Week Ten: The End
My final week was quiet, calm and peaceful. I spent most of my time editing parts of the Ukraine project I was working on that did not have hard deadlines, adding some details I wanted in the final product but did not get done, and putting together a guide for where I had saved my work in the shared work folder, and what was contained in each file. At the beginning of the week, I also got some last minute work to finish up – just putting together information on judicial independence, adding some details, and giving examples of successes and failures of judicial independence in the workplace. It felt good to start wrapping things up, but at the same time I was going to miss this place. On the last day of work, I was treated for lunch at the Blue Marlin in Columbia. A part of me still cant believe that I was treated to such a lovely lunch, but that’s the ROLC community for you I suppose. I’m incredibly grateful and appreciative of their kindness, and I’m thrilled to have been a part of this community. To anyone looking to work here over the summer – don’t worry about the people you’ll be working with. Remember to be professional and diligent of your duties of course, but when it comes to the work environment, this is one of the least stressful work environments you could find in the legal field thanks to the people alone.
Now that I’ve been able to take a sizeable break, theres a ton of other things I’ve done during the summer that I hadn’t gotten into through my blogs, or I’ve only touched on briefly, and I want to take the time now to go on about them. For example like I mentioned, Columbia hosts the Soda City Market, where you can get produce, street food, jewelry and clothes. I’ve bought some of my favorite pieces of jewelry and clothes from it, and tried new recipes other people offered. What I haven’t mentioned is that there are plenty of other festivals like this where you can buy other items, including an actual farmers market where you can buy fresh food. It’s small things like this that remind me that Columbia really is the capital of South Carolina, though you wouldn’t be able to tell from its size. Also – the street I live on, Gervais Street, is home to plenty of restaurants and a small Publix where you can get your groceries. I love walking through there every now and then.
There are plenty of places to go too that aren’t just in downtown. One weekend (can’t remember which), I took a trip to the zoo, just a mere five minute drive away from where I live. The zoo may be small, but its filled with animals of all different kinds, including a giant pacific octopus (though I couldn't get a picture). It also has a botanical garden, which I haven’t gone through yet, but probably will before I leave. On July 4th weekend, I went to the state museum with my mom and brother. Their museum has a a natural exhibit with fossils, a war exhibit with relics from the civil and world wars, a transportation exhibit, and a space exhibit, among others. I was even able to snap a photo of the sun through the large telescope they have, even managing to grab a photo with some solar flares!
I’ll be staying here for a little longer, before I go back to Williamsburg. I plan on using this time to get a little break (for the first time since spring break), study for the MPRE, and explore more of Columbia. This weekend, I’ll be headed out to Congaree National Park, about a 20 minute drive away. It’s free admission, so you don’t have to worry about paying, and you can walk on a boardwalk there, so you don’t have to worry about walking in swamp-land. The first time I went to Columbia, I only went to the Congaree National Park. It’s the one thing I remembered the most about Columbia and I’m glad I’ll get to go there again.
I'll end this with a few things. First, thank you to ROLC for having me. It has been an honor working with you all and I had a great summer. Second, thank you to Professor Warren for allowing me the opportunity to work with them. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. Finally, happy summer to everyone! Thank you all for reading, and have a good day.