Domicile
As I learned in Civil Procedure and Legal Research & Writing II, under federal law, individuals are domiciled in the last place they lived with an intent to remain indefinitely. Corporations are domiciled in both their principal place of business (“nerve center”) and in their place of incorporation. While I was completing my subgrant compliance tasks, I reviewed the legal criteria for determining where a person or entity is domiciled. I also thought more broadly about domicile while helping IBJ register a new office in Jordan and while helping to write and edit the narrative for IBJ’s Pakistan grant proposal.
Although exam questions dealing with personal jurisdiction often are the most difficult, I realized that choosing my next domicile will be much more challenging than those exam questions were. Unfortunately, there is no Unguided Erie analysis for soul searching.
However, based on my personal and professional experiences, I am starting to develop a multi-factor, totality-of-the-circumstances test, which (I hope) is a bit clearer than some of the legal tests I had to apply this year:
- Do I have an opportunity to engage in meaningful work here?
- Do I connect with people living here?
- Can I afford to live here?
- Is this location safe?
- Does the location allow me to quickly access green and blue spaces (i.e. mountains/vineyards and water)?
- Can I easily and affordably travel from this location?
- Is there a wide variety of inexpensive, high-quality food here?
- Are there desirable opportunities to be physically active here (i.e. yoga classes, hiking opportunities, and inexpensive, high-quality gyms)?
So far, Genève seems like a top contender for my next domicile.
My work at IBJ has been deeply meaningful. One of my biggest tasks is bringing IBJ’s subgrant, travel and expense, and procurement policies, procedures, and forms come into compliance with 2 C.F.R. 200 and Swedish legal requirements. I have no prior legal compliance experience but significant prior experience conducting quantitative analyses that measure the extent of damage to shareholders when corporations have poor internal controls and fail to comply with audit requirements. Consequently, I have a decent understanding of both how much I still need to learn about compliance and how important compliance is. Although it can be daunting to tackle an entirely new area of law, applying the legal research and analysis skills that I spent all year building has been so rewarding! After spending nine months vacillating between feeling capable and feeling completely unprepared to perform “real” legal work, it has been wonderful to actually do legal work. I still have moments of confusion, but I am becoming increasingly confident that I will, eventually, figure out relevant issues in the law and become a productive member of the legal community. I am incredibly happy that I can use the skills that I have spent so much time, effort, and emotional energy building to help such an inspiring organization!
My work on IBJ’s Pakistan grant proposal has also been fun and a tremendous learning opportunity, but I will postpone the in-depth discussion of this work until after we complete it on Friday.
When I arrived in Genève, I did not know a single person other than Shaun, and I barely knew Shaun. Now, I quickly am becoming friends with my roommate, my coworkers, and my coworkers’ other friends. My friends in Genève come from Switzerland, France, Spain, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They collectively speak at least five languages, and they all are passionate about their jobs/internships at NGOs or the United Nations. I can get along with almost everyone, but it’s rare that I find people I like quite this much this quickly.
Genève is expensive, but there are plenty of inexpensive and fun things to do here. The wine festival that my friends and I had the pleasure of attending this weekend costed CHF 10, and I got to keep the glass we used at each of the vineyards. We took a short train ride to Satigny, and we walked from the train station to at least six wine cellars. Each cellar was beautiful, unique, and filled with locally-produced Swiss wines that we could sample using the wine glass we bought at our first stop.
I never have felt uncomfortable walking home or traveling alone in Genève because it is a very safe city. Personal security is essential to living a free, mobile life, and, as I read about Pakistani transgender activists and the way in which gender and sex discrimination permeates the criminal justice system in Pakistan, I am even more grateful to live in a safe society.
As the photos from this weekend demonstrate, gorgeous green vineyards are a fifteen-minute train ride away from this vibrant, cosmopolitan city, and I walk across the lake each morning and evening on my way to and from work. It really does not get more idyllic than that.
Traveling to Bern and Luzern also was very easy, and I love the fact that such stunning cities are just a two- or three-hour train ride away. The train ride itself is beautiful, too, and I spent most of my train time listening to music and happily staring out the window. For my quick ride from Bern to Luzern, however, I sat across from an older Swiss woman, and we spoke about travel, work, and politics for the entire train ride. One of my favorite things about occasionally traveling alone is that I end up meeting many more kind, fascinating people than I do when I travel in groups.
Experiencing other cultures through cuisine has always been a joy of mine, and regularly eating flavorful, healthy food also greatly improves my health, happiness, and energy levels. I have not been out to eat much in Genève, but the CHF 8 falafel and the CHF 20 Thai curry I got both were delicious. The fresh produce, bread, salami, prosciutto, and cheese c'est magnifique, as was the wine I drank this weekend.
In the summer, Genève is rife with cost-free opportunities to be physically active. I have yet to hike the Salève or swim in Lake Genève, but both are on my summer bucket list. During my first two weeks here, to stay in shape, I have been walking about ten miles per day on Saturdays and Sundays and three miles per day on each weekday. If I lived in Genève during the winter, I likely would buy a membership to a gym or yoga studio, but, because there is so much to do outside during the summer, I decided not to spend the money on a membership.
IBJ is incorporated both in the United States and in Switzerland. As a dually-incorporated organization, it faces unique challenges and has special opportunities. Expats and dual citizens are in similar positions. After graduation, perhaps I will be too.
Bern
Luzern
Vineyard views
