Oct 05, 2008 22:02
About halfway through my first semester of law school. Still alive, though sometimes more awake than other times. I've learned that coffee is my friend, especially for afternoon classes. I've learned the classes I thought I'd dread end up being ok, the ones I thought could be interesting are not so much so. One class I feel comfortable in, one I don't expect to feel comfortable in until Thanksgiving Break, one has shown me I can't write as well or think near as logically as I thought, and one I'm still trying to figure out what the heck the prof is talking about in class. Fortunately the library has several study guides on that subject area, so hopefully browsing a couple of those will help. Though I think I will have to go in and see my prof to figure out what we're supposed to be getting out of his class. Because right now, I ain't got nuttin'.
Am watching Buffy and The Office with Chris. The two shows are quite the contrast. It's fun. He's introducing me to the office - we're 1/3 through season 2, and I'm introducing him to Buffy - halfway through season 2 (next episode is Surprise.) ;-)
Went to Gettysburg with Chris and Kristin yesterday. Kristin is a fellow 1L who shares all but one of my classes, and is a history grad who spent a summer interning in Gettysburg. Now I need to watch the movie to get a more visual understanding of what all happened, then go back again and piece it all together. The thing that struck me the most yesterday was just how huge the area was. I guess I'm used to being able to walk around most places that are historic, but the amount of land covered by the various Gettysburg memorials is too large to walk. It helps me understand a bit more just how many Americans were involved in this war.
I think I know how I'm spending my summer. Or at least a plan so long as doors remain open. Right now PA government is under a hiring freeze so I was a little concerned about finding worthwhile summer employment. Most of my classmates are using it as an excuse to participate in the study abroad programs at the school, but with the fall of the dollar, those trips are going to become increasingly more expensive. Plus I've kinda dropped my international law idea. There is too much to do in this country, and my passion lies on the homefront. So hopefully I'll be able to apply for one of the 3 fellowship programs, preferably the IOTA fellowship, which will basically provide funding for me to be able to work for a legal services clinic all summer, making a low amount of pay compared to firm work, but more than I've made at any other job I've held down, including my full-time permanent one. I'd pretty much be tossed into legal work, but helping those people who have no where else to go. Tons of hands-on-experience, and hopefully the ability to determine if this is the route I want to go in my legal studies or not. If not I can always go for a clerkship my second summer, as those are not available until your second summer or third year. There is also a clinic that focuses in on policy issues that I'm interested in, as well as a clinic in family law and one in child advocacy (and I can only pick one of the three to actually take) so a summer at legal services will hopefully be helpful in determining future direction in that regard. But that's the summer. I'm not even allowed to prep a resume for another month (there was too much pressure on 1Ls to get resumes out during orientation to be competitive for summer employment and that was too much to worry about with adjusting to law school, so ABA capped when 1Ls were able to meet with career services, submit resumes to employers, etc. to avoid the race to be the first school to get the 1Ls applying for jobs. We can't do much of anything until Nov 1st now, which is ok. We can still browse websites and see what opportunities are there, we just can't apply or interview or anything. But it gives one time to do research and mull over the decision more I think.)
Well, that's my life right now. I am slowly making law school friends, keeping my head above water in regards to schoolwork (albeit barely in one class), starting to get minimally involved with a couple of extracurricular groups, and spending most of my weekends hanging out with Chris and sometimes other 1Ls. I've been to Hershey Park and Chocolate World, Troegs Brewery, Gettysburg, gone ice skating, karaoke, hiking, played tennis and racquetball and attempted various new recipes. I've watched lots of movies, played lots of games, read way too many pages of law books already, and have learned a ton. So much so that *everything* reminds me of something we've talked about in one of my classes. It's been fun, difficult, challenging, exhausting, exciting, and sad. I've missed Ohio tremendously, even while liking the views of the mountains that never leave. PA is beautiful, OH was familiar. I've still only been here 2 full months really. It seems longer a lot of the time. Eventually PA will become home, but for now I still see myself as an Ohioan, despite how messed up my former state actually is. Change is hard. Good, necessary, and inevitable, but hard. But it'll come. Just takes time, and I am always so impatient.
Seeing as how I'm reflectively rambling and should have been in bed 30 min ago, I guess I'll end there. Need to get up in the morning and finish an assignment before class as it is.