Aciu!
It's my last week in Vilnius and I have submitted my European Commission proposal to Algis. This task, like all of our tasks, was very independent and gave me the chance to really write like a lawyer. Algis explained that this proposal focused on how to get local communities, and their leaders, involved in victim support, but he didn’t tell me much more than that.
For many of the prompts on the proposal submission I had to brainstorm possible impacts, roadblocks and their solutions. For example, section 1.14 asked about any ethical issues that we would come across during the course of this project. I honestly had no idea, but I did some brainstorming and drew on something I learned in my Deaf Culture class in college.
Domestic violence runs rampant in the Deaf community, one reason being that because the community is so small women don’t feel they can seek help without being ostracized or punished. In these small Lithuanian localities, it is often the case that a victim and the culprit are from the same community. This could discourage the victim from coming forward to get the support of the institution, regardless of the crime, either because they feel unsafe or because they fear social repercussions, specifically if the perpetrator is a prominent and powerful member of the community. This is something we will need to lookout for.
Another ethical concern is connected to the main purpose of the project, engaging community leaders in the creation of these support institutions. When community members are the ones leading support services confidentiality becomes a big concern. Victims won’t feel comfortable confiding in the leader of the institution if they think that person will go and air their dirty laundry all over town. I enjoyed this project because it gave me a chance to be creative and think outside of the box.
We couldn’t avoid it any longer. Our final week and we ran out of conflicts and rain. We had to play soccer with some of our Eversheds co-workers. I have been dreading this for quite some time and I was as awful as expected but, the fact that we were playing at the national futbol stadium made my lack of skill even more disappointing. However, I am proud to say I made two goals! Because there were only 5 players, my strategy was to wait for everyone to be at the goal fighting over the ball. I would stand by the other goal and wait until our goalie passed me the ball, then I would have a chance to shoot at an open goal while the other team ran over! Unfortunately I only made these shots a third of the time and now, every bone in my body is sore.
Our coworker at Eversheds, Manvydas, gave us the sweetest going away present! A 2 Euro coin that was created in celebration of the 100 years of Lithuanian independence, on the back of the coin is the word Ačiū which means thank you in Lithuanian!
This was the word the nation voted on and I think it effectively captures my feelings about leaving Lithuania.
I am thankful for the incredible experience I’ve gotten in legal research.
I am thankful for a summer spent in a beautiful city that feels both old and new.
I am thankful for it not being so hot that we roasted in our apartment.
I am thankful for all the incredible people I met and learned from along the way.
While I am looking forward to returning to the US and hearing about the adventures all my law school friends have had this summer, I will miss Vilnius and I will always remember the time I spent here.
I will remember visiting the Vilnius NASDAQ office and taking a tour with their head of legal.
I will remember Aglis asking if we would “take a beer” with him during our meetings.
I will remember sitting in beautiful coffee shops and wandering the cobble stone streets with Ariana.
I will remember hearing Jonas tell us about how he took part in the Baltic Chain during the Baltic Revolution. The Chain consisted of 2 million people holding hands and stretched across Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, I had learned about it in my Soviet Revolutions class and to meet someone who was a part of such an incredible historical event was amazing.
I will remember the feeling in my stomach when I was standing on stage at the Baltic Seminar of Criminologists.
And finally, I will remember all the fun Ariana and I had in our tiny apartment on Pylimo and during our amazing trip across Europe. I am so lucky to have gotten to spend my summer working and living with such an incredible and brilliant person! Thankfully, we happen to be taking all the same classes next semester so we won't be apart for long!
