Week 2: Comparative law, research, and coffee, my favorite things!
My second week working for CEELI flew by. Between staff meetings, program planning, and research, my days are packed with a ton of work and even more learning, leaving me exhausted but satisfied at night.
The majority of my work is still focused on researching judicial lustration. This week I've moved into case studies of lustration practices from countries all over the world - Poland, Macedonia, Argentina, Hungary, just to name a few. My research has expanded beyond central/eastern Europe, with the focus on a comparative study among nations worldwide. In these beginning stages I've mostly been trying to understand the different legal systems of the countries I'm going to focus on, a fascinating, if hefty, project. After spending the past 9 months learning about the American legal system, it is a nice change of pace to expand my horizons and learn about others. It is also quite interesting to see how a country's particular history influences the make up of its present-day legal system. Needless to say I've got a long way to go on my research, but I'm learning so much and enjoying every step of the project.
I've also been able to sit in on various meetings with other CEELI employees as they plan out the June programming - CEELI is hosting at least 6 different programs/courses in June and everybody is gearing up to help facilitate them. I'm personally very excited to sit in on the Conference of Chief Justices from Serbia. I will post updates about these programs throughout June!
Outside of work, I've spent most of my time exploring the city. Prague is huge (especially compared to Williamsburg VA!) and I hope I can see everything in the 10 weeks that I'm here! My favorite part of this past weekend was visiting the Prague Zoo! Voted the 4th best zoo in the world on Tripadvisor.com, it definitely did not disappoint. If interested, you can read more about the zoo by clicking here: Prague Zoo
~Coffee Spotlight~
I also decided to highlight a different Prague coffee shop in each of my blog posts! Each week I'll post a picture and description of a new cafe I tried that week. Coffee is one of my favorite things in the world, so I thought I'd share my káva experience with my readers.
Monolok Cafe (http://www.monolok.cz/)
I stumbled across Monolok while out for a walk on Saturday morning - it is located in the Vinohrady district, right by one of the prettiest parks I've ever seen. I ordered a flat white (similar to a latte, but with more espresso and less milk) - it was delicious! They also have an awesome breakfast menu, something that is hard to find in a lot of cafes (most just serve croissants and pastries). There is also a pretty little garden in the back, where you can sit out on a nice day. I'll definitely be back!
