24 August 2009

I guess I’ll tell you guys a little bit about my party life before I get to the “fun stuff” aka the first day of classes. It seems that there are only two setting for a Tulane Law student… party and study. Since arriving in NOLA I had pretty much been set to the party setting until Saturday, 22 August. I met a great bunch of people by doing this, which was nice. Monday night I went to dinner with some of my friend, which started pretty shitty, we had been spending too much time with each other I think. Everyone’s attitude was pretty crappy for no reason in particular, so I lay the law down and said we can either pick up or night or separate because this crazy. So we decided to go back to my apartment to decide what we should do which turned into a fairly large party of about 25 people. The night ended up being one of the best yet. The next night was Rock-n-Bowl, which I already told you guys about. Wednesday I didn’t go out because I was too tired from orientation and I don’t think that I went out Thursday either. Friday was definitely my most crazy night in NOLA.

The SBA (Student Bar Association) sponsors events throughout the year called Bar Reviews which means that they pick a bar and buy two kegs and law students drink for free until the kegs are kicked. I was planning on attending this event and then going home so that I could wake up early the next to start my hours of reading for my classes. At around 8:00 the kegs were kicked and a bunch of us decided to go back to Natalie’s house to hang out for a little while and then go to sleep. Greg, Natalie’s roommate, was home with his visiting friend from Harvard Law and they managed to convince Brett, Jon, and myself to go with them to a 2L (second year law student) party. Within five minutes of arriving, Jon decided that he needed to go back to the bar we had just come from because this “hot girl” was texting him, but he promised that he and Brett would be back within the hour.

About three hours later I hear some commotion upstairs. It turns out that this guy Omar had said something to some girl and she got pissed and kneed him in the balls and ripped his polo shirt. At this point, Jon and Brett had still not returned and I was the only 1L at the party, which wasn’t terribly bad because I’ve already befriended some 2L guys, but the 2L girls were not happy that I was there. So I proceed to play the mediator role, which I always seem to fall into, and I take Omar upstairs to vent. At this point, I am texting Natalie telling her that the 2L class is a bunch of shit shows and I have no idea what I am still doing there. I still wasn’t having a bad time though, it was just that I’m not really a fan of drama. This mediation had clearly earned me a ton of bonus points though and now the guys were liking me even more; obviously, this made the girls hate me more than they had before. At one point, a 2L girl looked me up and down, turned to whisper conference with her friends, and then they all turned and looked me up and down. I didn’t really care about any of this though because I could already see that I was winning this battle. Let me explain, so three or four 2L girls are huddled around Mr. Harvard and the whole time they are talking to him he is looking over their heads and whispering/making faces at me. In my book that counts as a win!

So a few more uneventful hours pass and the party starts to wind down so I’m thinking this is the point where I finally get to go home….. WRONG. Some genius decides that we should go to the late night dance spot in the Quarter called the Gold Mine. I was the only girl left at this point and Jon and Brett were at some balcony bar so I figured it would be better to go with the guys I trusted than to try to figure out how to get home. So the cab arrives and somehow Harvard worked it out that the only seat for me was on his lap… go figure. So me and four other guys pile into this cab on our way to the Quarter while we proceed to “white rap” the whole time. It was actually a really fun cab ride. Apparently guys also go to the bathroom together because Greg, Harvard and Eric all go to the facilities together. During which time the fourth guy proceeds to order two flaming Dr. Pepper shots. If you have ever been a bar frequenteur you know that you can’t turn down a drink once it has already been ordered so I down the bad boy like it’s my job and quietly mumble to myself, “there goes my early night.”

If you know me at all, you know that if I am in a dance club and the right song comes on I cannot hold back the urge to dance. So I’m dancing away with the weird fourth guy while the other three are continuing to drink… which I can already tell is a horrible idea, but they are males and law students so that means in their minds they are always right. So about an hour later we decide it’s about time to leave. We left two stragglers behind so it was only Greg, Harvard and I in the cab home. Harvard and I cuddled on the way home while he tried not to puke and I napped. Greg spent his time talking to the cabbie about some fishing story, I think. We finally arrived back at Natalie’s safely and Harvard and Greg’s other roommate Brandon, preceded to puke in the bushes outside (I tried to tell them to stop drinking).

When I woke up the next morning I felt like absolute death. I had to sleep the whole day to recover and only woke up around 4:00. Then I studied from about 4:00 to 8:00 and had to go back to sleep. Sunday I woke up feeling horrible again and realized that I was sick… yuck, so I slept/studied most of Sunday. When I say study, most people think that about two hours is sufficient. I have quickly learned the word study in law schools means eight hours. I went to bed really early Sunday night and woke up this morning feeling much better and ready to start classes.

Classes were a lot better than I thought they would be. Most of the teachers don’t really use the Socratic method and they call on volunteers. Tomorrow is the day that I have the professor who has been described as “the most effective and efficient ASSHOLE” in student evaluations. I think that I will end up doing really well in his class though because I’m so terrified. I ended up taking about six hours to read through one case for his class. It should be interesting to see what happens tomorrow though.

I guess that’s all of my news for now. I will try to update as frequently as possible, but I am a very busy girl now. Take care and carpe diem.

19 August 2009

So I know it’s been a while since I last updated but I’ve been very busy trying to make and keep friends. I had coffee with a recent alumni who is in charge of the placements for the pro bono week and he told me that Michelle (the leader of my placement) told him that I am very social which was confirmed for myself at the social event last night. The event was called Rock ‘n’ Bowl which involved the law school bussing everyone from our class to a bowling alley where they provided unlimited free beer and wine. Last night confirmed my social nature because I was actively bowling in three different lanes and hopping around among a few different groups of people. Natalie the girl I’ve become really close with isn’t as social (by social I mean she likes to keep a small group of hand-picked people) as I am so I pop around and try to meet as many people as possible. They also provided some wine and beer after our first day of orientation today. It was at this point that it suddenly became clear to me why Tulane is the number two party law school in the nation!

So today was the first day of orientation and I got my schedule and we took an oath saying that we would uphold the professions rules… after which I turned to my friends and said that we had instantly become less fun. They also told us that we have officially become lawyers because apparently the definition is “one who studies or practices law.” That part is pretty cool, but when my parents asked me if I felt like “the shit” my reaction was “well, I do feel like shit but not the shit.” When they say that the first year they scare you to death, they don’t lie.

To be continued….

Monday 10 August 2009

I started my pro bono week today and I am assigned with the Orleans Parish Public Defender which is AWESOME! I have to admit that I was little nervous this morning when we walked in and the court officer walked over to us saying, “If something happens you are responsible for yourself… and Don’t lose your pens!” That was quite the wake up call especially with the 15 pairs of alleged criminal eyes staring us down from their very pretty orange jumpsuits. Welcome to criminal law was the first thought that came to mind. Our job is to interview people before their bond hearing to determine if they qualify for a public defender or not. So basically, we walk into the “tank” and ask a few questions about their income and living situations (talk about getting up close and personal with these people). Orleans Parish includes a pretty large area with a diverse set of people so the charges range from murder to simple drug possession charges. I can’t talk about any more information because I signed a confidentiality agreement, but I have to say that it is pretty awesome.

I could literally sit in that court room all day… it’s better than tv. The judge can be pretty harse though which was a little intimidating. It seemed like the attorney’s were pretty new though and the judge was explaining as she went along. I know that I have definitely picked the right life path though because I am totally pumped from just one day in court… I know that eventually it will lose it’s excitement, but I can see a long future for myself in criminal law.

Other than work, my social life is shaping up quite nicely. I’ve met a lot of really cool people who are into school but also like to have some fun. The other night I went to a beer pong party and didn’t lose a game. That really pissed off the boys!! I was soooo proud of myself. The next night was orientation for the pro bono week and when I walked in the boys cheered lol! I know Mom, you’re soo proud too!!! Anyway, I’m actually running to a friend’s house for a little get together so I’ll try to update as soon as possible. Thanks to everyone who is asking about me… I can assure you that I LOVE LOVE LOVE it here and that I will not be coming home until December 22. Enjoy the end of your summer everyone!!

J

On the Plane

Wednesday 5 August 2009

And so it begins… I’m sitting on the plane now waiting for takeoff and thanking whatever power is up there that the packing is FINALLY done! I should have video recorded my struggle with the vacuum suck bags last night because it was pretty hilarious. I forgot all my pillows so I had to squish the air out of those suckers and shove them in my suitcase. My very gracious roommate offered to pick me up from the airport which is awesome., but he has a two-seater car so I had to stuff 25 pounds of potatoes into a 5 pound bag. I joked that I have to open it in an open field or with a pole because it could be dangerous when I unlock it. It should be interesting to say the least!

For those of you who are already missing me (which should be all of you!) I’ve already booked my flight for Christmas vacation so I’ll be home before you know it! I’ll New York bound on December 22 and New Orleans bound again on either the 1st or the 2nd of January (I can’t recall which day it is).

It’s feels so weird to be going back to school again… I would just like to point out that I really AM going BACK to school because when I decided to take a year off everyone told me I wouldn’t go back so HA HA to anyone who said that! I’m excited about it and nervous all at the same time… I know that I will be fine, but it’s still a little weird to think about being back in the classroom and studying. I’m sure that I’ll love it though because I am a super nerd. The first thought I had this morning was that I am actually doing it… going to law school! How crazy is that?! When I was young I used to write journals every now and then about what I wanted to be when I grew up and it was either a surgeon or a lawyer so I’m pretty proud of myself for actually getting to this point. I think this is the first time that I have ever really been proud of myself… I have to say it’s a pretty cool feeling. I hope that all of those kiddies of ours get to feel this way when they “grow up.”

Well I guess that’s all for now; I’m going to try to write as frequently as possible but I can’t make any promises. I’ll miss all of you and I’ll be home before you know it! Also, I wanted to thank everyone who either brought their kids over or took me out to say goodbye. I always appreciate all that you do to make me feel special!