You can never hold back updates
Unfortunately, July 4th isn’t a holiday here, so it was a full work week with no fireworks or barbecues. Interesting work, nonetheless.
More discovery-type tasks involving getting deeds from the registrar’s office so we can check up on existing liens and the like. This has been a large part of the research I’ve had to do so far. I’m getting pretty good at writing the letters, I think. My grammar is being corrected less frequently, at least. Also received another section of the website to translate. The big project of the week, though, was a little bit of research closer to home. One of the attorneys here is working on a complicated trans-Atlantic inheritance issue, and the citizenship of the testator was part of the question. To settle the matter, he needed the text of the US citizenship laws in existence at the time of the testator’s death in 1945. Fortunately, after a series of emails with my professors and some help from the Temple library, I was able to get a copy of the law in PDF format and hand it off to the attorney. If nothing else, I have a much greater appreciation for our librarians now.
Wednesday and Thursday were also quasi-field trip days for my colleague in Berlin and me. Greg came down to Potsdam Wednesday to see what our office is like and to try to meet Mr. Brockdorff, who found him the Berlin position. Unfortunately, Mr. Brockdorff wasn’t around, so we’ll have to try that again another day. Thursday I went to Berlin to see what goes on at Taylor-Wessing, where Greg works. Their offices were also somewhat empty, as most of the associates were out on various matters and they’re also in the middle of a personnel turnover. Still, the trips were productive, as we got to swap tips on German legal research that we’ve been able to glean from our respective work here so far. Also, who knows what sort of networking contacts can grow out of simply being introduced around an office? If nothing else, you can always say; “We met that one time…”
The repetitiveness of work is starting to set in, so there isn't as much work stuff to write about this week. I asked about going along for more court appointments and meetings today, so maybe that will pick things up a bit.
This weekend was a little more lively than last weekend. Saturday was still a washout, but I had an indoor option prepared: the Film Museum. Fun fact: Babelsberg, a section/suburb of Potsdam, has been the Hollywood of Europe since the silent film era. UFA studios, home to directors like Fritz Lang and screen stars like Marlene Dietrich, was located on the same plot of land now home to its successor, DEFA, which still turns out films today and is located just 20 minutes by bus from where I live now (and conveniently only 30-45 minutes by light rail from downtown Berlin). Film buffs will have heard of such classics as The Blue Angel (Der blaue Engel) or Metropolis (which was such a flop that it bankrupted UFA). Those with more modern tastes may still be surprised to learn that portions of hits like The Bourne Supremacy and V for Vendetta were filmed here (and, in fact, the museum has a piece of a destroyed taxi from Bourne and the mask and jacket worn by Hugo Weaving's stunt double in V). Half of the exhibit was devoted to Babelsbergs current wunderkinder, the X Filme team, responsible for such offerings as Run Lola Run (Lola rennt) and Heaven (both of those directed by Tom Tykwer). The other half was interesting insofar as it was a collection of props and memorabilia of various East German film stars. The problem for me was, I didn't know who any of them were. It would be like going to a Hollywood museum without having heard of Gone With the Wind or knowing who Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn were. You recognize the value in an abstract sense, but it has no personal meaning. Still, not a bad rainy Saturday. There was supposed to be some sort of street fair on as well, but the rain more or less nixed that, and from what I saw it was mostly disaffected leftist youth (aka dirty hippies), with whom I never feel quite at home, even if I do sympathise with some of their politics.
Sunday turned out much better. I went on a photo-taking walk and ended up taking a tour of the Mosque (which is not now, nor was it ever, a Muslim temple). Built by Frederick William IV, it looks like a Turkish mosque on the outside, complete with minaret chimney, is painted inside like a Moorish temple, but houses the pump works for the fountains at Sanssouci palace. Apparently it was top of the line for its day, made by the Borsig company (which I believe still exists) and putting out 86 horsepower. If you like your technology 19th-century and steam-powered, it's really a great little side-trip. After that I took part in the aforementioned coffee and cake ritual at Queen Luise Square while writing some postcards, then made it to the City Canal in time for the finals of the 3rd Annual Potsdam Canal Sprint, a canoe and kayak race. The awards ceremony was followed by a waterskiing show, which, while less impressive in terms of flaming scenery than a Great Adventure counterpart would be, was not bad considering they only had a 30' x 600' section of canal and a jetski to pull it off with.
Time is quickly running out here. Trying to pull off a visit to my friend in Hannover, but haven't heard from Cologne yet. I will keep trying, though. There's a reason I kept an extra week for myself at the end, there. And I must be doing something right, because Mr. Brockdorff came down this morning to see how things were going and not only told me that there's a good opinion of my work in general, but he even asked if I was interested in staying on longer. Wow! I do have to finish school though. If I take a break now, those first-year loans suddenly come due, and I'm hosed. Like I said above, though, the networking is going to be fantastic later on. 'Til next week.
More discovery-type tasks involving getting deeds from the registrar’s office so we can check up on existing liens and the like. This has been a large part of the research I’ve had to do so far. I’m getting pretty good at writing the letters, I think. My grammar is being corrected less frequently, at least. Also received another section of the website to translate. The big project of the week, though, was a little bit of research closer to home. One of the attorneys here is working on a complicated trans-Atlantic inheritance issue, and the citizenship of the testator was part of the question. To settle the matter, he needed the text of the US citizenship laws in existence at the time of the testator’s death in 1945. Fortunately, after a series of emails with my professors and some help from the Temple library, I was able to get a copy of the law in PDF format and hand it off to the attorney. If nothing else, I have a much greater appreciation for our librarians now.
Wednesday and Thursday were also quasi-field trip days for my colleague in Berlin and me. Greg came down to Potsdam Wednesday to see what our office is like and to try to meet Mr. Brockdorff, who found him the Berlin position. Unfortunately, Mr. Brockdorff wasn’t around, so we’ll have to try that again another day. Thursday I went to Berlin to see what goes on at Taylor-Wessing, where Greg works. Their offices were also somewhat empty, as most of the associates were out on various matters and they’re also in the middle of a personnel turnover. Still, the trips were productive, as we got to swap tips on German legal research that we’ve been able to glean from our respective work here so far. Also, who knows what sort of networking contacts can grow out of simply being introduced around an office? If nothing else, you can always say; “We met that one time…”
The repetitiveness of work is starting to set in, so there isn't as much work stuff to write about this week. I asked about going along for more court appointments and meetings today, so maybe that will pick things up a bit.
This weekend was a little more lively than last weekend. Saturday was still a washout, but I had an indoor option prepared: the Film Museum. Fun fact: Babelsberg, a section/suburb of Potsdam, has been the Hollywood of Europe since the silent film era. UFA studios, home to directors like Fritz Lang and screen stars like Marlene Dietrich, was located on the same plot of land now home to its successor, DEFA, which still turns out films today and is located just 20 minutes by bus from where I live now (and conveniently only 30-45 minutes by light rail from downtown Berlin). Film buffs will have heard of such classics as The Blue Angel (Der blaue Engel) or Metropolis (which was such a flop that it bankrupted UFA). Those with more modern tastes may still be surprised to learn that portions of hits like The Bourne Supremacy and V for Vendetta were filmed here (and, in fact, the museum has a piece of a destroyed taxi from Bourne and the mask and jacket worn by Hugo Weaving's stunt double in V). Half of the exhibit was devoted to Babelsbergs current wunderkinder, the X Filme team, responsible for such offerings as Run Lola Run (Lola rennt) and Heaven (both of those directed by Tom Tykwer). The other half was interesting insofar as it was a collection of props and memorabilia of various East German film stars. The problem for me was, I didn't know who any of them were. It would be like going to a Hollywood museum without having heard of Gone With the Wind or knowing who Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn were. You recognize the value in an abstract sense, but it has no personal meaning. Still, not a bad rainy Saturday. There was supposed to be some sort of street fair on as well, but the rain more or less nixed that, and from what I saw it was mostly disaffected leftist youth (aka dirty hippies), with whom I never feel quite at home, even if I do sympathise with some of their politics.
Sunday turned out much better. I went on a photo-taking walk and ended up taking a tour of the Mosque (which is not now, nor was it ever, a Muslim temple). Built by Frederick William IV, it looks like a Turkish mosque on the outside, complete with minaret chimney, is painted inside like a Moorish temple, but houses the pump works for the fountains at Sanssouci palace. Apparently it was top of the line for its day, made by the Borsig company (which I believe still exists) and putting out 86 horsepower. If you like your technology 19th-century and steam-powered, it's really a great little side-trip. After that I took part in the aforementioned coffee and cake ritual at Queen Luise Square while writing some postcards, then made it to the City Canal in time for the finals of the 3rd Annual Potsdam Canal Sprint, a canoe and kayak race. The awards ceremony was followed by a waterskiing show, which, while less impressive in terms of flaming scenery than a Great Adventure counterpart would be, was not bad considering they only had a 30' x 600' section of canal and a jetski to pull it off with.
Time is quickly running out here. Trying to pull off a visit to my friend in Hannover, but haven't heard from Cologne yet. I will keep trying, though. There's a reason I kept an extra week for myself at the end, there. And I must be doing something right, because Mr. Brockdorff came down this morning to see how things were going and not only told me that there's a good opinion of my work in general, but he even asked if I was interested in staying on longer. Wow! I do have to finish school though. If I take a break now, those first-year loans suddenly come due, and I'm hosed. Like I said above, though, the networking is going to be fantastic later on. 'Til next week.