Week 3: Contracts and Job Ads and BARCELONA, oh my!!
What a week it has been!! Time feels so strange here. The days are incredibly long but my weeks seem to go by in the blink of an eye. This week in particular flew by extra fast! It all started Monday morning when I came in to work to find a metaphorical pile of time-sensitive paperwork (emails) on my desk. I spent the rest of my week completing a variety of tasks from writing job advertisements for new positions that opened up within IBJ, to drafting employment contracts for one of IBJ’s new offices. I think I learned more in one week about Myanmar employment law than I ever imagined I would in a lifetime. However, reflecting back on this past year I think this is true of every week in that I learned more every single week of 1L year than I imagined I would in a lifetime –and what a beautiful realization that is!
I must say the first year of law school in general was an extremely humbling experience, and I often found myself feeling as though I had no idea what I was doing. But what I didn’t realize throughout the year of embarrassing cold calls, late night coffee runs, and hours spent reading and re-reading cases only to discover I still completely missed the point of the opinion, was just how much I was absorbing, and that when the time came to put the various skills we learned into practice, I would feel prepared. All of us 1Ls (going on 2Ls) are so blessed. We are so blessed because we have the opportunity to learn not just one new thing but a whole world full of new knowledge every single day. I feel especially blessed because not only did I get to learn as much as I did throughout this year but now, here in Geneva, I’m experiencing an entirely different culture (which in and of itself provides a plethora of knowledge) as well as am gaining an entirely different perspective on law (that being of the international variety –yes I do believe I’ve caught the bug). Although I have a great deal more to learn and still make plenty of mistakes, I need to take a second to tell the world (or at least those reading this blog) that I am incredibly grateful for everyone who was a part of my first year at William & Mary. The encouragement, knowledge, and genuine kindness my Professors, peers, friends, and family provided were essential to my personal growth this year. I am really proud to say I do feel (for the most part) equipped with the tools I need to be able to carry out the duties of my role this summer.
Of course, I also need to give a MAJOR shout out to the unbelievable team here in Geneva. I knew coming into this experience that I would be working alongside a group of extremely talented and bright individuals from all over the world, but I don’t think I realized the level of awesome they would all be. This is a team that truly does juggle 100 tasks at once and picks up where the others left off without even flinching. Everyone is everyone’s biggest fan and the support system and mentorship is tremendous. As incredible of a week as this was, it was also an extremely difficult week because we had to say goodbye to one of the brightest, kind-hearted, wonderful interns and people I have ever met, Alexia. Alexia is off to study at the London School of Economics and as happy as we all are for her to start this next journey, the office will not be the same without her. This was by far my low for the week, but I know that in her I have found a life-long friend so as always, my low is also technically a high.
As for my official high, this weekend Laura, Reeana, and I traveled to Barcelona!! I always dreamed of going and I am excited to say the city certainly did not disappoint. We had a blast watching Flamenco dancing, eating plates and plates of tapas and paella, shopping, exploring the Gothic Quarter, learning all about the history and culture of Catalonia, relaxing on the beach, and sipping on ice cold bottomless pitchers of sangria. We walked about 14 miles a day (thanks to Laura) and although exhausting, I will say it was completely worth it because we discovered countless treasures along the way, such as the beautiful view overlooking the entire city. I think I left a part of me in Barcelona; a part that I will just have to continue to return to find over and over throughout my lifetime, and I am completely ok with that. As sad as I was to leave the colorful city of Barcelona behind, I am excited to be back “home” in Geneva and to get back to work!
I look forward to continuing to share with each of you in the following weeks but for now, I wish each of you a very happy Monday!
Until next time,
-Jenn
