Week 2
It has only been two weeks but it somehow feels both like I have been here forever and I also got here yesterday. Even though Jayli and I have only been here two weeks, we are already the senior interns around the office. So many new people and interns keep coming in that we have to get up to speed.
This week I have been researching more for writing the India Criminal Defense Manual. I was assigned the trial section which is great because it is helping me refresh what I learned from trial team class last semester. The Indian code of criminal procedure is extensively long and covers almost everything you need to know, so it has so far been a smooth process drafting this section and then adding the relevant case law. India's trial procedure is somewhat similar to the United States because they adapted their current rules from when they were a colony of the UK. However there are differences in the structure/types of courts and the limits on what the courts can hear and sentence.
Midway through the week both Jayli and I were pulled off the manual in order to draft a European Commission grant proposal for rights advocacy and capacity building of trained lawyers in Turkey. The grant is for 1.8 million euros and we are working with a team on the ground in Turkey in the shaping and writing of it. This is the biggest grant that IBJ is positioning for or writing right now, so it is a huge responsibility and I am both happy and stressed out to be writing it. Thankfully I have some experience with this from my old NGO job where I did something similar.
This weekend was the first relaxing weekend I have had here. It was nice to be able to sit for a while and rest, not walking 10+ miles a day. That being said, I couldn't resist shopping around on Saturday and I discovered a few cute second hand and vintage stores in the old town. Even being secondhand, everything is so expensive here! I am having a great time but my wallet definitely is not. Overall, week 2 has been fantastic and I am really loving my time here in Geneva. It is feeling like home already!