Breaking the Language Barrier

Today I woke up early, trekked across the city, and attended training to volunteer at the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center (APALRC). My friend Andrew volunteered there last semester and when he told me about it, I was very interested. The center outreaches to the growing Asian population in DC/MD/VA to help them with legal issues, particularly immigration, domestic abuse, and employment issues. They were founded by some DC law students 9 years ago "to address the individual legal needs of low-income and limited-English proficient Asian Americans."

As I was wandering around trying to find the room, I did grow a little nervous. I was pretty sure that I was going to be the only person in the room who wasn't bilingual. Even though I can understand pretty much all Vietnamese, I can't speak it. This is a result of my self consciousness of speaking when it's not compeltely right (which is silly, because I know I need to practice before I can get good at it) and my sincere belief that I have no aptitude for foreign languages.

Fortunately, a girl from my law school who already works at the center was looking for the room too and we found it together. She was really nice and put me at ease. And when the training started, I found out that one of the other girls there could understand when her parents spoke to her in Korean but responded in English because she thought her Korean was horrible. The coordinator said that many of the other volunteers are the exact same way. I wasn't alone.

Interestingly enough, I think my fear of not knowing another language (speaking Vietnamese), reinforced my belief of why I should volunteer at this center. Knowing how nervous I get about speaking Vietnamese, I can now see why many immigrants would be intimidated about getting legal help from places that only speak English.

So even if I just translate voice messages that people leave in Vietnamese, or take calls in Vietnamese but respond slowly in English (which the trainers said was ok, because the callers just find comfort knowing that someone can understand them) hopefully I can make people feel comfortable seeking legal help. And who knows, maybe I'll improve my Vietnamese.

Choices, Choices

If there's one redeeming quality about your first semester of your first year of law school, it's that you don't have to make that many decisions. Your classes are all chosen for you, and if you're like me, you make a personal promise to yourself that you won't join any clubs or organizations. I felt like the hardest choice I had to make was what I was going to eat for dinner.

Then second semester rolls around, the semester of choices. What kind of internships/externships should I apply for? Should I extern my next year? Do I want to try to "write-on" to a journal? Should I do the Marshall Brennan Constitutional Literacy Fellowship? When should I do clinic? Should I do the moot court competition?

Too many choices for this indecisive girl who always likes having a plan. Trying to chart a path that (1) allows me to maintain my mental and physical health (2) will be beneficial to my future and (3) is fun is no easy task. Fortunately having almost everyone feel that same way has helped me talk things out and I'm at least crossing things off the list. It's a start.

Female, Seeking Job

I'm not very familiar with the "courting" stage of a relationship. After Alex and I knew each other for ~2 years we skipped the awkward first date and went straight to being in a relationship. However based on my friends' experiences and what I've seen on tv, I'm guessing that looking for a job is like the pre-relationship dating.

Today I went to my first career fair. I never had to go to a career fair because I knew that after college I was going to law school. Sure I had applied to different summer political internships before, but the process then was much different than going table to table trying to "sell" myself. In the course of an hour, I was able to solicit many different tables and it was so interesting to see the different dynamics. Here are some examples:

The Bad First Date- The man at the first table I went to did not seem very into me. I felt as though I had to initiate all the conversation and at the end, when I was hoping he would ask me for my resume, like hoping a guy asks you for a phone number. He didn't. I offered him one and he told me to email it to him instead. [On the bright side though, I talked to many other classmates afterwards and they said he was exactly the same with them, and he didn't take any hard copy resumes...what a nervous start though!]

The "I need to escape" Date- I went to another table for a place that I was really interested in, only to find out that they are doing fall recruiting. Ready to move on, the man suddenly started to go into a very long explanation of everything that the workplace does, everything. I couldn't be rude and just leave (especially since I might apply there later) so I just sat there and nodded. I tried my best to gracefully make my exit but I was trapped for a good 10-15 minutes by his nice, but nonstop talking. This would be one of those dates when you really hope that your friend calls your cell phone, and you find a reason to excuse yourself.

The Date that Stood Me Up- An organization that I was really interested in talking with did not show up. Much sadness.

The Not My Type Date- I somehow ended up talking to a woman at one of the tables. Even though she was very nice, I realized that her organization was not really what I wanted to do. Though right now I'll take some job over finding none, I'd rather not "settle," especially when there are probably other people out there who are a much better match. I felt really bad, but I gave her my resume anyway when she asked for it. She told me to call her if I wanted an interview, that probably won't be happening.

The Good Date- I talked to some really nice people, with jobs that I'm interested in, but there's one really good conversation that I had that I hope could "lead to more." Things started off well, there was a good mutual dialogue, we had a lot in common, his organization was really interesting, and he asked me for my resume. And he told me to email him a cover letter. And he gave me his business card. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll get a second date (translate: interview).

Now I'm off to bed because Round 2 of Speed Dating/Job Hunting starts bright and early tomorrow morning.

Edutainment

Main Entry: ed·u·tain·ment
Function: noun
Etymology: education + entertainment
: entertainment (as by games, films, or shows) that is designed to be educational

This semester of law school has definitely had moments when I ask myself "am I really in law school?" When you think law school, you think esteemed professors standing up infront of the class lecturing and firing questions at the little law students furiously taking notes on their laptops. And while the majority of my classes are like that, we do have unorthodox moments of, what is actually a word, edutainment.

Before you, or my parents, ask where all my tuition money is going, I must say that forms of entertainment really do help explain a lot of concepts. What I learned and remembered the most in my high school and undergraduate careers was from professors who were creative. So I give a lot of credit to my law professors who are doing the same. Thus far this semester we have seen...

1. Chris Rock's stand up show in Criminal Law discuss why some actions that harm people are crimes (ie drugs) and others aren't (ie second hand smoke). He also talked about the difference between wealth and income, which consequently fit into our Property class' discussion about the wealth gap in America.

2. An Inconvenient Truth in Public Law to discuss Massachusetts v. EPA (emissions case). To give us background into the global warming debate and show us the significance of the legislature in the debate, we saw Al Gore's documentary. While some would question the entertainment value of this movie, there was a Simpsons'esque clip explaining global warming that was very funny.

3. School House Rock in Legal Rhetoric to show us once again, how a bill becomes a law. While we were all very familiar with this video, and we all probably know very well how a bill becomes a law, I'm still glad that they find ways to entertain us in very boring lectures about statutory research and legislative intent.

4. Monty Python and the Holy Grail in Public Law since we were discussing if judicial review stands in line with our democratic principles. Behind the absurdity and coconut shells, there is a very good dialogue about Democracy that I have copied and pasted for your education:

ARTHUR: Well, I am king!
DENNIS: Oh king, eh, very nice. And how d'you get that, eh? By exploiting the workers! By 'anging on to outdated imperialist dogma which perpetuates the economic and social differences in our society. If there's ever going to be any progress with the--
WOMAN: I didn't know we had a king. I thought we were an autonomous collective.
DENNIS: You're fooling yourself. We're living in a dictatorship. A self-perpetuating autocracy in which the working classes--
DENNIS: I told you. We're an anarcho-syndicalist commune. We take it in turns to act as a sort of executive officer for the week. But all the decision of that officer have to be ratified at a special bi-weekly meeting-- By a simple majority in the case of purely internal affairs,-- But by a two-thirds majority in the case of more major--
WOMAN: Well, how did you become king then?
ARTHUR: The Lady of the Lake,... [angels sing] ...her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water signifying by Divine Providence that I, Arthur, was to carry Excalibur. [singing stops] That is why I am your king!
DENNIS: Listen, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.

State of the Union

I watched my first State of the Union today as a DC'er, a mere 5 miles away from the Capitol.

There was nothing particularly spectacular about the speech (after so many political speeches they all start to sound the same) but the context around this year's State of the Union was interesting. Bush's ratings have dropped +50 points in 5 years, and of course there is a new majority in both Houses of Congress. As a Democrat, and a woman in general, it was very exciting to see Nancy Pelosi sitting up on top. I guess there was reason for Bush to have the somber tone that all the commentators noted.

If you missed the State of the Union or didn't want to sit through all the clapping, you can find the text here. And of course I have to also put the link of the Democratic response. I'll spare you my own analysis because 1) it probably won't be that insightful and 2) I'm really tired. What I will note are some other things that ran through my head as I watched the State of the Union.

• The Sergeant at Arms of Congress has a really cool job (here's a description after wanting to know how they got such a gig). In addition to getting to yell, "The President of the United States," the Sergeant at Arms is also "authorized to arrest and detain any person violating Senate rules, including the President of the United States."
• New commentators said that Momma Pelosi and Daddy Reid reminded all Democratic Congressmembers and Senators to be on their best behavior. While I would hope that our politicians would do this anyway, it was cute.
  
• State of the Unions really need "clap-o-meters," like the ones they have on game shows. You can kind of get a sense about the proposals that get applause from either side (Dems liked the immigration reform while Republicans cringed; Republicans cheered for vouchers and Dems bit their lips), but I would like to see it quantified.
  
• Dick Cheney always looks uncomfortable, especially wearing a purple tie and sitting next to Madame Speaker Pelosi.
  
• This is the only time when you ever see a lot of the different Secretaries in the President's cabinet, like the Secretary of Education (her last name is Spellings, how funny is that?) and the Secretary of Health & Human Services. Who do you think is the person they left in line incase there's a disaster at the Capitol and one of them has to ascend to become the President?
  
• George W. Bush always looks like a little kid when he gets a standing ovation from both sides. It's the look of "Yes, I said something good."
  
• I'm a sap for the public interest stories of the All American Heroes at the end.
  
• 62 breaks for applause in 49 minutes. While it's nice to clap to show support, it would be even better if we could applaud getting these things done. Here's me crossing my fingers that our government will.
  

Did You Hear?

For most people at law school, junior high was around a decade ago. You wouldn't know it though.

In addition to having lockers, a cafeteria, and classes with the same people all day long, there's the gossip. Gossip that you can find online through the sources of facebook. Gossip that spreads even faster nowadays thanks to instant messages and mass emailing. Oh the information age.

Even though I go to the 8th largest law school in the nation, word gets around. Not just within your section of 90 people, but around your entire 1L class. Future law students, you've been warned: what happens at bar review does not stay at bar review. (this is not from personal experience, I lead a very low-key, boring life...there's nothing to say about me)

Let It Snow

The last time that it snowed where I lived was 17 years ago, when I lived in Minnesota. So needless to say that I was excited today when we got the first real snowfall of the winter. It fully lived up to the romantic notions that I had of snow. I gazed out of the window all day, watching the tiny little flakes dust the trees and city streets with a delitcate white coating. (To the left is a picture from my balcony).

Naturally this whole concept of snow is much more fun when I'm inside, hacking away at my trial brief. You can ask me how I like seasons tomorrow when I have to wait in the bus stop. Weather.com says that "freezing drizzle" is in the forecast for tomorrow and "winter flurry" is predicted for Wednesday. Theses are definitely new terms for my vocubulary.

I'm so glad that I put my flannel sheets on this weekend. I'm going to go curl up in my bed, with what else, but my casebook.