Week One: Columbia, the Poke Bowl, and Figaro
After one day of vigorous packing and five hours on the road (special thanks to my dad for helping me), I've finally settled in my apartment at Columbia, South Carolina. It's a really nice city, not too big, easily walkable, and there are so many places to go, see, and eat at. While I've been here before, it was a pretty long time ago, and I only got to stay for one day, so I'm excited to explore the place more!
But first, work. The Rule of Law Collaborative in South Carolina (ROLC) sits just on the edge of the school's campus, and a short walk from where I'm staying. Once I arrived for my first day, I was given a quick tour around the building before hopping onto the staff meeting zoom call. During the meeting, I was given a quick preview over all the projects everyone was doing, their goals, their main issues, how far along each project was, and the various trips they'd be taking in the future. Despite the casual atmosphere through the building, it was clear that everyone was incredibly busy with work, and so would I very shortly. Right after the meeting, I was given my first assignment and I've been kept busy ever since. Most of my days have been spent on my own, researching and writing. So far, I've done research on illegal mining and mineral trafficking cases around the world, and immediately afterword I jumped into a different project researching judicial independence in the Balkans and the Caucasus. I'll definitely be staying busy for the rest of my time here, that's for sure.
On my first day of the job, one of the researchers at the ROLC gave me a tour around the area – specifically directing me to a poke bowl place a five minute walk away from the building. After getting my bowl and getting back to the building, I spent lunch with the on-site staff, getting to know them more, and I've been spending nearly every lunch with them since. They've all been so welcoming of me and I really appreciate it.
The walk, to and from my place to the ROLC is one of the most relaxing parts of my day – it's not too hot yet, and it gives me a chance to get some fresh air and stretch my legs. The walk back home is my favorite though, and for one thing – Figaro. There's a cat named Figaro that usually hangs out near the ROLC at the end of the day, and its not startled by humans either. In fact, the first time I approached it, it barely even bothered to move. Supposedly, there are three cats that hang around on campus that love to be pet. The one I see at the end of every day is Figaro, and he's the calmest cat I've seen in a while. Barely even bothers to move once he's laying down. Apparently the cats have an instagram – I'll edit this page once I remember it.
