Head-in-Vice...
Another good expression I heard about law school was from the lady in charge of student programs at one of the big firms in Ottawa.

She said something like "first year law school is where they put your head in a vice, and crank it around until your view of the world is never the same again."
I've mentioned this to a few of my "collegues" (i.e. fellow law students) and I don't think that any of them have disagreed with me.
(Photo from this site.)

Like Undergrad on Steroids...
One great quote that I heard or read somewhere this past week is that "law school is like undergrad on steroids". I couldn't agree more!
There are way more readings, way more activities (clubs, moots, speakers, wine & cheeses), and way more stress (I already have to think about finding a job this summer, and hand out CV's in 2 weeks!) than in undergrad. It's fun and exhilerating, but at the same time it can really wear you down. At some point you just have to say "OK, enough reading, time to go to bed". I'll make it through, just like everyone else, I just have to take it one day at a time. Yesterday in Constitutional Law the prof asked "is anyone feeling overwhelmed by the whole law school thing?" Almost everyone put up their hands, and I'm sure that those who didn't were so overwhelmed they didn't hear/understand the question or were lying.
And my picture (along with a few friends) is on the front of the law student newspaper! I'll post a link when the newspaper updates their webpage.

First Week (or Two)...
I was hoping to make a post at the end of my first week, but it's been so crazy busy that I just haven't had time. The first week of classes was a bit of a shock, just in the amount of legal readings we had to do right off the bat. OK, I know that I'm in law school, but I figured they'd explain some of the terms, or tell you how to write a case brief before they tell you to actually do it. A steep learning curve might be
the way to put it.
This week has been better. More free food as the different student clubs and associations start up -I've attended a few info sessions, but I don't want to commit too much because I know that things can get busier than they are now. I did get to attend a session
by the US Navy Defense Counsel in the case of U.S. v. OmarKhadr, the 21 year old Canadian who has been imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay since he was 15. The speech was really insightful, and makes you wonder why the Canadian government hasn't done as much as the Afghan government to secure the release of one of their nationals. It also reaffirmed everything I've heard about the conditions in Guantanamo and the way the US has gone about ignoring international law, and making up rules that it sees fit for itself only.
In addition to all the uni work, my laptop broke again (I just had the hard drive replaced 3 weeks ago!), so it's now at Staples again getting fixed again. But the police did find the guy who broke into the house, which is good news even if they can't recover what was stolen. At least he won't be out and about still breaking into other places (he broke into more houses after).
And tonight is the annual boat cruise on the Ottawa River. Should be lots of fun!

The Break In...
The guy sliced open the screen on the back window, which we had left open because it was still rather warm, then pushed it in. I was home in my room studying, but didn't notice anything. Then I heard a cell phone ring, which sounded really loud, and the guy answered his phone. At first I assumed it was one of the roommates and her boyfriend who were back, but then I heard a few steps and the back door closing shut. He must have been in and out in only 2 or 3 minutes.
I walked out of my room to see letters on the floor, and what looked like stuff that had been rummaged through. I went downstairs to get the roommate who was still home, and we went through the stuff. We quickly found that the thief had taken my roommate's Nintendo DS, and later that he had taken the other roommate's iPod and bankcard. But he left the laptop and Wii on the living room table, which were right in front of him. He also went through a basket of bank/financial letters, ripped open, but left it on the floor.
We called the police, and they arrived a short time later (luckily!). Apparently the conditions were good, so they brought in a sniffer dog because they figured he might still be in the area, and took a few things (including the letter) for fingerprinting. Apparently the street behind ours was hit last week with a few break ins.

Orientation Week...
This past week has been my official "Orientation Week" at UOttawa. In brief it's been a very busy week -I've met a lot of new people, been given a lot of free stuff and free food, and haven't had enough sleep.

Since Monday was Labour Day, the official activities didn't start until Tuesday morning. However, there were bar nights organised on the Sunday and Monday nights before it started. It was good to meet some people that would be in the program in a less formal setting, and to at least recognise some faces on Tuesday morning!
Tuesday activities included a free breakfast, a bag of free stuff (including a slinky!) from different law firms, a few speeches, the Dean's BBQ (free of course), and free nachos at a pub in the evening with the new students. But the highlight was probably Maher Arar and Monia Mazigh's presentation. Maher Arar is the Canadian who was deported by the Americans to and tortured by Syria. Instead of being bitter, he and his wife instead encouraged us to stick to our guns, become good lawyers, and to stand up for justice. Monia Mazigh said something like "law is not justice, but justice needs the law".
The next day was another early, but free, breakfast, followed by speeches about faculty specialties and small group meetings. My small group and prof seem really cool -there are actually quite a few science students in it! The prof is even planning on having us over to her place for a pot-luck once she's got all her furniture moved in. Then we had an 'image consultation', which was mostly about how to shake hands and what is appropriate clothing/colours for a business casual reception in the legal field. The reason for the consultation is that evening we had a Wine & Cheese reception at the Ottawa Court House. There were a number of judges there, a live jazz band, and some really good food. Another chance to meet the almost 300 students in both the English and French Common Law programs (the Civil Law students always seemed to do their own thing). I got to meet a really nice judge who was encouraging, and gave us students a few tips for law school!
Thursday was a bit more relaxed. We had a few short speeches, and 300 large pizzas for lunch (sponsored by a law firm). Needless to say I filled up on free food once again! In the evening the CLSS sponsored us to go on the Crime & Punishment Jail Tour of the old Ottawa jail (now a youth hostel!). Then we had a bit of a pub crawl through ByWard Market in the evening. Yet another late night, but another great oportunity to meet people in my program. I was actually surprised a few times that people in the program know other friends of mine from here and there. Such a small world.
Friday morning we had another free breakfast, quickly followed by an Algonquin Smudge Ceremony led by Elder William Commanda, who is the Supreme Chief of all the North American Territory, carrier of the Sacred Wampum Belt (including the Seven Fires Prophecy belt telling of the arrival of pale-faced people and the destruction of native lands, and the 1793 Jay Treaty Border Crossing Belt), and who has led smudge ceremonies at the UN. It was an interesting ceremony meant to purify/cleanse the profs and students and law building before the start of the school year. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to be part of it. After the ceremony was another free BBQ sponsored by another law firm at a park near the river. Unfortunately it was really hot and humid (30C plus humidity), so most people just sat under the trees and talked. I ended up with a bag of 24 extra hamburger buns though!

In Ottawa (again)...

I'm back in Ottawa again, but this time for school and not for work. I arrived a few days ago, to settle in and visit a few friends before orientation and uni start next week. One nice thing about having a small room is that there isn't much to set up or to clean.
It's been nice to wander around the city -apart from when I arrived during a thunder storm the weather's been great- and to have coffee and meals with friends I haven't seen in a few years. I've even randomly ran into people that I worked with a few years back. I can't forget to say thanks to "Winston" for the gift.

Paris, Lille, London...
I took an expensive TGV ride from Geneva to Paris, where I met up with Marie at Starbucks. I know it's sad we went to Starbucks in Paris, but it was a bit of a China tradition (Marie taught French in Baoding). It was nice to catch up, pass along hellos and bonjours, and remember the so-so old times in Baoding.
The next day I headed out of Paris to visit Marie closer to her home town. We had an amazing lunch on a terrace, wandered around the Monet gardens at Giverny, and visited some of her friends in the evening. We decided that I should pretend not to understand/speak any French when she introduced me, just to see how they would react. It was quite funny for me, understanding everything, and them trying to make small talk with their high school English. By the end of the evening I couldn't help just bursting into French, which shocked them all. Lots of compliments on my French though, and one girl even said "he speaks more properly than me!"
The next day I just wandered around Paris visiting all the familiar sights, and I finally got to see the outside of the Centre Pompidou. I don't know how many times I've been to Paris -I honestly don't- but I've never actually seen the Pompidou.
Then it was off to Lille, where I used to live and teach English in 2003/2004 (you can read through the archives if you want). I only spent 23.5 hours there, which was just enough to see the city and remember some of the good, bad, and funny things. I had my favourite snack (croustillons, like fresh TimBits), ate at my favourite restaurant (Aux Moules), had coffee in my favourite cafe (Notting Hill), and went though my favourite stores (i.e. Le Furet du nord). I'm glad that I got to re-visit the city. It was almost the way I remembered it (cold, windy, rainy), but there was less dog poo because they had street cleaners with huge vacuums cleaning it up!
The next day I took the Chunnel to London, where I saw my parents for the first time in 11 months (and 1 day, according to my mom). It was great to see them for a few days before I had to head back home, and they headed on to Barcelona.

Italy and Switzerland...
After some time in Spain, I flew from Seville to Bergamo (just east of Milan) with RyanAir for only 26Euro which included all the taxes and fees. The flight itself was only 0.01Euro! I decided to spend the night in Bergamo and look around the city a bit, but I should've gone straight to Turin to visit my friend Carlotta, whom I met in Baoding the first semester I was teaching. It was great to see her again, and to finally meet her boyfriend who cooked up an amazing pasta dish (he's a chef at a restaurant). We spent time catching up, and going through photos and stories of China. The second day I was there she took me through the city, showing me the sites (including the church where the Shroud of Turin is) and taking me to the best gelato place in town. And all I can say is that the gelato was incredible! The best I've ever had anywhere. We also went out one evening for authentic Naples pizza which was also very good (though I should have tried it with the buffalo mozzarella cheese). Yummy Italian food!
Next stop was Geneva, to visit Conrad and Meghan. It was great to see both of them again and to enjoy Swiss chocolate and cheese. I've been to Geneva once or twice before, so I wasn't overly keen on running around and seeing all the sites, but I did wander around town and the lake for a day or two.

Chinese in Madrid...
One of the funny stories from Europe happened when I got to Madrid. I could read and understand some Spanish, but I could hardly say anything. So when I went into a little corner store to buy some fruit and juice I was a bit surprised to see a Chinese lady behind the counter. I picked an apple and said, in Mandarin, "how much is this apple?"
The lady went totally slack-jawed and stared at me for a few seconds before saying in Mandarin, "you're speaking Chinese!!?"
"Yes, I'm speaking Chinese. How much is the apple?"
The lady wouldn't let me go (or answer my question despite me asking for the next 20 minutes) because she wanted to know how I'd learned Chinese, what I'd done in China, did I like Chinese food, and all the typical Chinese questions. Her son then came in, and she said to him in Chinese "look! This foreigner speaks Chinese! He scared me when he came into the shop and started speaking to me in Chinese." The son wasn't nearly as interested as she was. The lady eventually told me how much the apple was.

Spain!
I spent about half of my European adventures in Spain, a country that I hadn't really visited before but that I'd heard great things about. So after London I flew down to Madrid (cheap flight from EasyJet!) and spent a few days there before heading to the north-west of the country. I spent some time in La Rioja (wine country) as well as in the Basque country. It was quite interesting for me to see the ads and propaganda for an independent Basque country, and to compare it to some of the Chinese propaganda that I saw while in China. Not to mention that the Basque language is fascinating (it's not related to any other language in Europe!), so I had to buy a Basque hard-rock CD which is actually pretty good. I went to San Sebastian, a Basque sea-side resort, Vitoria, the capital of the Basque Autonomous Region in Spain, and Pamplona, the city famous for the running of the bulls.
Next I headed south-east to Valencia, then down to Granada. By this time it was getting really hot in Spain, between 35 and 40C. Granada is a cool city with a lot of Arab influence as it was the last Moorish city to fall during the reconquista. I went up to see the Alhambra, where the Moorish rulers used to live and rule. It's a beautiful site, and the Moors did amazing things with design and architecture. Then you see the later Christian buildings on the site which look primitive in comparison.
Next stop was Malaga, on the Mediterranean coast. The beach wasn't as nice as in San Sebastian, but the water was warmer. I'd heard a lot of mixed review about Malaga, but I actually enjoyed the city. My last stop in Spain was Seville, where the heat was almost unbearable. Luckily the amazing hostel had air conditioning for part of the day. Once again I loved the city (despite the heat), and went to a little flamenco show which was beautiful. Very cool to see flamenco in the heart of Andalusia.
Next stop... Italy and Switzerland to visit friends.

Europe 2007...
I'll be hitting the books pretty hard this September, so I thought it would be good to take a break/vacation while I still have the chance, time, and money before law school starts. So I took off for a bit to visit some friends and see some new and old places along the way.
I started my Euro 2007 tour in London staying with Sonja and Martin, family friends, for a few days. The last time I was in London was about 3 years ago when I came as a chaperon for a field trip with the French school where I was working. Needless to say I didn't see to much, so it was nice this time to see more of the city.

One of the first things that I wanted to see in London was the Tower of London. It's one of those places that has so much history and myth surrounding it that they can charge a fortune for entry and people will still pay it (£16, or about $35CDN!) It was more than worth it though as it has a bit of everything -crown jewels, castle, prison, history, torture, intrigue, etc. It was originally built as a fortification/castle for William the Conqueror, but was left by the royalty later on for more modern castles. That's when it became a prison for famous prisoners.

Two interesting side-notes. The first being that the famous red/gold uniforms that the Beefeaters (Yeomen of the guard) wear cost something like £12,000 each, which is why they only wear them on special occasions (i.e. not for my visit, I guess they didn't know I was coming). The second note is that the yeomen actually live at the Tower of London with their families, a doctor, and a minister and that they have a pub on site which opens after the tourists go home.
There are of course a few other places that I've wanted to see in London, such as Buckingham Palace. I have to admit that it looks more grand and a lot larger seeing it on TV. Having heard mixed reviews about the inside of the palace, and my budget being blown out of the water by the cost of things (especially food) in London I decided not to go in.
Also high on my list of must-see-London was the British Museum which houses some amazing artifacts such as the Rosetta Stone and a statue from Easter Island. I was told by a friend that there was a large white marble Buddha statue from the 6th century taken from a village near Baoding. So I went looking for it and actually found it in the stairwell, 2 stories tall. Quite weird to see something from where I lived in China in the British Museum.
I met up with James, who had taught law in Baoding, for a day. We took the boat from London out to Greenwich. It was amazingly sunny for London. Greenwich is a nice little area, with some cool pubs and old naval stuff.


I also spent a day out in Oxford, which is not too far from London. It's one of those places you hear about, but is still really cool to actually see. All the famous colleges, cools buildings, and even some punters on the river. It seems to make Harry Potter a bit more believable.