenery. Cities, to me, are no longer just names, instead they're the home towns of my many Shad friends.
When I finally got home and crashed on my bed, I realized that it had started raining. During the 27 days at UBC, it did not rain once. The rain seemed like a fitting end to the unbelievable month I had. To all of my Shad UBC friends who I have grown so close to, it has truly been a remarkable ride.
I will miss you all!
Jason Zhao
Shad Valley University of British Columbia
Hometown: Fort Erie, Ontario
