Emily's Adventures at Penn Law

Second to last semester flying by!

2009-11-28T21:37:00.000-08:00

Wow. I am almost through my second-to-last semester here at Penn Law! My how time flies!

Ronald's initial visa petition was approved on August 12, and he has now submitted his checklist stating that he has all the paperwork he needs to proceed. Hopefully he will be scheduled for an interview soon. I can't wait to get him here!

I've been pretty busy this semester, I have two clients in the clinic (and two wonderful clinic partners to work with). I've also been planning a Symposium for the Journal of International Law with my Symposium Co-Editor, Joanna. This year's Symposium is Afro-descendants and Indigenous Peoples in Latin America and the Caribbean: Legal Rights and Realities. I am very excited about the program.

I planned (and performed in) a Penn Law talent show earlier this semester. We had six acts, and it was a fun night. I belly danced, and we had several musical acts (including Azerbaijani music) and an amazing baton routine. I am took a course through the School of Social Policy and Practice Non-Profit Leadership Program for my Leadership in Social Change Fellowship, it was amazing! I met lots of great people, including Kushinga, a lawyer from Zimbabwe. She is going to help me learn Shona. It was very different from law courses, but I learned a lot and am ready to jump into my practicum next semester. All I need to do now is find an organization to partner with...

The job search is slow and a little painful, but I remain hopeful that I will be gainfully employed by the time I graduate. There haven't been a lot of job postings for third year students, but hopefully things will pick up after the new year. Keep your fingers crossed for an economic rebound!

Gordon is doing very well. I have been guilt feeding him, and he is gaining back his "indoor cat" weight. The vet does not approve. He is sleeping on my arms as I type this.

Well, I'd better get to work, lots to be done before the end of the semester!

Time flies when you are having an AWESOME summer

2009-07-18T23:06:00.000-07:00

Only two more weeks of work this summer! I can't believe I've been working for eight weeks already. It has been a wonderful summer; I love the work I've been doing, the people at the firm are great, there have been tons of fun events, and I have been to a multitude of fancy restaurants for lunches. This summer has confirmed that I made the right choice in going to law school. I get so excited when I come up with legal arguments or find cases to support our position. It was a little embarrassing at first, but I am learning to embrace my legal nerditude. I think I'm going to like this "being a lawyer" thing.

The firm picnic was last weekend, it was a great time. It was held at a farm with a train, amusement park, petting zoo, and tasty food. We'll be going sailing next week and our trip to Portland was great. The train broke down on the way home, so we sat outside Vancouver, Washington for 4 hours with no AC while Amtrak sent down a new engine to tow us to Seattle. Other than that, we lived in the lap of luxury.

The partner who heads the Immigration Group is letting me help with an asylum case and is helping me navigate the process for Ronald's visa. She is a lot of fun, very helpful, and she puts up with all my questions. I have been quite confused by some of the information on the USCIS website, but I think they do that on purpose. On July 16 the processing times posted were as of May 31 and they said they were processing applications received on December 30. So it may be that they are ahead of schedule, but that seems too much to hope for. The application is still waiting patiently at the Vermont Service Center.

Gordon is having a great summer, he's been running around outside all day, and is finally making friends with Mousse, my roommate's dog. He spent the first few weeks in the closet, but now he sleeps on Mousse's bed in the living room when he's not out gallivanting around. We'll be in Bozeman from August 5 to the 22, so he'll get to see his friends there and check out his old stomping grounds. He's going to be very upset when we get back to the apartment in Philadelphia, but hopefully he'll get over it.

While we are in Bozeman, I will be doing lots of wedding planning AND meeting Miss Christina James Bratsky. I can't wait. She is sooooo friggin' adorable!! I can't believe she'll be 4 months old by the time I meet her. Here are some of the photos I took off of Erin's Facebook profile (I hope she doesn't mind):

Summer in Seattle

2009-06-28T21:18:00.000-07:00

Time flies! I can't believe how quickly the end of the semester, finals, an awesome visit from my mom, a trek to Seattle and the first five weeks of my summer job have gone! It seems I am always playing catch-up with this blog. The end of school went as well as could be expected; it was busy, busy, busy! My mom came to visit the Saturday after finals ended, and we had a great time. We went to David's Bridal and tried on dresses with Maisha, it was a fun time.

Then we went to New York and got fabric for my wedding dress! I am very excited, it will be awesome. We met up with Nick and Kayt for dinner, and then took the bus back to Philadelphia. We visited the fabric district in Philly, too. Mom helped me get ready for the summer in Seattle, and we had a great time gallivanting around Philadelphia. The week went too fast, as usual.

After mom went back to Bozeman, Gordon and I packed up and left for Seattle. We got a direct flight from Philadelphia to Seattle and were picked up at the airport by a friend of a friend. The place I am staying is great, right near the bus with a big yard and lots of flowering bushes. Gordon took a while to warm up to Moose, my roommate's dog. They now seem to get along pretty well. Gordon has realized that Moose doesn't want to hurt him and tolerates him most of the time. Gordon has been going outside and exploring the neighborhood. I think he is enjoying his summer.

I am already halfway through my summer at Lane Powell. The attorneys I work with are great, the work has been really interesting, and I am having a wonderful time. I've been working on all different types of issues, mostly relating to litigation. I've even played on the firm softball team a few times. I am not good, but I try, and they don't hold my lack of sporting ability against me :) On Tuesday we are taking a trip to the Portland office to visit the attorneys there. It should be a lot of fun.

I am looking forward to the next five weeks of work and to heading back to Bozeman to visit for a few weeks. I am going to meet Christina, Erin and David's daughter! Mom and I will do some wedding planning, and then it'll be back to Philadelphia for my third and final year of law school (!) I hope I get another update posted before then, but given my past record, I am not making any promises.

Time marches on...

2009-04-22T06:35:00.000-07:00

With Winston and Ruvimbo

Erin and David's beautiful baby girl, Christina James Bratsky was born on April 7!!! Her mother says she is the best baby ever. I would expect nothing less. I am hoping to be able to meet CJ in August.

March was a great month! I went to visit Ronald in Botswana for spring break and meet some of his family and friends. I met his aunts (who are his mothers in his cultural tradition) Lily and Pamela, and his cousins Winston and Ruvimbo. The last night I was there Aunt Lily made a wonderful traditional dinner and I got a cooking lesson. One week was not enough, but it was so nice to see Ronald, be back in Gaborone, and have a bit of a break.

As soon as I returned to Philadelphia, I submitted our fiance visa application! It has now been a month, so hopefully things will get resolved in the next five or six months. We will have a small civil ceremony when he gets here, then our wedding will be in Bozeman on August 14, 2010! That is two weeks after the bar exam, so it will be a busy summer.

I've been busy with events and class since the break. We held the third annual Penn Law Idol and raised $200 to benefit the Black Law Student Association (BLSA)'s spring break service trip to South Africa and People Against Suffering, Suppression, Oppression, and Poverty (PASSOP) a South African non-profit that helps refugees from Zimbabwe in South Africa. We picked new board members for IHRA and EJF for next year, and I've been working with my fellow Symposium Editor on possible topics for next year's Journal of International Law Symposium.

I've been sick for the last three weeks, starting with a sore throat, headaches, bodyaches, fever, and congestion. Then I developed pink eye and a nagging cough. I feel mostly well, but I am still coughing and my throat is still sore, so I am going back to the doctor again today, just in case. Today is the last day of class; finals are looming. I can't believe I am almost done with my second year of law school--crazy!

Mom is coming to visit after finals and we are going to go to New York to look for fabric for my wedding dress! We are going to Mood, the store they shop at on Project Runway! Then I am off to Seattle for the summer. I am looking forward to being back in the Pacific Northwest.

Sorry for the silence

2009-04-01T06:56:00.001-07:00

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted! Sorry about that. Here is what has been happening since the last post:

December: Ronald was told by immigration in Botswana that the committee that decides on work visas would not be meeting again until the new year and everyone who had a pending application would have to wait outside the country. This meant he was being sent back to Zimbabwe for an undetermined time. Because of the cholera outbreak and dire financial situation in Zimbabwe, he decided it was too dangerous for me to visit him there. So, my trip was canceled and I spent Christmas in Bozeman, instead. It was nice to be home, but I was very worried about Ronald. Thankfully, he was back in Botswana after a few days, safe and sound.

January: Back in Philadelphia, back at school. I am taking Antitrust, Refugee Law, and Conflicts of Law. These have all been great classes so far. The first draft of my comment on human rights and the power sharing agreement in Zimbabwe was due, so I did a lot of research into the history and current conditions in my future home country as Ronald used to call it.

February: I was chosen to be one of two Symposium Editors for the Journal of International Law for next year. I performed in the Vagina Monologues and we raised over $1,000 for an organization that helps victims of domestic violence in Philadelphia. The annual Equal Justice Foundation auction was a great success, raising money to support students doing unpaid public interest work over the summer. We also hosted "the father of human rights study in China" for a wonderful talk on criminal justice. I finished out the month with a visit to York County Prison to interview a detainee who is seeking asylum for my Refugee Law class.

My time is up for now, I promise to write about March soon.

Last day of class

2008-12-04T15:44:00.001-08:00

I am sitting in my very last class of the semester. I am four finals and one paper away from being halfway done with law school! Weird. Lots has happened since my last post. As soon as I got out of my class I had a message offering me a job! What a relief... The never ending story has an end after all.

In other news, it seems I may be married within the next month or so! Ronald and I had been planning on getting married in August, but decided it would be better to have the ceremony while I am there over the holidays because the paperwork to get him a visa to live here takes several months.

Other than these few bits of interesting news, I am mostly just plodding along, reading, cat sitting, being attacked by Gordon and watching more TV than I should. I will write more soon about wedding plans, meeting Sven and Emily in Newark, and a cousin convention. Here is a picture of Gordon perched on a tub of books slated to live in the back of the closet:

Cranky and in need of a nap!

2008-11-18T11:24:00.000-08:00

It is that time of the semester: too much to do and too little time! I have planned two events (with a great deal of help) in the last week, Thursday will be my fifth interview in two weeks, my reading is piling up, and I only seem to be able to muster enough energy to stare blankly at the wall. In addition, my bank is trying to take advantage of me and finals are looming on the not-too-distant horizon... Enough whining. I have been feeling pretty sorry for myself lately, which I know is counter-productive and makes me WAY less fun to hang out with. So, we can move on to the positives:

I have some AMAZING people in my life! From my parents, who never fail to make me feel better, to Maisha, who drove me on a long expedition into the middle of nowhere to satisfy my Red Robbin craving, to Gordon, who always knows when I am in dire need of a snuggle, to the people in the Career Planning and Public Interest offices, who are cheering me on in my job search, and the friends who answer the phone and listen while I rant, I am a lucky girl. Then, of course, there is Ronald. What a lovely human being he is! He is so supportive and loving. I am counting the days until I arrive in Africa for Christmas vacation (36!). It has been difficult the last month or so to get through via telephone, but I discovered I can use Skype to send text messages.

While the job search is exhausting and frustrating, I am amazed at the number of positive responses I have received from e-mailing out my resume and transcript. Things could be worse! Perhaps by the end of all of this I will be better than a mediocre interviewer. I have never really liked selling myself, so this has been a beneficial experience. I keep telling myself that. I know when it is all over I will be better able to appreciate that. I'm waiting...

The last two IHRA events were also very successful, last Thursday we co-sponsored a documentary screening with Lambda Law about the right to marry as a basic human right. The passage of Proposition 8 in California is very disturbing to me. I have always believed that consenting adults should be allowed to marry, but lately the whole issue has become much more personal to me. 50 years ago there were states which would consider my marrying Ronald a crime. I hope it doesn't take another 50 years for the LGTB community to have their rights recognized.

We also had a great lecture on Legal Aid in Xinjiang province as part of out Human Rights in China speaker series. It was very interesting to learn about the types of cases being handled by legal aid and the legal system in China. The event was well-attended, and I hope that momentum continues for our events next semester.

Mom asked for some pictures of Gordon. I haven't gotten the new ones on my computer yet, so here are some older ones to tide her over.

This one's for mom

2008-11-02T10:48:00.000-08:00

OK, I have now been MIA for far too long. My apologies. Things started getting a little hairy just after my last blog post. I will try to fill in the gaps:

I finished my internship at HIAS, and had grand hopes of being back in the office one day a week by mid-September. This has not happened yet, and may have to wait for next semester. My three weeks at HIAS were incredible, the attorneys and staff are wonderful and I learned SO MUCH in three short weeks. I miss everyone, so I hope to be back soon.

On Campus Recruiting (OCR) started the Sunday after my last day at HIAS. OCR is a two week process where firms from all over the country (and some Government employers) come to campus and interview Penn Law students. I had 25 20-minute screening interviews and several firm receptions during the two weeks. That is a lot of being "on" and also a lot of running around in a suit in the late August heat and humidity in Philadelphia. All-in-all, I met some really cool people, got some practice interviewing, and even discovered a new area of interest: Antitrust.

School started during the second week of OCR, and with classes came Journal orientation, source hunts (where you have to find either and electronic or hard copy of every source the author of an article sites), and edits. I am also taking 5 courses which have been interesting thus far. I am taking Immigration, International Trade Regulation, International Human Rights, Lawyering in the Public Interest, and Professional Responsibility. I am also on the board of the International Human Rights Advocates (IHRA) and the Equal Justice Foundation (EJF). So, I am keeping busy, in other words!

Callback week is the time when we travel to interviews with firms that we met at OCR and have been offered an additional interview with. Unfortunately, this year it happened to coincide with the economic collapse. Not the best time to be looking for a job! My birthday fell on Tuesday of that week, so my friend Maisha had a surprise party for me on the Friday before at Ted's Montana Grill. It was nice to see some of my friends and enjoy a bison burger. Maisha had even gotten in touch with Ronald, who was waiting up for us to call him so he could be a part of the party! It was very nice! I have great friends!

On Sunday I headed down to DC and visited with my friend Rania, who is a 3L at Georgetown Law, and her husband, Ben. I had an interview on Monday and then took the train up to New York where I stayed with my cousin Nick and his girlfriend, Kayt. I had an interview Tuesday morning, and then I met Kayt and we walked around Manhattan, past Ground Zero and Wall Street. We met up with Nick when he got off work and headed to a birthday dinner at a great Senegalese restaurant in Brooklyn. The next morning Kayt made muffins and I headed out to another interview. I almost landed on my face when my suitcase got caught in the turnstile, but luckily someone caught me and I made it to my interview unscathed. After my interview, I met up with my friend Dana, who I stayed with in New Zealand. She just moved to New York, so I am hoping to be able to go back and spend some more time with her soon. I caught my train back to Philadelphia and spent the night in my own bed.

On Thursday morning I went to the airport and caught a 6:30 flight to Seattle. When I got to the hotel, I thought I would take a quick nap and then have time to get some Thai food and enjoy Seattle. I ended up sleeping for about 8 hours. Oops. The next morning I had my fourth interview. I then met a friend for coffee, went and had Thai food (thank goodness!), met another friend for coffee, and then headed to the airport. I landed in Bozeman late Friday and got to see my mom, dad, and Gordon! On Saturday we had a nice birthday dinner with my parents, my grandpa, my next-door neighbor, and my friends Molly and Abby. After dinner I showed Molly, Abby and Kirsten my photos.

Sunday I tried to get my thank-you e-mails to the firms that had interviewed me sent and almost missed my plane. I was happily surprised to run into my friend Molly (not the same Molly) on the plane. We got to spend some time together at the Minneapolis airport before I headed off to Philadelphia and she headed off to London. Maisha met Gordon and me at the airport and took us home. It is so nice to have him back! I know mom misses him, so I feel a little guilty about that.

October flew by, but was characterized by extreme frustration at the dodgy telephone network in Botswana which made it hard for me to get in touch with Ronald. I also helped plan an event with a speaker on Guantanamo Detainees for IHRA and the Tortfeasors' Ball fundraiser for EJF (everyone dresses up as a character from their favorite case or legal theory). Lots of flyers, announcements, phone calls, and publicity. I still do not have a job offer for next summer, so I am in the process of retooling my job-search. Happily, I did get my ticket to South Africa to visit Ronald for Christmas! We don't know where exactly he will be living by then, due to the difficult nature of work permission in Botswana, but I do know I will see him soon :)

Yesterday I finally got off my butt and volunteered for Obama in Southwest Philadelphia. I knocked on doors and tried to make sure everyone would show up at the polls on Tuesday. I have reading to do today, but I hope to make it back out on Tuesday to see what I can do to help. If dealing with the economy being so bad and the job search being so difficult is the price I have to pay to get Obama in the Whitehouse it will be worth it. Here's hoping!

Sorry

2008-08-14T20:08:00.001-07:00

OK, I have been remiss in my blogging, I admit it! My last week in Botswana was bittersweet. I got to spend some one-on-one time with Judge Dow and did two draft judgments by July 31. We had a nice luncheon with the Penn folks and I spent some quality time with Ronald. While I was excited about working at HIAS and looking forward to my fall courses, I was not looking forward to leaving. So fate decided to teach me a lesson.

My flight out of Gaborone was delayed so I missed my flight from Johannesburg to Washington D.C. They told me they could try to put me on a flight to New York if someone didn't show up (it was fully booked). I got a seat and ran to the gate. There are only two flights from JFK to Philadelphia a day on Delta and I missed the 8:15 am flight. My luggage didn't make it of course, so I filed a missing luggage report and settled in to wait for the 5:25 pm flight. At about 3 pm I looked up at the board and saw that the flight to Philly said CANCELLED. Bummer. So I went to the counter and the guy said he would send me to Cincinnati and then to Philadelphia. That is how it worked out and I ended up in the Philly airport only 12 hours later than originally scheduled. My friend Lindsay picked me up and took me to her place. I was certainly glad to be home.

Lindsay has a beautiful long-haired cat named Cleo and is fostering Gracie and her kittens Shirley and Mo for the shelter I got Gordon from. They all have upper-respiratory tract infections, of course, so they get antibiotics and eye goop twice a day. Poor little Mo cut his eye trying to get it open after it crusted shut, so he needed some extra TLC. It was nice to have some kitty time after all those weeks. I had to go to my apartment to grab some clothes because my bags were somewhere between Africa and Philadelphia. Then I SLEPT. It was so nice to be in a bed again!

On Monday I started at HIAS, it has turned out to be a great internship. It is nice to feel like the work you are doing is making a huge difference in someones life. I have had the opportunity to work on lots of very different kinds of cases and even got to go to a Master hearing with one of the attorneys. I've worked on asylum, spousal petitions, victims of domestic violence cases, change of status petitions, and work permit renewals. The people in the office are great, but after tomorrow I will be the last intern. I also got my fall schedule, I will be taking Immigration, International Trade Regulations, International Human Rights, Lawyering in the Public Interest, and Professional Responsibility. It should be a wonderful semester. I also have my interview schedule for fall On Campus Recruiting. I am excited to be interviewing with some very exciting firms. The future looks pretty promising right now.

Between the Olympics airing really late and the jet lag I have been pretty tired lately. I am slowly unpacking all the things I put away before I left and following gymnastics and swimming. The women's all-around competition is winding down as I type. I'll try to be better at posting in the next few weeks, there should be some pretty interesting things happening!

A trip to Mombasa!

2008-07-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

So, less than a week after arriving back from Vic Falls and Chobe I woke up before the sun and went to the Intercape bus stop. For some reason, I neglected to do much in the way of planning before setting out on this adventure, which is fairly uncharacteristic. I tried to book a ticket over the internet the night before I was supposed to leave, but it would not work. Then I realized that all the Batswana students who are studying in South Africa would also be looking to head to Johannesburg around that time. I panicked a little, but Ronald came to take me to the bus stop and waited with me while they tried to figure out if there were any available seats. He made sure to stand near the conductor so that she didn't forget about me, and in the end she told me I could have her seat! I sat in a regular seat until we stopped to pick up the last person with a ticket, and after that I sat up front near the driver and the conductor stood in the stairwell. When I got to Jo'burg I asked about a taxi and she helped me find an Intercape employee who agreed to drive me to the airport. People have complained about the lack of customer service in Botswana, but they are just not looking in the right places, I guess.

I got to the airport at about 2 o'clock and found out that the Kenya Airways staff doesn't arrive until 8:30, so I would have to wait to check in. I spent a few hours at one little cafe and then browsed the three shops available, then spent a few more hours in the other little cafe because there were no seating areas that were not attached to cafes. Then I found a phone card and a phone booth and called mom and dad and Ronald to let them know I had made it to the airport. I finally checked in and browsed the more abundant shops inside the terminal and decided they need a wedding registry at the Jo'burg airport. They had so many amazing housewares! I managed to get some sleep on the plane and when I landed in Kenya I got my visa and made my way toward domestic departures. A man approached me and said you are going to Mombasa? I will show you where the terminal is, sit here until the line dies down and I will check to make sure you are in the system. Hmmmm. This guy clearly wanted money. I had a boarding pass, why would I suddenly drop out of the system. I told him I could find the terminal on my own after he tried to get a 1000 shilling tip. Nice try, buddy, look for some other mzungu to hustle!

I finally arrived in Mombasa and Ruth was waiting at the airport. We drove through Mombasa and took the ferry to South Beach where Ruth lives and where my hotel was. Mombasa city is on an island, so the ferry is the only way to get from South Beach into town. We arrived in the village of Ukanda. It was so vibrant and lively that I immediately felt welcome and at home. We then headed to my beach front hotel, the Kaskazi. This was the view from my balcony:

After a much-needed shower and nap we headed out to see the village and try some traditional Swahili food. I called it a night early; I was exhausted from the 30 hours of traveling it took to get there. The next day we headed in to Mombasa city on the ferry and took a tuk-tuk (pictured below) to Fort Jesus, a Portuguese fort built almost 500 years ago which is now a national monument and museum. The "Anti-Corruption Suggestion Box" was my favorite part... Though the views were also quite wonderful.

Then we went shopping in town and I got some great fabric, a leso (traditional cloth), and a dress. That night we went dancing at Sharkatak. Ruth is one of my all-time favorite people to dance with.

On Sunday we went to Shimba Hills game reserve with Ruth's friend Sylvia and her sons Joseph (6) and Nick (14 months). We saw buffalo, warthogs, elephants, and two male giraffes fighting by hitting each other with their necks. We also found a tailor to make me a dress out of my new fabric.
On Monday I got my hair braided. It took three ladies four-and-a-half hours to complete. Then we went in to Mombasa and ran around for hours trying to book me a hostel for my night in Jo'burg on the way back to Botswana. We watched the show at the hotel, which was "Lord of the Dance" that night. It was a little odd to watch Irish step dancing in Kenya, I have to admit.

Tuesday we went snorkeling at the coral reef in the marine park, it was so beautiful!
Then we had a seafood lunch at a hotel and walked through the mangroves. The black stuff is dead coral--the entire area used to be under water at one time.

Then we went and picked up my dress at the tailor and enjoyed "African Night" with traditional food and dancing at the hotel. On Wednesday we did one last round of shopping in Mombasa before heading to the airport. My flight from Nairobi to Jo'burg was delayed, so I didn't get in until about 1:30 am. The people from the hostel were there to pick me up, though and I got some sleep. The next day I took a taxi to the bus station and took the Intercape back to Gaborone. Ronald met me at the bus stop and took me home. I gave him the shirt I bought for him and we had a little fashion show.

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and Chobe Game Reserve

2008-07-13T12:11:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday Teresa and I flew up to Kasane and were picked up at the airport by a shuttle from the lodge in Vic Falls. We made it through the border and I saw something rummaging through a garbage can. "That is a skinny cat!" I thought. Turns out it was a monkey!

We set off through the national park toward Vic Falls and came across some southern giraffes on the side of the road. These are lighter in color than the reticulated giraffes I saw in Madikwe.

We made it to the lodge and went to the room to drop off our stuff. Gerald, Marilu, and Michelle were in town, so we made our way to the Boma restaurant to get some lunch. On our way three warthogs charged out of the brush and down the road. It was startling, but they didn't seem interested in us in the least. When we got to the Boma I ordered the warthog steak roll. Delicious!

When the others got back we went down to the marketplace to have a look. That was an experience! Luckily I could say I was just looking and save the real craziness for another day! The next morning we booked a sunset cruise on the mighty Zambezi and an elephant back safari. Then we went to the falls. They are stunning!!

Our sunset cruise was beautiful and peaceful.

The next morning we got up before the sun and headed to camp elephant. We had tea and learned a little about the elephants that live at the camp. They are all orphans and some of them came to the camp seriously ill or injured by poachers' snares. I rode Emily, a 22 year old elephant. She was awesome. Her best friend, Janet, and her baby walked in front of us. The baby was SOOO cute! He was very playful and ran around trumpeting and charging the staff members. My elephant driver wanted to know how to get an American girlfriend. I guess I had better figure out how to answer that question!

After the ride we gave the elephants pellets to thank them for the ride and they saluted us. We had breakfast and watched the DVD of our adventure.

After the elephant ride we went back to the marketplace with barter items in hand. It was pretty chaotic! We had sweaters, t-shirts, socks, underwear, soap, pens, jackets, hats, gloves, scarves... We got swarmed and people would just make a pile of whatever they wanted and it seemed like everything I wanted belonged to someone who wasn't there, so I had to pick something else... It was certainly an experience and I ended up with some nice gifts. After the marketplace I packed up my stuff and Gerald drove me to Kasane. We hit the ATM because it is impossible to get cash in Zimbabwe and only the hotels take credit cards (and only when the computers and phone lines are working...). I checked in at the Chobe Safari Lodge, booked a game drive and sunset cruise for the next day and headed to Choppies (a grocery store) for some take-away.

The next morning we headed out at 6 am for our game drive. It started out slow, but then we saw some southern giraffe. Then we got the call on the radio that three lions had been spotted moving toward the river. We rushed down to see a mother with two 4-year old male offspring on the hunt. They were so cool!! They are used to the trucks and see them as "objects" but our guide said if we made sudden movements or too much noise they would realize that we were edible!

When I got back to the lodge I had some breakfast and took a nap. I had planned on going for a swim in the lodge pool, but couldn't figure out how to get sunscreen on my back. I guess I would have figured something out if I really wanted a swim... At 3 we headed out on our sunset cruise. We saw elephants galore

hippos

cape buffalo

water monitors

more elephants playing in the river

giraffes

elephants and the sunset

As we were admiring a couple of bull elephants trying to decide whether to cross over to the island for some grass a boat pulled up beside mine. Lo and behold, it was Dave and several of the Penn undergrads! I didn't even know they were headed up to Chobe!

After the cruise I had dinner with the Penns at their lodge, then packed up and went to sleep. I got up at 4:30 and caught the 6 am bus to Francistown. The bus was somewhere between a minivan and a bus, and it sat 27. At one point I counted 31 people in the bus. It was a workout trying not to fall off the tiny seat as we swerved to miss the potholes in the road! We made it to Francistown about 12:30 and I got some food and a coke and made my way to the Gaborone bus. I met a lady who was headed to Mochudi, so I asked her if she knew Judge Dow. "Of course, she is my homegirl!" was the answer. I even got invited to the wedding she was attending in Mochudi. I would have loved to go, but I will be in Kenya.

Botswana takes its "foot and mouth disease-free" status very seriously, as it opens up lots of markets for their beef. Between Zimbabwe and Gaborone I went through three disease checkpoints where I had to disinfect all of my shoes and the vehicle had to drive thorough disinfectant. When the bus stops in towns along the way it is borded by a large number of vendors selling everything from sodas and water to take-away meals and air time. Riding the bus was an experience, that is for sure. A 13 hour + experience. Needless to say I was SO greatful to get off the bus in Gabs and find Ronald waiting to pick me up. (Ronald is my boyfriend and a wonderful man, more about him in a later post.) We got some pizza and I went home and slept like someone had hit me over the head with a sledgehammer.

Other goings on about town

2008-07-05T00:31:00.000-07:00

Despite the recurring theme of my past blog posts, I do not spend every day on a game drive (though I would be OK with that). Most days I stay home and read, do laundry, go grocery shopping, and spend time on the internet. Some days are far more eventful than others, last weekend was a good example.

Last Saturday was the Orange (one of the cell providers in Botswana) charity cup. It is a soccer tournament that lasts all day. The games started at 8 am, but we didn’t get there until about 10. We saw the end of the first match and the traditional dancing between the games. Then we watched the Mochudi Center Chiefs win their game and advance to the final. (The Center Chiefs are our friend Molls’ home town team, so we rooted for them by proxy). We went home and had some lunch and went back for the final.

I have to admit, I didn’t see much of the final. Batswana men tend to over imbibe at soccer games and then there is no telling what will happen… Someone walked by and randomly groped me, others gave hugs or high fives. One very persistent young man sat down in front of me and declared that he wanted to start a family with me. I told him I am very busy for the next few years. He also said he hated cats. I told him there was no way we could make a family work if that was the case. He also asked me if I was part of a drama group because I am always acting. When we finally got away from him, there was a guy who wanted to give Teresa and me massages, which we politely declined. One man told our friend Nelly that she looked like the guy who plays on Fat Albert. Then his friend asked if she and I were sisters. These guys are smooth with the ladies! I have to admit, it makes for some funny stories, though.

Sunday we attended a funeral for Judge Dow’s niece Kgalalelo. The service began at sunrise (about 6:30). Several family members spoke about their memories and the clergyman spoke. There was a lot of singing which was quite beautiful. Most of the service was in Tsetswana, so I don’t know exactly what was said. They read the condolences from family and friends and then we proceeded to the cemetery. The family members each took turns shoveling dirt into the grave while the rest sang hymns. Then wreaths and flowers were placed on the grave and a little wrought iron structure with shade netting over the top and Klalalelo’s name, date of birth, date of death, and date of burial were placed over the grave. We then went back to the grandmother’s house where the service had taken place and ate traditional food. It was a very sad day.

I went to work on Wednesday and got to see some of the Court of Appeals proceedings. It was quite interesting. Of the 8 Justices, only one is Motswana. The rest are from South Africa, Lesotho, or the Caribbean. The youngest Justice is 63. The Court used to meet only twice a year but is now moving to four meetings a year and Justices are not appointed, they apply. I got to watch an appeal against a sentence for murder with extenuating circumstances and an appeal against a sentence for manslaughter. The Court of Appeals reserves all judgment for the end of the session, so I don’t know what the decision will be.

Yesterday was my roommate Michelle’s birthday, and we all went out to dinner to celebrate. This weekend we are leaving to go to Victoria Falls, and then I am heading to the Chobe Game Reserve and the Okavango Delta. Thursday I got my Yellow Fever vaccination so I am all set for Kenya. I can’t believe how time flies! I will be back in Philadelphia in less than a month, and I still feel like I just arrived. This may be my first trip to Africa, but it certainly won’t be my last!

Madikwe game reserve, South Africa

2008-07-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

Wow! I went down to Madikwe on Monday morning and stayed the night. It was incredible!! The lodge was stunning, the staff was wonderful, and I saw some amazing animals. I got there about 11:30 and was given a tour of the lodge and shown to my chalet. It was complete with a bathtub, king-sized bed, outdoor shower, and a deck overlooking the water hole. During lunch I watched as blue wildebeest, springbok, and waterbuck played at the water hole. They were running around, jumping, and chasing each other. It was pretty cool! wildebeest

waterbuck

At about 4 pm we headed out on the first game drive. I met Penny and her son Michael who were also down from Gaborone and our rangers Morah and John. We headed over to the area where a lone male lion was guarding the wildebeest he had killed that morning. He was clearly agitated, so we decided to leave him alone to settle down. I couldn't really get any good pictures, sometimes animals just don't cooperate! Then we headed further into the reserve and found some zebras grazing by the side of the road. My first zebras!

When we left the zebras we decided that we should stop for some refreshments while the sun started to set, because the animals are more mobile at sunset and after dark. After our beverages we came upon a male giraffe with a beautiful deep coat.

We watched him for quite a while as he munched on the treetops. As the sun set we moved on and came upon a breeding herd of elephants, including a baby that was about 1 month old! The lighting conditions made getting a good picture difficult, this is the best I could do.

The baby was super cute, still a "bit wonky on his legs" as my ranger put it. As we left the baby elephant and its family behind we ran into a group of seven giraffes grazing by the side of the road! Giraffes don't have a set social structure, so while you sometimes find them in groups they are often lone grazers. It was too dark for pictures by that point, and of course that is when the really crazy stuff started to happen. We got word on the radio that three prides of lions had moved in on the lone male and his kill and there was a fight for territory and food. We rushed back to where we had begun, and there were 10 lions within 30 feet of the vehicle. By the time we got there the fighting was over and three of the other lions were finishing off the wildebeest. A pride of six lions was hanging out in the shrubs, and the male who lost his food was resting a few feet away. During the fight one of the prides crashed through the electric fence and into the Tau Lodge Staff Village. Again, pictures were not possible due to lighting conditions (and not wanting to piss the lions off with my flash...). On our way back to the lodge we saw a spotted hyena headed straight into the mess of lions. Hyenas and lions are arch enemies, so it would have been the end of him if he had proceeded. Luckily for him, he managed to avoid the lions.

Dinner was great, I sat with Penny and Michael and our rangers Morah and John. I had the impala steak. While I am not sure how I feel about eating the animals I was just admiring, I couldn't turn down the opportunity to try something exotic. It was quite good, not gamey at all. It was very similar to beef steak. After dinner I took a warm bath with bath salts and climbed into the huge bed. At 6:30 I got my wakeup call and headed down to the main lodge for some tea and muffins. Then we headed out on our morning game drive.

I hope these impala didn't hold my dinner choice against me... We saw kudu, the group of giraffe from the night before, zebras,and two bull elephants. We tracked a leopard that another group had seen the previous evening, but she was hiding. We saw a red hartebeestand a steenbok (tiny but full grown)

lots of cool birds

Just as we were heading back to the lodge we saw a herd of cape buffalo!

Then I had a lovely breakfast and headed back to Gaborone. I am glad I made it down to Tau, and highly recommend the trip to Madikwe if you are looking for a wonderful experience. Of couse, there is more to life in Botswana than game drives, so in my next post I will cover "other goings on." For now, I am headed to bed, I am going in to work tomorrow!

Anniversary

2008-06-23T14:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I have passed the one-month mark. The past month has been pretty amazing. This past week I have seen more soccer than I have ever watched in my entire life put together. It is Euro Cup and one of my roommates has soccer-fever. She met some German human rights lawyers while watching, so I decided to tag along and see what information I could gather during half time. She also has a friend who did a masters in human rights at Columbia. Hmmm. Perhaps law school isn't the end...

My good friend Riley leaves for Canada tomorrow, she is headed home to visit and returns the day after I leave. I will miss her, she is a lot of fun! I found a ticket to Kenya to visit my friend Ruth, and I am pretty tempted. I would fly right to Mombasa and spend some time on the beach. I would also get to dance with my favorite dance partner again :) We are quickly running out of weekends and are scrambling to get plans together and fit everything we want to do into the summer. Wish us luck! I am hoping to get to Madikwe (a game reserve just over the boarder in South Africa) this weekend, so hopefully there will be some more animal pictures to post. The medical students who went this past weekend saw baby elephants!

Mokolodi Game Reserve

2008-06-17T10:28:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the Botswana vs. Ivory Coast soccer match. It was crazy! The stands were packed and everyone was shouting. The Zebras (Botswana's team) managed to hold on for a 1-1 finish against the Elephants (IC), which is one of the best teams in Africa. I got to wear my new Zebras jersey and take part in the madness. Dave took some great pictures, so if I get ahold of any of them I will be sure to post some.

On Sunday we went to Mokolodi, a game reserve about a 20 minute ride outside of Gaborone. We pass by it on our way to work in Lobatse, so we were excited to check it out. It was a very beautiful place with great animals.

Impala

One of Mokolodi's two hand-raised cheetahs. The brothers were brought to Mokolodi when their mother was shot by a rancher for eating his cattle. The cubs were two-and-a-half months old at the time, and had to be raised in captivity because they never learned to hunt. They let you pet them, and they seem to like the attention--they were purring!

They were giving each other a bath, very cute!

The requisite "me with the cheetahs" picture

Female ostriches are grey... Male ostriches are black and white.

Unfortunately, the best picture I got of the mom and baby warthogs was of their butts as they ran away from the truck. They were pretty cute, for warthogs!

One of three trained elephants living at Mokolodi. They offer tours on elephant back.

Kudu

Work is still going well, and I have been given some very interesting cases. I took the bus to Lobatse for the first time today and it worked out very well. More soon!

More Kalahari Pictures

2008-06-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

Kudu

Desert Sunset

Lorato and me enjoying the sunset

Springbok in the shade

Camping in the Kalahari

2008-06-13T13:59:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went camping in the Kalahari. This is the truck we rode in 4.5 hours to get to Khutse Game Reserve. Our guide, Tim, customized it himself.

The winter mornings can be a bit chilly to begin with, but driving down the highway in an open truck really made it necessary to bundle up.

Back Row: Molls, Kristin, Pratik

Front Row: Nina, Dave, Emily

This is one of many traditional houses we passed on the drive down.

Here is a flock of guinea fowl that ran in front of the truck for several meters before taking off on our game drive.

Springbok

Gemsbok or South African Oryx

Ostriches

I uploaded several more pictures, but they seem to have vanished. In the interest of getting this posted before any more of it disappears, I will publish this and try again soon.

High Court

2008-06-03T06:36:00.000-07:00

Well, a lot has happened since my last post. I found out that my family dog, Holly passed away on the 23rd of May. She had a tumor in her heart, so we knew it was coming but I don't think it has really sunk in for me yet. I hope Gordon will keep my parents company and cheer them up a bit.

Sunday night as I was setting my new radio alarm clock, I noticed the display flickering. I was checking to make sure the plug was not coming out of the outlet when *PANG* the lights went out in our apartment. We looked for a breaker box and couldn't find one. So we called our friend Lorato to see if she knew what to do and woke her up. She called Dr. Oagile, the program coordinator who called the security people and came over to keep us company. Security came with the president of the Graduate Student Association and opened the locked closet to reveal the breaker box. They flipped the switch. Nothing. So they were going to have to find someone else to try and fix it. We decided to go to bed and sometime in the middle of the night our power magically came back on.

On Monday we had our orientation which consisted of a TON of information from all sorts of offices here on campus. We had lunch at the cafeteria and then went on a bus tour of Gaborone. We also went out to the village of Tlokweng and visited the customary court there. We met with one of the tribal leaders who acts as an arbitrator and judge for the village. He showed us where they administer corporal punishment (caning) and we saw the cattle who had broken into a woman's field and destroyed her harvest. She "arrested" the cattle and they were being held until the owner came to claim them and pay damages for the lost crops. Free range is a way of life here and you will often see herds of cows, goats, or chickens wandering the city.

We visited the monument to the "fathers of Botswana" the men who asked the British government to form a protectorate when a corporation was buying up southern Africa. We ended the night with a traditional dinner, dancing, and song in a village just outside of Gaborone. It was quite the event.

The next morning at 9 am we were picked up in a government car and driven to the High Court in Lobatse. We met with Justice Unity Dow and she gave us a tour and introduced us to most of the people working in the building. At noon we got to sit in on a hearing and after that she took us to her house for lunch. We met her daughters Cheshe and Natasha and had a great conversation. We went back to the court and were driven home by the same government car.

The next morning Marilu (Judge Dow's other clerk) and I were given our first assignment. I was asked to write a draft judgment about a case involving a Union dispute. I spent the rest of the week working on the project and was loaned a laptop "Property of the Government of Botswana" to assist me in my work. Friday I worked from home and got some of my laundry done. That evening we went to the Bull and Bush with Hong and Jessie (the Penn students I met on the plane) and had some great steaks and got some souvenirs from the artisans selling their work out front. At 9 pm the restaurant turns into a disco and Jessie and I headed home. I'm an old lady, I guess. I hear it got pretty crazy.

Saturday I got up and went to the Main Mall with Nina (the Penn student doing the archaeology internship) to get tickets for that afternoon's soccer match between Botswana and Madagascar. I got myself some official Zebra wear to sport at the game. The game was quite the experience, though it ended 0-0. It seems the Madagascar team had been assembled just 8 days before the match so the fans were upset that the game ended in a tie. I hear the coach has been fired.

After the game we came home and changed and headed out to dinner and the Sex and the City movie. After the movie we decided to head to the famed Fashion Lounge. We were having a hard time getting a cab, so I called Maxy, a cab driver who had driven us home before and he came and picked us up. During the ride we discovered that neither of us has children, which I guess means we are meant to be together (?!). Later that evening I got a text message telling me that he was "missing me tightly." I have thus far been unable to figure out what that means... Anyway, I had fun dancing and ran into Riley's friend Ronald who I met at Mountain Lodge at the braai (barbeque).

Sunday we were all pretty tired. Most of the girls went to Riverwalk (a nearby mall) and I stayed home and waited for my friend Dave to arrive (he is the other Penn Law student working in Bots this summer). When Dave got here we went to the mall and got him some food to tide him over and had some really good Indian food. When we got home most of the girls went to listen to jazz, and Marilu and I stayed home to work on our assignments.

Monday morning was pretty funny. We thought the Court had arranged for a bigger car to pick us up because there are now 5 of us and we won't fit into the standard white Volvo along with the driver. This did not happen, however, so one of us had to be left behind. I volunteered and ended up getting to work at 11:10. I met with Justice Dow about the case I was working on and spent the afternoon working in our new office. I think I like our office better than the library where I was working last week. Monday is half-price rib night at the Bull and Bush, so we all went for spare ribs.

Today I did laundry and finished up my assignment. Working from home has its perks. Tomorrow I will go in and get my next assignment! Now that I have internet access in my very own room, I will do my best to update my blog more regularly. If any of these stories is unclear or assumes knowledge of past events that I have not related, please let me know and I will do my best to fill in the blanks.

BOTSWANA

2008-05-24T04:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it! After a lot of running around like a crazy woman trying to get ready, and Maisha bringing me donuts and offering moral support I made it to the airport and got checked in. The flight to DC was on a tiny plane, so small that I had to put my backpack under the plane because it wouldn't fit in the cabin. The flight to Johannesberg went pretty well and I watched 4 movies... The Jo-berg airport is smallish, but nice and I checked out all the African stores. They even had a zebra bag with a mane down the front!

I met two Penn students on the flight to Gaborone who had been on the trip before, so I got some good inside information and found some people to hang out with. At the airport Dr. Oagile and a driver met me and took me in to the University of Botswana (herein after UB). I got my stuff put in a room that I would be staying in overnight. Then Dr. Oagile called Riley, a grad student from Canada here in at UB and asked her to show me where the cafeteria is the next morning. We talked and had some tea and then I went home and took a shower and went to bed.

The next morning I had breakfast with Riley in the cafeteria, an egg, toast, french fries, a slice of tomatoe and a "russian" which is a sausage. Then Riley introduced me to Ragnhild, a Norwegian student who has been doing field work here in Gaborone for a few months. We went to Game City, a large mall here in Gabs and did some shopping. When I got home I took a nap and about 2 pm Dr. Oagile came and said her daughter was taking two newly arrived Penn students to the Riverwalk mall and asked if I wanted to go along. We ate at Nando's (the best chicken in Africa according to our friend Larato) and got plates and cereal and etc. When we got home I was thouroghly worn out, so I took a shower and did some reading. A little later there was a knock on my window and the three law students from University of Cincinatti who will also be working at the High Court in Lobatse arrived and needed me to unlock the door. Something is wrong with our door, and it takes about 10 minutes to get the door unlocked from the inside. I hope that gets fixed soon. So I met the famous Judge Unity Dow in my bathrobe and slippers. I'll dress extra nice on Tuesday to make up for it...

The next morning I went to breakfast with Riley, showed the other law students (Marilu, Michelle, and Theresa) where the cafeteria is and Larato took us out shopping again. We got food, silverware, roach spray (we have a bit of a roach "situation"), and other household necessities. Then I came home, helped unpack the bags and took a nap. While I was sleeping, the power went out. I guess it happens about once a week. When South Africa is low on power they cut Botswana off for an hour or two. I'm glad I brought those flashlights!

Riley came and fetched me and we went to a traditional barbeque called a brye (I don't know how to spell it) with several Canadians, Ragnhild, her friend Dixon from Kenya, and his friend Joe, who is Kalanga. We went to a village just outside Gabs to Mountain Rest. We got a HUGE piece of seasoned meat for 20 pula and went up to the grill and barbequed it. They gave us some pap (cornmeal mush) and tomatoe salad as well. The owner is married to a Norwegian man, and she spoke Norwegian to us. There were no forks or knives, so we ate meat with our bare hands. It was REALLY good. Then there was dancing. It was so much fun. I think someone was taking pictures... The owner's brother was there and he was saying all the Norwegian words he could remember. It was pretty amusing.

Today I think we are going on a brye with the Penn group. It has been a much more relaxed day so far. Monday is our orientation and Judge Dow is sending a government car to pick us up and take us to Lobatse on Tuesday. So far I really like it here.

Rising 2L!

2008-05-09T11:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I have finished my first year of law school! It is amazing how fast that year went and also how long ago orientation seems. They say law school changes people. I can't make out any big changes, although I am more likely to 1) number points I am about to make and 2) think about legal recourse for people who tell me about their problems. I'll have to ask my friends and family at home if they think I have changed, then cross my fingers that it hasn't been for the worse!

I had three take-home finals, so I started to go a little stir-crazy in my apartment. I think Gordon was wondering why I was home ALL THE TIME, too. Over the next few days I will be keeping pretty busy getting myself ready for the big trip to Botswana, packing, cleaning the apartment for the guy who will be living here over the summer, and trying to get all of the things the law school wants me to do over the internet this summer taken care of before I go. I am sure there will be lots of chances to use the internet while I am in Botswana, but it seems foolish to risk my interviews for On Campus Interviews or my class schedule for next semester if it can be helped. Law students are a risk-averse group, or at least that's what the administration keeps telling us.

Gordon is doing well, I will conclude this post with some new pictures of him.

Check, check, check

2008-04-18T07:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I am officially a member of the Equal Justice Foundation (EJF) Board for 2008-2009. I will be working with my fellow fundraising chair to plan the annual book sale and the Tortfeasor's Ball. I am really excited; both the IHRA board and the EJF board are full of great people, so it should be a great year. Busy, but great.

This weekend I am expecting a visit from my cousin Nick and his girlfriend. It will be great to see Nick and meet Kayt. I hope Philadelphia has enough alleys and trolleys to satisfy them.

I am doing my best to keep checking things off my "to do" list. Last night was my oral argument and I made it through unscathed. This morning I went to my travel consultation and got a polio booster and typhoid vaccine. Later today I will attend the "Africa Orientation" offered by the Penn Study Abroad and Africa Studies departments. Monday is the Law School study abroad meeting, my Botswana orientation meeting, and the Public Service recognition reception where we will be doing a short presentation on our Mexico trip. Tuesday is the last day of class for my 1L year! I have one in-school exam on the 28th and three self-scheduling take home exams to be completed by May 8th. Whew. I need a nap just thinking about it.

During my travel consultation I had to have an evaluation of my physical and mental health. The doctor asked how I was feeling and I told her I was happier than I have been in quite a while. She said "you're in your first year of law school and you're happy?!" I guess I made the right choice. I may be in the minority, but I love law school, 1L craziness and all.

Finally, the mandatory Gordon update. He is doing great. I think he is ready for me to stop all the reading and play with him. He sits on my books whenever I start an assignment.

golden ticket(s)

2008-04-10T07:45:00.001-07:00

Well, I have my ticket to Botswana and a ticket home to visit and drop Gordon off in Montana! I am very excited! I also found out that I will be working for HIAS for three weeks at the end of the summer--I am looking forward to getting some hands-on experience with immigration law. Yesterday was quite eventful. I was called on in Constitutional law, and the professor said I was making some "weird functional argument." Then I posted my apartment on craigslist to see if I could sublet it over the summer and I have gotten some good responses. Then I got some laundry done, which was a very good thing.

At 7 I went to the Equal Justice Foundation dessert potluck and learned about the different board positions available. I am planning on running for social chair. Then at 8 I went to meet some of the other students headed to Botswana. I think it will be a great group. Tonight is the final meeting for the Uganda project. I really enjoyed working on the syllabus for a Children's Rights course; I hope what I came up with will be useful. We are also having a meeting about On-Campus Recruiting (OCR) for the fall today. OCR is terribly exciting and dreadfully scary all at the same time. I have to decide where I want to live, what firms I want to interview with, and the job I end up with for next summer has a high probability of being where I end up after graduating.

This Saturday is the last Penn Preview Day, our last formal admitted student program. I have really enjoyed being on the Post Acceptance Committee this year. Oral arguments are coming up a week from today. This will be in the real courthouse in front of real practitioners. It will also be the last Legal Writing assignment. My 1L year will be over in less than a month! I think that is AMAZING! I didn't believe all the people who told me it would.

I aim to please!

2008-04-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

I know my dad was being facetious when he said "more broccoli pictures, please," but I couldn't just ignore a request like that. He should know better!

Life has been pretty busy over the last week and a half! Admitted Students Weekend was last weekend, and it was a great success. I met lots of great admitted students and the ladies who stayed with me were AWESOME. It was nice to see all the hard work pay off. We had lots of events, panels, food, a trolley tour, and great fun. One last admitted student event is coming up on the 12th. I am really glad I was able to be a part of the Post Acceptance Committee, it was a great experience.

Last week was quite busy. In addition to meetings, information sessions, and make up classes the two main projects were the rewrite of my appellate brief in collaboration with another student and finishing up the Gulu University pro bono project. I turned in my syllabus and all the reading materials I collected on Friday. It is really nice if a bit scary to think that someone might be using this syllabus. I hope all the reading materials are ok and that I haven't assigned too much work. I figured it was better to send too much and let the professor cut anything he or she didn't want to teach.

Friday was the most NUTS day of all. The brief was due at 10:30, then we had to Contracts class. Right after Contracts I got to go to a panel on international careers at law firms. It is a bit intimidating to start firm research when there are SO many firms and I have SO little base knowledge about them. Then I transfered my Gulu files to Alison's computer and went to a Post Acceptance Committee meeting where we debriefed on ASW and planned our tasks for the preview day. Most exciting was participating in the school's mock interview program. I got to meet with recruiters from two great firms and practice my interviewing skills. We also got a chance to load up on swag from law firms (everything from a canvas shopping bag, to a wireless mouse, to jelly beans) and gather information for formulating our plan for on-campus interviews in the fall.

After I got home I went to Ethiopian food with a new friend; I love taking people who have never had Ethiopian food to Almaz Cafe. I called my parents only to find out that things are not going so well for my dog, Holly, at home in Montana. They think she may have had a stroke; she wouldn't eat her favorite treats and was lying flat out on the floor. I hate not being there even if there is nothing I can do. (Mom called this morning to tell me that she does seem to be doing better today.)

As I was getting ready for bed I started hearing beeping. At first I thought it was the TV, but then I started hearing doors slam in the hallway. I opened the door and the hallway was filled with smoke and there was a fire extinguisher on the floor. I grabbed Gordon, put his harness on, and headed down to the street. Gordon was agitated, so I put him down and he crawled under the security gate in front of the pet store next door. When the firemen gave us the OK to go back in I had to drag him out from under there and he was not very happy with me. The doorman explained that the guy in the apartment adjacent to mine had put a pot on the stove and passed out on his couch. When the doorman got there the pot was smoking like crazy so he put it in the sink and tried to get everyone out. It seems my neighbor was pretty out of it. When I came back upstairs the police were talking to him and he was insisting that he had not been cooking anything. All in all it was a crazy ending to a crazy day.

Saturday was time for some much-needed rest. I have not accomplished much today. Dad did help me with my taxes, so I can cross that off the list. I also got some excellent cuddle time in with Gordon--I've gotta take that when I can get it :) Tomorrow I will attempt to get some reading done...

Amazing

2008-03-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

I gave blood today! I was under the impression that they didn't want my blood anymore--I was wrong. Apparently I am a very fast bleeder, which almost made up for the time we spent looking on the list of locations in Mexico to see if I had been anywhere with malaria risk. I do feel like I owe the blood bank considering the two units I received after my accident.

Today is the last Post Acceptance Committee meeting before Admitted Students Weekend. I am excited, I think it should be a good time. I am hosting three students at my apartment and I'm not sure how Gordon will react; we've never had overnight guests before. I can't imagine he will be anything but charming and friendly. Here he is playing with broccoli again.

Winding Up

2008-03-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

The semester is winding up. Admitted Student's Weekend is this weekend, the Uganda Project is due April 4, I'll be combining my appellate brief with another student and doing oral arguments in a few weeks, and classes are over April 22! I will have 3 take-home exams this semester, which will be a new experience for me.

Two months from now I will be in Botswana! Every once in a while I remember that and get giddy. It randomly strikes joy into my heart.

(Photos by Maisha)

I will be serving on the board for the Penn Law International Human Rights Advocates next year with some really great people which is very exciting. I get to put together speakers and events pertaining to human rights. I am also hoping to run for the board of the Equal Justice Foundation for next year. I need to make sure that I don't over book myself, as I am prone to do. Next year should be just as amazing as this year has been, if not more so.

Yesterday Maisha and I went Easter shopping for Gordon and Ozzie. I managed to pull the fishy off the elastic cord when I was opening the toy Mai bought for Gordon. I got out the needle and thread and sewed it back together with Gordon climbing on my lap and shoulders and trying to play with the needle and thread, the fish, the elastic cord, and anything else he could get his paws on. It is pretty humorous in hind sight, though I wasn't very amused at the time. I don't have pictures, as the photographer was busy.

Spring break Borderlinks trip part II

2008-03-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

So I wanted to write another post about the spring break trip that highlighted the positive things we saw. Borderlinks was very good at providing a balanced perspective of border issues.

We spent the night at a migrant resource center in Agua Prieta called CAME. The center is funded by the Catholic church and church members volunteer to cook, serve meals, and taking care of the daily activities. The center offers migrants warm meals a safe place to stay for a few nights while they are making arrangements to travel home or attempt to cross the border again.

After our stay at CAME we headed to CRREDA, a drug rehabilitation center. The economy of Agua Prieta (AP) is centered around drug trafficking and human trafficking. The rehab center is a combination of voluntary entry and family petition. They practice the 12 steps and also have occupational therapy where they sweep streets, build new dormitories on the CREEDA campus or clean grocery stores. I wish I had some pictures of the center, it is all built by the residents using donated materials. When we arrived they were just finishing up a new building that had been started only 4 days earlier.

We then went to Cafe Justo, a cooperative that allows coffee farmers in Southern Mexico to set their own price for the raw coffee which is then roasted, packaged, and marketed from this tiny shop in AP. The coffee was really good (this coming from a girl who doesn't really like coffee)! I recommend checking out their website at: justcoffee.org

We also visited a man in Nogales, Sonora who had worked in one of the infamous "Maquilladoras" and had then decided to go into business for himself. This is his sewing station where he makes aprons, non-static smocks, and other uniform pieces for the Maquillas in Nogales. He also does painting, hydraulics, hardware sales, and many other things to stay afloat. It reminded me of when I was young and I asked my mom "how much do you think I would make if I was a poet, and actress, AND a synchronized swimmer?"

We also went to a micro-credit agency that is currently helping over 2,000 clients start small businesses. There are lots of people on the Mexican side working to make it possible for people to support their families without having to leave for the US. We also met with groups giving vocational training in carpentry, sewing, computer use, and English. Many of these people have lived in the US and are trying to spare others the prejudice and exploitation they experienced here.

One of the last things we did before heading back stateside was a home stay in a Nogales neighborhood. Our "host mom" Rosita made us amazing chimichangas, pancakes, and beans for breakfast. This is Nick (a 2L at Penn), me, Rosita, and Sean, our Borderlinks guide.

I am so glad I was able to go on this trip and talk to so many groups with so many different ideas and experiences. I am not sure what the solution is, but I do hope to share my experience with others who did not get the chance to experience the border first-hand. It would take a week to share all of our meetings, emotions, and discussions, but I hope these blog posts give you an idea of what went on. Anyone interested in learning more about our trip should feel free to contact me or check out the Borderlinks website and schedule a trip of your own! borderlinks.org

Spring break Borderlinks trip

2008-03-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

I returned from the borderlands late Friday night and have been trying to put my experiences into words. It is impossible to convey all that we saw and felt during our trip in a blog post, but I will do my best to convey the major issues we confronted.

In the early 1990's the US government began to construct walls and increase border security designed to funnel migrants to border crossings in increasingly remote parts of the Arizona desert. The trip now requires about 4 days on foot crossing the mountains and facing the blazing heat in the daytime and frigid temperatures at night. During the summer a person has to consume about 1 gallon of water PER HOUR to avoid becoming dehydrated. It is impossible to carry this much water and migrants can find themselves in dire situations very quickly. On average one person dies in the Arizona desert every day.

Some of them are unable to keep up with the group and the guide or "coyote" abandons them to their own devices. We heard the story of a 14-year-old Salvadorian girl who was left behind by her guide. Her mother sent photos to the US to help the searchers identify her when she was found. It took several weeks to locate and recover her body.

Our guides on the desert walk were members of the Samaritans, a group that patrols the main trails with food, water, and maps looking for migrants in need of help. This is one of many trails the migrants follow north to meeting points where they are picked up and taken in to Tucson.

The migrant trail is littered with empty water bottles, clothes, shoes, backpacks, toothpaste, and other every day items used in making the trip. Migrants leave these things behind because the less they are carrying the less they look like migrants. They usually bring a clean outfit to change into so they don't look like they have been walking in the desert for days.

Vendors on the Mexican side take advantage of the migrant traffic, backpacks, water, and other necessities for the journey cost many times more in the border towns than they do further south. Much of what we saw in the desert looked brand new.

In the summer migrants often walk at night and bed down in the brush during the heat of the day. The brush provides a place where the migrants are not visible from Border Patrol helicopters flying overhead.

We crossed into Naco, Mexico and visited a new migrant resource center founded by an American living in Arizona. The center offers food, water, coffee, clean clothes, blankets and finds shelter for migrants staying the night in an unfamiliar town. While we were there a young man with a badly wounded hand was taken to the hospital for medical attention. Border Patrol had wrapped his hand but he needed antibiotics and possible plastic surgery. The center also documents how long each migrant was detained and whether they were given food and water while in custody. Most of the migrants we met were held 15-18 hours without access to food or water. The center also helps those who wish to file complaints against the US Border Patrol contact the Mexican Consulate.

We also visited the infamous wall constructed out of leftover landing strips from the first Gulf War.

In Nogales, Sonora, Mexico a group of artists dedicated to public art have decorated the wall with art. The first installment was designed to be displayed on both sides of the border, but the US would not allow the artists to alter the wall. When the artists asked the Mexican government they said "go ahead, it's not our wall!"

There was also a great deal of graffiti on the Mexican side of the wall in addition to the formal art provided by local artists. I admire the efforts to turn such a hateful eyesore into a forum for expression.

Here is a closeup of a nasty-looking coyote. While many people admit that the coyotes are necessary they also say that the vast majority are bad people who only care about the money they are paid for shepherding the migrants accross the border and do not value human life.

This is the wall in part of Nogales. It has been open here for quite some time, but the National Guard is busily finishing it to prevent people from running over the border and escaping into the city of Nogales, Arizona. There is a large border patrol presence here and there are multiple camera towers being monitored at Border Patrol headquarters. The Border Patrol has also installed stadium lighting along the wall to deter night crossings. The lights are damaging the desert ecosystem.

This is the wall seen from a Mexican neighborhood. Many people on both sides of the border have stunning backyard views of the wall.

Our last full day in Tucson we attended immigration court and witnessed "Operation Streamline." The Tucson sector of the Border Patrol "apprehends" upwards of 1,000 people a day. All of them are finger printed and run through the system. The majority select "VR" or voluntary return. These migrants are sent back to the border in a large bus, but do not have a deportation or criminal record. Not everyone is so lucky. The Border Patrol has full discretion to select 40-60 migrants every day to be criminally prosecuted. Any of them with criminal records will be prosecuted for the crime of re-entry.

Those with no previous record plead guilty to the misdemeanor of illegal entry in order to avoid felony prosecution for illegal entry. In theory the defendants are entitled to a trial, but because it is so easy for the government to prove the case it is much safer to plead guilty. After they serve their time (anywhere from time served to 10 days for first-time offenders) they are then deported and now have a criminal record in the US that will come back to haunt them if they are caught trying to enter again.

Those with prior records (many of them prior illegal entry misdemeanors) enter into written plea agreements with the government to avoid the felony charge. The government offers a sentence of half the rediculously long terms for the felony in exchange for a guilty plea. The plea bargain gained popularity because it keeps defendants from appealing. If a defendant appeals the plea agreement is violated and the government will prosecute for the felony resulting in a multiple-year prison sentence. The whole process is highly coercive, arbitrary and resembles a cattle call. We spoke to the federal public defenders who said they have to advise their clients to plead guilty because they will likely get time served whereas if they decide to go to trial they will spend another 30 days in jail waiting for the trial date.

The whole situation is quite disheartening. We also met with several groups who gave us hope for positive change. I will write another post soon detailing the positive actions being taken on the Mexican side designed to provide people with a means of providing for their families without leaving for the US.

Sigh of Relief

2008-03-05T06:13:00.000-08:00

Well, the appellate brief is turned in and Spring Break is just around the corner... This week I met with the International Human Rights Advocates (IHRA) group that is writing syllabi for a new Human Rights Master's program at Gulu University in Uganda. I joined the group in February and am writing a syllabus for a course on Children's Rights. It is a really amazing project and I am very happy to have had the opportunity to contribute.

This past weekend was the Spring Fling. It was a lot of fun, and the new dress I found worked out really well. It was nice to dance and hang out with my classmates and not think about school for a while. The venue was a little odd, but it did provide plenty of room for dancing, so I can't complain.

Tonight I will be competing in the Second Annual Penn Law Idol. I am not sure yet which song I will massacre; there are so many choices! Tomorrow the Post Acceptance Housing Subcommittee will be meeting to start pairing admitted students with hosts for Admitted Students Weekend. On Friday we leave for the IHRA trip to the Mexico border. I am excited to learn more about the current immigration situation at the border. I am not really sure what to expect, but I am looking forward to the trip. I finally found a two wonderful people to look in on my boy while I am gone, so I don't have to go to the plan B my dad suggested of finding a homeless person to stay in my apartment while I am gone. Always thinking, my dad.

And, of course, some photos for your viewing pleasure.

Survival Day!!!

2008-02-26T19:02:00.001-08:00

Today it has been 11 years since I was hit by a truck and survived! These are the beautiful flowers my mom and dad sent to me to commemorate one more year alive. I went to Thai food for lunch with my friend Lindsay, and after class we went dress shopping for Spring Fling dresses. We were both successful (!) in a span of just two hours. I think that may be a record. Lots to do in the next two weeks: my appellate brief is due, a rough draft of the Uganda curriculum is due, and there are some fundraising activities for our Mexico border trip planned as well.

GRATUITOUS GORDON PICTURES!!!

Here is Gordon playing with his favorite toy and also using my laptop as a pillow.

BOTSWANA!!!!

2008-02-19T16:15:00.000-08:00

I have been offered an internship at the University of Botswana Legal Clinic for this summer!!!! I am sooooooo excited I can hardly contain myself. The Clinic is one of the only places offering legal services to the indigent population in Botswana. I will be the first Penn student sent to this Clinic, but there will be several other Penn graduate students working in different places in Gaborone.
Other things are also picking up: the Equal Justice Foundation auction is this Thursday, the first Penn Preview Day is Friday, the first draft of a syllabus I am working on for a masters course in Uganda on children's rights is due to the International Human Rights Advocates on March 3, my appellate brief is due March 5, the Spring Break trip to the Mexico border is less than 3 weeks away, and Admitted Students Weekend is March 28-29. Maybe after that I will have a second to think. I'm not betting on it! I guess I wouldn't want it any other way...

No post is complete without a Gordon update. He seems to be doing really, really well. We are making progress on the toilet training slowly, but surely. I think tomorrow it will be time to take the next big step! He is 90% delightful, 10% scratchy.

Blerg

2008-02-07T07:37:00.000-08:00

This has been a long week, but happily it's almost over! I am looking forward to the weekend and an opportunity to get myself organized and back on a good sleep cycle. I feel really lucky because I still really like law school. We will see how I feel just before my appellate brief is due! We are "representing" a Seattle street performer who says that the rules for performers in the Seattle Center violate his First Amendment rights. It is a real case, and a pretty interesting subject, so it shouldn't be too bad.

This week in Constitutional Law we read Roe v. Wade, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, and Gonzales v. Carhart. It has lead to some interesting debates (I would expect nothing less) and gotten the class riled up. It definitely has me worried about the course the Supreme Court is on lately! There have been other terrible decisions that have come down from the Roberts court recently, so it looks like the Bush administration train wreck will have ramifications on our liberty for years to come.

The summer job search has been taking a back seat to everything else I am doing, but this weekend I hope to get another bunch of applications sent. Gordon is doing well, he has been more snuggly and less injurious lately--my hands, arms and legs couldn't be happier! I am hoping to move to the next phase of toilet training this weekend, so keep your fingers crossed that I won't find special "presents" in unhappy places this time! Above is a picture of the Gordmeister playing with a broccoli floret. He is high in entertainment value!

Birthday wishes and etc.

2008-02-04T12:17:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday Erin, Hedda, and Sonya! It is a busy day in the birthday department today.

Hard to believe it is the start of the fourth week of Spring Semester already! Not much to tell, I have been reading, cleaning, and working on stuff for the Post Acceptance Committee lately. The Equal Justice Foundation auction is coming up and I will be volunteering to help out if they need me. On Wednesday I am meeting with the group that is going to the border for Spring Break. I am excited to find out more about that trip. Next Monday is a presentation from a very exciting-sounding firm with offices all over the world. Other than that, I have still got to find myself an internship for the summer.

Gordon is doing well. He was snuggly and not in attack mode this morning, a welcome change of pace! Toilet training is underway, but before I can implement the next step I will need to take a trip to Target for some supplies.

Time to get the laundry from the dryer and go to the grocery store!

Back in the Saddle Again

2008-01-28T18:27:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is almost February! School has started again and I really like most of my classes. Grades for last semester came out last week and I am satisfied with most of them but there is always room for improvement. I had an interview with the Transnational Legal Clinic last Friday and this Friday I have two more interviews with immigration related non-profit organizations here in Pennsylvania. I am applying for an internship with the Attorney General of Botswana this week as well. I would love to have a summer job in the bag, so keep your fingers crossed for me!!

My work on the Post Acceptance Committee is gearing up, I will be coordinating housing for all the admitted students visiting for the Admitted Students Weekend in March. Luckily I am working with some other very capable people on the project so I have high hopes for avoiding last minute panic. I also found out this weekend that I will be headed to the Mexico border with the Penn Law International Human Rights Advocates over Spring Break. I am excited to find out more about the immigration situation and possible solutions to the mess we have going on right now.

Gordon is doing well, feisty as ever. We are attempting toilet training! I will keep posting on our progress. After vacuuming up a TON of kitty litter all over the apartment, I must admit I am excited about the possibility of not needing it anymore. Well, there is always more work to be done here, so I had better get to it.

I will leave you with one of my favorite Gordon pictures (what else?) which I feel sums up my life pretty well at this point.

Ahhhh, vacation!

2008-01-08T11:33:00.000-08:00

Gordon and I have been having a lovely vacation in Montana for the last few weeks. Sadly, it will ball come to an end on Thursday when we head back to Philadelphia. I do love Philly and I am excited for the classes I am set to take this coming semester, but I will miss my mom's dinners, seeing friends, spending time with the parents and the dog, free laundry facilities, and all the nap time. Gordon did amazingly well on the plane ride here, so I am hoping for a repeat performance on the way home!

Well, laundry awaits, and I should probably try to get some work done on my writing sample as well (I have been suffering from vacation brain and have not been effective in that goal thus far...). I'll be interested to see what the results of the New Hampshire primaries will be. Here's hoping 2008 is all that this country desperately needs it to be!!

Exam time warp

2007-12-16T17:10:00.000-08:00

Well, exams are already halfway over. Amazing. It is interesting how warped my perception of time has gotten. I can't believe it was only yesterday I tackled 97 multiple choice questions for my Criminal Law exam, and I also can't believe I only have 37 hours until my Civil Procedure exam (and two nights worth of sleep to get). Speaking of Civil Procedure, I took a quiz to find out "What Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Are You?" and I was quite pleased with the results. I was considerably less pleased with my answers to the practice Civ Pro exam I just took, so I will leave you with the quiz results and get back to studying.

YOU ARE 28 UNITED STATES CODE SECTION 1332!You are not a Federal Rule of Civil Procedure at all: you're the statute that allows the federal district courts to hear diversity of citizenship actions! You were drafted with the idea that an out-of-state party may be unduly prejudiced by appearing in a foreign state. Sometimes people may think that you're strange, and they try to minimalize your effects by requiring an amount in controversy and by being especially strict on the requirements for diversity. Also, attorneys often use you for "forum shopping" and other undesirable behavior. But there's no getting around the fact that you're so darned loveable! Your delightful quirkiness entertains friends and law professors alike, and although others may grumble about your eccentricities behind your back, they're always talking about you, so you must be doing something right. Let's face it, the world could use a few more 28 USC 1332's!

Last Class of 2007!

2007-12-07T06:07:00.000-08:00

Today is the last class of my first semester of law school. This is both exciting and strange, and it also means that my first final is 4.5 days away. Then there is another final every third day for the next week-and-a-half. I am going to need to stock up on my finals secret weapon: pudding.

15 days from now I will be attempting to fly accross country with little Gordon. It may well be the longest flight of my life, and I've flown to New Zealand. I am looking forward to introducing him to my family, especially Holly. They are both orange and love to play so I think they will get along well.

Tonight I am going to clean my apartment and get to work on studying! Torts, Crim, Civ Pro, and Property, oh my! I think my brain has turned to jelly. That is good for toast, not so good for studying.

No more Mondays

2007-12-03T12:36:00.000-08:00

Well, this is the last Monday of class of my first Semester of law school. So what if that is not really no more Mondays, it feels like it! This morning was definately Monday in full force! Gordon was suffering from "too much rambunction" as dad would say. He jumped on my desk and knocked my cereal bowl very close to my laptop. Needless to say, I was not amused.

Today we learned how to use the exam software. No spell check :( That could be a problem... It seems to be a pretty straitforward system, and assuming my computer does not catch on fire (as apparently happened a few years ago) I should be ok on the technology end of things. The content end of things remains to be seen.

In torts we are learning about defamation and the First Amendment. The elements are 1) defamatory statement: libel (written) or slander (oral) 2) Defendant's statement was of or concerning the plaintiff 3) published (communicated to a third party). Consider yourself edified!

Hypothetically speaking

2007-11-30T07:47:00.000-08:00

As I walked into Torts this morning the Professor told us to download the pop quiz. The quiz consisted of 40 true/false questions. There were many good hypothetical questions that needed to be answered, and, of course, argued over.

If grandma loans her rifle to her dope-smoking, crack-addicted grandson and he shoots the mail carrier (sorry dad, I didn't make it up) because he thinks he is the Easter Bunny (whom grandson despises) is grandma liable for negligent entrustment?

Can a six-month-old be liable for negligence?

These questions were actually debated. I blame the lack of sleep and too much reason (I meant to write reading, but I think too much reason is actually more accurate). We have all contracted the rabid law student before finals disease.

They told me law school changes your brain, I think that is proving to be true. Sadly, law school cannot change the need to do laundry. That is what awaits me this Friday afternoon. Life is so glamorous here on the East Coast!

Procrastination

2007-11-29T16:58:00.000-08:00

I have one crazy cat. The other night I was brushing my teeth and suddenly he was in my tiny medicine cabinet. The next morning I found the basket from my shower drain (one of his favorite toys) in his water dish. Today he decided to lie in the sink and get dripped on. I have 50 pages of torts to read for tomorrow's double class, but I thought I'd take a moment to share the absurdity with the world. Tomorrow at noon there will officially be only one week of classes left in the semester. Amazing and terrifying all at the same time! Well, I had better tackle that reading, I wouldn't be surprised if I got called on tomorrow, rumor has it there won't be many of us in attendance.

The end is drawing nearer!

2007-11-27T07:22:00.000-08:00

Less than two weeks of class left, less than a month untill Christmas. This means I have a massive amount of work to fit into a short amount of time. Also, I need to get a job lined up for next summer.

I had a good Thanksgiving break, though I did not get as much done as I would have liked. I kind of set myself up for that... I guess it will get done or it won't!

It is HOT in my apartment! I asked the doorman if I could turn the heat down and he said "open a window." Even though I don't pay for electricity, I'd rather save some fossil fuels, but I guess the whole building is on the same thermostat and everyone else is cold. What's a girl to do? Get back to work, I guess.

Gratuitous Cat Pictures

2007-11-21T06:47:00.000-08:00

OK, here are my reasons for posting pictures of Gordon so often:

1)The blog looks awfully boring without pictures.

2)The pictures I have are of Gordon, I take lots of them because I felt so bad about having so few pictures of Soot after he died.

3)My life is comprised of class, reading, Gordon, sleeping, eating, writing, bad TV, online time-wasting, and talking on the phone. Of these, the only thing that makes for good pictures is Gordon.

4)I find him to be ADORABLE.

5)Mom likes them.

These are all the reasons I need. So if you are tired of them I apologize. As soon as I have pictures of something else I will post them!

Is it Monday again already?

2007-11-19T10:46:00.000-08:00

Well, despite my best efforts I was pretty productive this weekend. I got all my reading done, cleaned my apartment, went grocery shopping and got a decent amount of sleep. I hope I can keep that up during the Thanksgiving break, because that is when all my outlining is supposed to happen. Also, I plan to read Getting to Maybe which is supposed to be a good book about how to write law school exams. It is very handy to put things off by deciding to do them during the break until the break comes along.

Today I went to a panel on taking 1L exams. It was helpful to hear about the exams my professors have given in the past. This law school thing is actually happening. Exams are less than a month away. It will be May 17, 2010 before I know it. It is very strange to actually be doing things I thought about doing for so long. The very strange thing is not having any idea where I will be living three years from now. I have some ideas of where I don't want to live, so at least that is a start. Any suggestions on excellent places to live are greatly appreciated.

In other news, the temp has finally dropped to what could conceivably be called "brisk," a welcome change as far as I am concerned.

An interesting story: Last night I saw two people (a couple) dressed in white sweatsuits (Hanes style, tops and bottoms, complete with elastic around the ankles) he was wearing a white skull cap and she was wearing a sort of fuzzy white beret. When I saw them they were climbing into their white Pathfinder and driving away. That would terrify me! One false step and you'd have to buy a whole new outfit. Maybe that is the point.

Victory

2007-11-16T21:22:00.000-08:00

Well, I made it. I went to all my classes and did all my reading and now it is Friday and I am still standing (well, sitting actually). Three more weeks of class! I don't know if that is exciting or scary, this semester has flown by. This week was tough, but I am still enjoying myself here at Penn Law. I am going to go to bed now and see if I can't nip this cold I feel coming on in the bud. I will leave you with (surprise) pictures of Gordon. If you are getting bored, I can switch to pictures of Law books. Trust me, Gordo is much more exciting!

America's Next Top CAT Model

2007-11-14T19:17:00.000-08:00

I took these photos on Monday, and was amazed at Gordon's performance. Every frame was something different, and he was really working his angles. He knows what makes him look best. Needless to say, I was very impressed; some of the girls on ANTM never get it.

Monday Bloody (Manic) Monday

2007-11-12T12:02:00.000-08:00

Man, some days I get the feeling that law school is just trying to see how much we can take before we crack like feeble weaklings. Today is one of those days. I am NOT going to crack, however, no matter how feeble I feel!!

So today we have an extra class (Civil Procedure, no less) and then I have 6-10 more pages to write on my memo that is due tomorrow (I suppose I might be partially to blame for that). Happily the reading is pretty light for tomorrow's classes, and I think I know pretty much what I want to say in my memo. All I have to do is (1) say it, and (2) figure out where to cite to in the cases for the quotes I want to use.

Last night I didn't get attacked in my sleep by a playful kitty. It was pretty awesome. Maybe my attempt to wear him out with his toys before bed actually worked! We shall see if this trend continues, I certainly have my fingers crossed!!

I realized this morning that there is a high degree of liklihood that I will be tired for the rest of my life unless I can condition myself to function on less sleep. That does not sound like fun, but I think I am in the right place to get some help with that! Apparently I live on the corner of Police Station and Fire Station...

And now back to our irregularly scheduled class. WHEEEEEEEEE! Personal jurisdiction!!!!!

Time flies

2007-11-08T18:02:00.000-08:00

It is true, I didn't believe it until I was here. This week has been pretty busy: make up classes, a lecture by a lawyer who represented some of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, an International Law Organization meeting, a Post Acceptance Committee meeting, a writers' brainstorming meeting for the Law Revue (a variety show), Norwegian class, vet appointment, lunch with Professor Morse, blah, blah, blah.

I fear I am turning into one of those people who talks about nothing but her cat. I do have to say he IS one of the most interesting things in my life right now. He is feeling much better and is VERY playful. It is so nice to see him with some energy, but I do wish he would not use that energy to attack me while I sleep. I made him a ball out of aluminum foil and he loves to chase it all over the house. We were back at the vet again today, he has mild conjunctivitis, so now he gets salve in the eye twice a day.

I have to get back to my TORTS reading, but these are pictures I took of Gordon while we were playing the other day.

Back online

2007-11-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I am back online! It seems that they meant to disconnect the cable to apartment 501 and disconnected mine instead. Happily, most of my shows wasted a week doing recaps of the season so far, so I didn't miss anything. Comcast picked a good week to screw me over.

This is the first time I have been home all day with Gordon. At first he thought it was pretty cool, now he is looking at me like "don't you have somewhere to be?" Just wait 'till I get the vacuum out tomorrow! I have to say that it is amazing the effect he has had on my quality of life. I think having someone to take care of helps me take better care of myself as well. He had the last of his antibiotics this morning, so hopefully it will just get better from here. He is already much more playful.

I watched the MTV showing of the new Broadway show Legally Blonde, The Musical tonight. Having started law school, I wondered if it would give the show new meaning. My two thoughts are: we don't sing that much, and the bit about her studying her way from a 131 to a 175 on the LSAT still doesn't sit well... I guess I am not very good at the whole "suspension of disbelief" requirement. We all know that bees don't pollinate corn, so maybe it runs in the family :)

I suppose I should really do some more research on how New York courts treat covenants not to compete. I also have one more article on the feminist view of tort law that I should read before I tackle 50 pages of Civil Procedure tomorrow. Life as a 1L is truly glamorous!

Distracted...

2007-11-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

I have been soooooo distracted today! Paying attention in class is hard. I need a nap.

Gordon is home, eating like a champ, playing more, and just being adorable in general. Still no cable, though I did see a flicker on the modem yesterday. I went over to the Almaz Cafe to check my e-mail and enjoy a tasty beverage last night. I had a nice talk with the owner about society and etc.

It was Halloween yesterday, I took a nice long nap to celebrate. I think that is a pretty good way to celebrate, especially since I had to miss my shows. I can't believe it is already November.

Today I had some SPICY Chicken Tikka Masala; it was tasty AND it cleared out my sinuses. It may also have melted part of my brain, but I'll have to get a second opinion on that (maybe from someone who has studied medicine).

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T07:33:00.001-07:00

Yay! Halloween is my favorite holiday! There is a girl in a cow hood and a person in a Darth Vader mask in my Crim class. I am wearing my retina-burning pink Egyptian dress. Today a group of us are going to lunch with my Civ Pro professor.

Gordon came home last night, he ate and took his medicine (with the help of a pill wand--I think those actually ARE magic) and was more playful then he has been in a while. I think he must be feeling better and also be happy to be home. He is still pretty congested and likes to sneeze on me. Norwegian class was fun, my student is great. The fajitas were also tasty. Sadly, my cable went out, so no Beauty and the Geek, no Internet, and no land-line. Comcast says it might come back on its own, but if not I have to wait until Friday night to be connected again. Then my cell phone started dropping calls. It's enough to make a girl grumpy!

About 10:45 pm I started hearing sirens, a lot of honking, and also helicopters. My Internet was down and I had no TV news so I couldn't figure out what was going on. I heard there was a shooting and the "perp" jumped into the river, then he was caught. Now I have to see if I can find the whole story online...

My little invalid

2007-10-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

Well, Gordon has been at the vet since Saturday morning. I am hoping to bring him home today. He seems to be doing better at the vet's, so I hope he can do better at home as well. He has been eating but is still pretty congested. It will be nice to have him home again.

I have another Norwegian class tonight, so I am looking forward to that. We are going to make fajitas and watch Beauty and the Geek after class. So, if all goes as planned tonight should include Gordon coming home, Norwegian class, fajitas, Beauty and the Geek, and the democratic debate. This day is certainly looking better all the time! If I can do the dishes, read my Crim assignment and take a nap in addition, I will be one happy girl!!! Here's to trying to cram everything into one little evening!

Home Alone

2007-10-27T06:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I am home alone today, Gordon is at the vet. He hasn't been eating and we are worried about dehydration. This past week was really something. Between kitty meds, events, reading and classes I am exhausted.

This week's highlights:
Monday--See previous post. I am not even going to recap that disaster of a day!
Tuesday--Gordon breathes through his mouth and I wake up from a nap just in time to watch Beauty and the Geek.
Wednesday--Guest lecture on the early Chinese Americans who were driven from their homes in cities all down the West Coast and the lawsuits they filed to fight back, Gordon refuses to eat, I wade through Torts reading and make some quickie costumes for Thursday
Thursday--Today's theme: Terrible things humans are capable of doing to each other. Symposium on North Korean Refugees including a talk by a man who spent a decade in a political concentration camp starting at the age of 10, Tortfeasor's Ball where crazy law students dress up as their favorite torts. I was CaCl2 (a salt=assault)
Friday--Career Planning and Placement open house with free food, canvassing for donations for the annual Equal Justice Foundation auction in the rain, meeting Ozzie the adorable beagle
Saturday--Gordon's day at the vet, Emily's day of Civil Procedure reading (I'd rather spend all day at the vet!)
Sunday--Norwegian lessons start for a fellow 1L!

Bummer :(

2007-10-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

Well, he finally has a name: Gordon! It came from nowhere and really seemed to fit. I took him to the vet today where he charmed the pants off of everyone. On the way home, however, he pooped in the cat carrier and managed to get it all over himself and the carrier. I had to give him a bath and he was NOT pleased. He was wet and cold and sneezing and forlorn. He finally forgave me and has dried out quite a bit. Then I had to give him his medications. He took the decongestant pill OK but managed to spit the banana flavored antibiotic liquid everywhere. He hasn't forgiven me for that yet. I hope he does soon, because I have to administer the meds twice a day for the next week. I do have to say that all during the bath, the drying, and the medication he did not scratch me once. He has been very good even if he hates me. I am now going to put in a load of laundry and attempt to get all my homework done. It's a good thing I managed to get a little bit ahead this weekend!

He's Home!

2007-10-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

Well, about 40 minutes after my last blog post I got a call from the shelter saying my boy was ready to be picked up! I took the bus up and fetched him, and he rode the bus with me all the way home. He was SO good! When we got home he wandered around and sniffed everything for a while, then he snuggled up with me on the couch. He has to be the most adorable little love bug I have ever met. He even looked like he was smiling. Of course, when I got the camera out he clammed up a bit. I don't think the light shining in his face helped any. Here are a few shots of him on the couch.

The name game

2007-10-21T07:34:00.000-07:00

Everyone has a strong opinion on what to name my new friend, of course. My mom wants me to name him Benjamin Franklin because I live in Philly and go to the school he founded. Dad says it seems wrong to start a cat's name with a vowel and feels it should have a good "k" sound in it, like Henrik. Shannon suggested Kimchi, and Maisha didn't want him to end up with a legalese name. I hadn't even thought of that, but there are a few that could be funny. Lex loci delecti? Habeas corpus? Res ipsa loquitur? Jurisprudence? Mens rea?

I don't think I could do that to a cat. Mom and dad both like Roger but I was saving that for a daughter, or at least a little girl puppy. I like Jarle, but mom says that sounds too feminine. I also like Eilert after Eilert Løvborg, the love interest in Hedda Gabler and Peer Gynt. I think I am most partial to Sigbjørn, after Sigbjørn Obstfelder, my favorite author. Mom reminds me that the cat is NOT Norwegian; I don't think I should hold that against him. I guess I could try living with him for a few days and see what seems to fit best.

I am terribly impatient to get him home. It makes me so sad to think of him all alone in his cage at the shelter. Also, there were several cats there that were sneezing, so I want to get him out of there before he catches an upper-respiratory infection. His little kitty bed looks very lonely without him.

More pictures

2007-10-19T20:31:00.001-07:00

Sweet kitty
Look at that pink nose!
Cool stuff from Korea

Kitty!!!!

2007-10-19T17:24:00.001-07:00

Yay! I went to the shelter and picked out the sweetest little boy kitty today! He is a love, very friendly and purrs when I hold him. I have to wait for them to neuter him, then I can go pick him up. Now all I need to do is choose a name. Any suggestions?

Good news

2007-10-17T19:09:00.000-07:00

Well, today was a day of good tidings. I am hoping to ride that wave all the way 'till grades come out for first semester. That might be pushing it, of course, but I'll keep my fingers crossed.

First, I do not have TB. That is ALWAYS good news. Second, I have been selected to serve on the Post Acceptance Committee, which means that I get to help plan the Admitted Students Weekend for this coming March. I am pretty excited about that. My cat carrier came in today, so now I am all set for a furry adoptable. I also got an awesome package from Korea in the mail today. I'll have to post some pictures of all the cool things that were in it.

I had better go do my Property reading, only one class left this week! Amazing.

It's Tuesday all over again

2007-10-16T11:22:00.000-07:00

Wow. It is only Tuesday. Amazing. I have close to a 4 day weekend this week, so even though it is only Tuesday, I am almost through my seventh week of law school classes. There are some good things coming up this week. After class I am interviewing for the Post Acceptance Committee, the group that plans the admitted students weekend like the one I attended in March. Tomorrow I am attending a lunch where my Criminal Law professor will be presenting a paper on "folk psychology" and after class there is a meeting for the Penn Law Revue which will be in the spring. Funny skits about law school? Count me in! I have a few applications in to different shelters, and I am hoping to bring a furry bundle of joy home this weekend. Pictures will be posted as soon as possible. Also, the end of this week marks the halfway point of first semester classes.

Next week will bring a screening of "God Turned His Back On Us" about the lost boys of Sudan, a meeting with the Career Planning and Placement office, the symposium on North Korean refugees, the Tortfeasor's Ball, and canvassing for donations for the Equal Justice Foundation auction in February.

Tonight is Beauty and the Geek. Now that Will and Rebecca are gone, who will be the power team? Who will Sam find to make out with and make his partner uncomfortable? I'll just have to wait until 8 tonight to find out, 5 hours and 20 minutes!

Emily's Recipe for Involuntary Civil Commitment

2007-10-12T07:38:00.001-07:00

Combine in a large bowl
6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
2 cans tuna, flaked
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 lb. egg noodles, cooked

mix well and pour into an oven-safe casserole dish

bake for 20-40 minutes at 325

leave oven on for the next 4 hours and wonder why the air conditioning is not keeping the apartment cool

write a blog post about the whole experience revealing to friends, family, and the public the extent of your incompetence

Enjoy!

Ahhh, Friday!

2007-10-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

Well, the end is in sight (of the week, at least). Last night I went to Petco with a friend and took advantage of their store-closing sale. I got a bed, toys, litter, a litter box, treats, food, a scratching post, and food and water dishes. Now all I need is a cat. It is soooo exciting!

Now I long for yesterweek

2007-10-11T06:19:00.000-07:00

Man, last week is looking pretty good right now. Maybe I should wear that superhero necklace more often. This week we had an extra Civil Procedure Monday after school, Tuesday our 1:30 class was moved to 4:40, last night we were notified of a new (additional) reading of 150 pages to be finished by the end of the month, today I have an online workshop after school, and tomorrow we are currently scheduled for a double torts class. I feel much busier this week. It's not all that bad, I guess it's what I signed up for! I'm going to start outlining this week, and that should make me feel like a bona fide law student.

On the bright side: I found cheap (for a girl from Montana) plane tickets to visit friends in WI after spring semester, and I heard from the UN so now I can get started on the application for that. Also, according to my student representative, today I have survived 5% of my legal education. The end of next week is the halfway point of the first semester. This weekend I am going to my faculty adviser's house for dinner. Next week should be pretty awesome. I get to take a TB test!

Strange week in review

2007-10-05T15:08:00.001-07:00

It has been a pretty strange week thus far, with serious potential to get even more strange...

Monday we had two times the Criminal Law we normally do, and my professor was in not-so-rare hysterical form. That man missed his calling as a stand-up comedian, though he is a pretty great Crim professor, too.

Tuesday I got called on in Civil Procedure and my Torts professor called the group of kids that beat up a boy in one of our cases the "Jena 6."

Wednesday, in the middle of lecture my Property professor noticed my shoes and exclaimed "fabulous shoes!" mid sentence. I replied "thank you!" and when the rest of the class snickered she said "well they are, you should see them!" They are some of my favorites, too. My property professor has excellent taste! I also had two meetings for student groups I am hoping to be very involved with on Wednesday.

Thursday I ate falafel with some friends and when I joked that "now we feel awful" they had never heard that before and thought I had made it up. Sadly, I am too honest to take credit for that one. I went to the Penn Law Women's Association Ice Cream Social after class and had a lovely sundae and met my new mentor. She seems really great, and it is always nice to meet people with common interests. On my way home from school I was passing a business and there was a man on a ladder fixing the awning. He looked down at me an yelled "that necklace makes you look like a super hero!" I said thank you, not really knowing what else to say. He assured me he meant it as a good thing, and asked me to promise not to use it for evil. I agreed and scratched my head all the way home.

Later that evening I went to a section 1 "we don't have class tomorrow" party. I did a rousing rendition of "Baby Got Back" which is my standard karaoke song. I also had a chance to get to know some of my classmates I hadn't really talked to before. I keep meeting great people here, and that is very encouraging!

Today I went to a lecture on how to prepare for exams because I figure that is something I should probably know how to do. Now I'm off to a homemade pizza gathering.

Who knows what tomorrow has in store?

yikes

2007-10-03T09:37:00.000-07:00

Wow, I got called on yesterday in my Civil Procedure class... I don't think I could have personally done a worse job of answering the questions, but at least my prof wasn't nasty about it. It was a question on a case we read for last week, so it was buried under the 60 pages of reading for this week. If only I had gotten called on today instead! Ah, well. At least if American Hospital Supply comes up on the final it will be in my head. Or if it comes up again ever in the course of my life.

Today I volunteered to help coordinate the "book insert sale" for the International Human Rights Advocates. Not 100% sure what that will entail, but I guess I'll find out! There is also a meeting for the Equal Justice Foundation today. Just in case my normal coursework doesn't keep me busy enough I'll add some other obligations :)

I want a kitty

2007-09-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

I want a kitty. Last night I planned where I would put a scratching post, a kitty bed, a food and water dish, and I imagined a cat sleeping on my pillow and purring me to sleep. I thought about names and what I would do with said kitty if I went to Kenya for the summer or Central America for spring break. I thought about vet bills and difficult decisions. I thought about hair balls and insulin shots, dead birds and thyroid pills. I wondered if a cat could be happy and fulfilled living in a junior one bedroom apartment in Center City Philadelphia.

I really miss Soot. I miss how he would sit on me when I was taking a nap. I miss how he would touch my face with his paw when he wanted attention. I miss having someone waiting for me when I come home who is always happy to see me and very vocal about it. I miss having a furry cuddlebug to cheer me up when I am stressed out or sad. (This would come in handy in law school)

I promised myself that I wouldn't have another pet until I could afford to give it all the medical care it needed. I never have been patient.

Another year older

2007-09-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it to 26, who would have thought? I was admittedly a little bummed out by the whole thing until I decided that I am pretty pleased with what I've done with the past 26 years. I had a great birthday here in Philly. I watched some So You Think You Can Dance marathon, walked to the zoo, took a nap, and tried to slice my little finger off with my kitchen knife... Happily, I was unsuccessful at that last bit, but I did manage to give myself quite a gash. Apparently I should not be trusted with sharp objects.

Once I got that under control, I went out to dinner with some friends. Turns out the restaurant that I made reservations at via the internet was closed Sunday only for renovations. Strike two! So we went to a great Thai place instead. Dinner was great, and then some of us went back to my apartment to have some AMAZING carrot cake that my friend Adrianna made from scratch. She is an awesome baker, so it was the perfect ending to a great birthday. Now I get to dive into my Civil Procedure reading. I refused to do any work yesterday, so I had better get to it!

Holiday weekend

2007-09-21T05:56:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh. One class stands between me and my 3-day birthday-holiday weekend. Very exciting. Last night I went to the International Law Organization dinner at Kabul restaurant. Some tasty food, and some great events coming up. There is going to be a symposium on North Korean refugees, and one on national security.

I e-mailed the lady in charge of resettlement at the UN refugee camp in Dadaab yesterday to see about how to apply for an internship next summer. Things are rolling along here, no sign of stopping! Gotta go learn about the duty element of negligence torts. If the statute says you need to have your lights on, turn your lights on!

Philadelphia Zoo

2007-09-17T19:44:00.000-07:00

I am now a proud member of the Philadelphia Zoo! I checked out the Nation's First Zoo with a fellow 1L yesterday afternoon. We didn't get to see everything due to the reading waiting for us at home, but I will be back. If I can avoid the pitfalls that are the zoo store and the food court I should be good to go. So far so good! I'm not sure where this will power came from, but I am not complaining! The zoo has three baby tiger cubs that are almost four months old now, too cute! We have reason to believe that there will be baby kangaroos in the not-too-distant future, too ;)

The third week of classes has already started! I was skeptical when I was told my first year would fly by, but it seems to be happening even as I type. Today I met with the professor who teaches a lot of the international law courses here at Penn and had a great discussion about my future goals and how I should be preparing for an international career. It is a little scary to be planning the rest of my life, but it is very exciting to have what have been far-off day-dreams become tangible.

Well, Legal Writing reading awaits, and a full day of Civil Procedure, Criminal Law, Legal Writing, Torts and Socratic dialog is in store for tomorrow!

I Like Cold Beverages

2007-09-13T18:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got some excellent news. The JD/MA in International Studies program that I was so excited about has added two weeks in SENEGAL to their summer immersion part of the French program. I also found out that I can apply in January which will give me some more time to work on my French. If I am accepted I would still have to spend a month in Paris, so I guess I'll just have to pack lots of cortisone salve if that happens! Alors, je doit faire mes devoirs!

This post is called "I like cold beverages" because I just got back from the store with a wide variety of tasty cold beverages, and also that song cracks me up. I think I'll go enjoy both.

Socratic Method

2007-09-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally had my first taste of the Socratic method. I think it went OK, I didn't faint or vomit and I was able to come up with passable answers (I think). I have to say I was impressed by my Criminal Law professor's pronunciation of my last name, I think he may have practiced.

So far I am still enjoying law school, the readings are pretty interesting (though some admittedly make me cross-eyed at times), the class discussions are thought-provoking. Now I remember why I've always said I am better at school than real life. There are also so many great opportunities to get involved with pro-bono projects, clinics, and other fun groups. I have to be careful not to sign up for too much, but it will be really nice to see my education put to good use so immediately.

I went to an academic support series lecture on preparing for class and the professor talked about lawyers as storytellers who translate the story from human language to legal language. Storytelling and translation? I guess I made the right choice of career! That is it for tonight, the pile of dishes in the sink is about to reach critical mass...

Apartment Pictures

2007-09-08T10:43:00.000-07:00

These aren't quite in the order I wanted them in, but for a first try I guess it will be fine. Hope you like the pictures!

First week of class

2007-09-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

Classes are now underway and things seem to be going pretty well. I am enjoying my classes, keeping up on my reading (and understanding most of it), and I haven't been called on yet. Just another benefit of having a last name that is hard to pronounce! My Professors are all really good, my classmates are lots of fun, and man am I exhausted! I am not used to paying attention for so many hours a day, I guess. Happily, I have been keeping up on my naps for now.

This weekend I plan to get my apartment into photographable shape and get those pictures posted. How better to induce you to visit? I am also planning a trip to the zoo (they have baby tigers!) and massive amounts of reading. Now that I have blazing fast Comcast cable internet with power boost at my house (is it obvious I was a marketing major?) I should be able to post more often, provided something interesting happens!

About the comments, pics are coming soon, I am not anti-technology, just lazy. I don't know if I prefer Pat's or Geno's cheese steaks, they are both good for different reasons, and a 1L is a first year law student, a 2L is a second year law student and a 3L is a 3rd year law student.

Gotta go, class is starting!

Orientation

2007-08-30T12:25:00.000-07:00

Well, Orientation is in full swing, I've been bowling, helped clean up a park, taken tours, done pub crawls, been to receptions and presentations and certified my laptop. I have met a lot of really cool people and have started to figure out the bus system. I have my class and exam schedule and my assignments. I will also be dropping a pretty penny on books before I head home for a much-needed nap. Classes start Tuesday, I will write another post all about the Socratic method.

Settling into my new apartment

2007-08-25T21:36:00.000-07:00

Well, my parents and I made it to Philadelphia! Our flight was a few hours late (big surprise) so we spent the first night on the floor. Ouch. The next day we spent getting supplies and furniture at Target and Ikea. The next few days we spent putting all of my new Ikea furniture together... It rained quite a bit while they were here, so we didn't get to walk around as much as I would have liked, but it did provide a cool environment for furniture assembly.

I did let my parents have a little fun here in Philly. We went to the Franklin Institute (though we didn't see Tut), the Mutter Museum, the Art Museum, the Rodin, the Reading Terminal Market, Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the Penn Law building, compared cheese steaks from the rivals Pat and Geno in South Philly, ate Ethiopian food, mom and I went shopping on South Street while dad went to the US mint.

Driving in Philadelphia was an adventure to be sure, though I left that adventure for mom and dad to enjoy... The rental car was returned in one piece, no collisions to report. Mom and dad left for Bozeman on Thursday afternoon leaving me to put up posters and unpack the boxes that I sent myself.

So far I LOVE Philadelphia--the people are awesome and very friendly. My apartment is great; it was so much fun to pick out furniture and all the trimmings. I will try to get some pictures uploaded soon, though I am not known for being good at that sort of thing! My home Internet connection should be set up on September 1, so I will do another post then and give all the details on orientation. I got my class schedule today, I'm almost a 1L!

Herregud!

2007-08-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

Had a mental breakdown last night; I have SO MUCH STUFF!! Where did it all come from? I keep throwing stuff away, packing boxes to mail, packing suitcases, packing boxes of (mostly books) stuff I can't bear to part with but also can't afford to mail myself or store in Philadelphia... Yet, there is always more stuff to be dealt with. I am quickly running out of days and patience. I'd really rather be hanging out with friends in the next two days than packing.

Enough whining, I had an awesome evening with some of my very favorite people in the whole world, Carter, Bjorn, Sissel, and Siri. Also, both Danny AND Sabra made it into the finals of So You Think You Can Dance, so all is well with the world for now.

Here's hoping I get everything done in the next 24 hours so I can have some time to play (hey, a girl can hope!)

Getting started

2007-08-11T11:57:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like I officially have a blog now! Hopefully I will have lots of interesting things to post, and maybe even time to post them. Right now I am just going to keep packing my life into suitcases in an attempt to be ready for Thursday. If anything exciting happens, you'll be the first to know.