Diana, 2L

Winter weather has arrived and I couldn't be less prepared for it. This week has been hectic and I am glad it is over. My mother underwent an operation and luckily she recuperated without any complications. I had a fourteen page transition memo due this week that I worked on with a group. I was fortune to have a great group and we completed the memo without a problem. In addition, I received my first interview request with a Co-Op employer for a summer internship. The Co-Op employer is a New York not-for-profit law firm that handles appeals and post-conviction proceedings on behalf of criminal defendants. Wish me luck on the interview! Last but not least final exams are only three weeks away. Sorry I don't have much to say but I promise I will next week. Got to go to work on outlines.

Sadly, my knowledge of Boston consists primarily of the Northeastern University campus. I chose to live in on-campus housing and it has many positive aspects such as: close proximity to campus, fully furnished apartment, security deposit is not required, and rent includes all the amenities (water, electricity and cable). But the negative aspect is being secluded within the Northeastern Campus. Due to the stringent law school schedule, I spend the majority of my time either at the law school or in my apartment. My surrounding world is the Northeastern Campus and nothing else. When people ask me how I like Boston, I really don't have an answer to that question because I haven't had the opportunity to venture out and get to know the Bostonian community. Nonetheless, I have been to many areas surrounding Boston such as, Cambridge, Jamaica Plains, Roxbury, and Dorchester but I still don't feel a sense of community. However, last night I finally got to experience a taste of the Bostonian tradition. One of my classmates invited me to her birthday dinner celebration at the second oldest restaurant in Boston known as Jake Wirth. Located in the heart of the theater district, Jacob Wirth is a German restaurant that has a Friday night tradition known as Mel Stiller’s Friday night singalongs. On Friday nights, Mel plays a piano and everyone in the restaurant gets the opportunity to sing songs from their seats. Don't worry if you don't know the lyrics of a song, the restaurant provides a booklet of all the song lyrics that Mel could possibly play on his piano. It’s a Beantown tradition, to say the least, and it was an enjoyable experience to sing with the restaurant patrons. The experience is similar to singing karaoke but instead of a karaoke machine, there is Mel playing the piano, and instead of singing on stage with a microphone, everyone in the restaurant sings from their seats as their eating and enjoying a drink. Nothing beats singing accompanied with good food, beer and friends. Thus, little by little I am stepping out of my comfort zone and getting to know the Boston area–thanks Nancy!

This weekend I dedicated some time for rest and relaxation as a gift to myself for completing my summary judgment memo and finishing my portion of the social justice project. On Friday, I went to Jamaica Plain (a city where many Northeastern students reside) to attend a dinner at my girlfriend's apartment and a house party. For any prospective student looking for neighborhoods to reside in, I would highly suggest looking into Jamaica Plain(JP). JP is accessible to the law school by train and bus and and the rent prices are substantially cheaper than living in Boston. JP is also an ethnically diverse area to many Latinos, young families, and a growing gay and lesbian community. JP is where I plan to live when I return to school in the fall quarter.

On Saturday morning I attended a brunch to celebrate my friend's birthday. The brunch was held at a delicious Mexican restaurant named Tu Y Yo, located in Somerville, MA. So for anyone looking for authentic Mexican food, I highly recommend this restaurant. Needless to say, my weekend was filled with fun and relaxation that any law school student desperately needs.

This weekend has been a mix of working on outlines and getting to know Boston a little bit more. On Monday, April 20th, I went to Brookline, MA to watch the Boston Marathon. A friend of mine organized a marathon party at her house and we stood by the curbside to watch the marathon runners run by the 23rd mile mark. Watching all these marathon runners accomplish their goal was so inspirational. Below is a picture from the marathon just to share the great experience. The Boston Marathon is the oldest marathon in the country and the whole city shuts down to support the marathon runners. After watching my first ever marathon, I was hooked! Running a marathon is on my to do list. Thanks Boston for the inspiration. Watching the marathon runners work so hard to accomplish their goal of reaching the finish line got me so pumped up for final exams. If these marathon runners could accomplish such a physical feat of running 26.2 miles, I truly could complete my feat of successfully completing my final exams.

Speaking of final exams, my first year in law school is almost over. I just finished my last classes as a first year law student. This following week is considered "reading week" and it's dedicated to working on outlines and taking practice exams. Final exams are scheduled to start on May 4th and will conclude on May 8th. Then before I know it, on May 16th, I fly out to El Paso, TX to start working at my first Co-Op.

Till next time..

I apologize for the absence but between studying for finals and preparing for my trip to El Paso, Tx I've had no time to blog. But now I am back and prepared to blog about my first Co-Op experience. I purchased a camera so expect more pictures on my blog.

I am currently at LaGuardia Airport in NYC waiting for my flight to El Paso, Tx. I am very excited to start my Co-Op on Monday. Honestly, I am a little nervous about my skills and capabilities, but I will keep a positive attitude and just appreciate the learning experience. The whole purpose of a Co-Op is to hone my skills so I will jump in without hesitation.

First Year of law school is over! I am still recovering and trying to get acclimated to normal life. My last final was a eight hour take home exam for Criminal Justice. Following the exam, I proceeded to prepare for my move to Jamaica Plain, MA where I will live when I return in the fall.

My mother and sister came to visit for two days and I focused on doing some tourist things in Boston. We did the Duck Tour of Boston, (I highly recommend this tour because it includes a land and water tour of Boston). I arrived to NJ on Tuesday and focused on preparing for my trip to El Paso, Tx, by shopping at NYC for some work attire. It felt so good to return to NYC. I relished in the experience of walking around NYC. It felt good hearing the sounds of the honking horns from the taxicabs and the rustling of the subways. Oh home sweet home!

El Paso updates to come soon!

El Paso is growing on me. I would highly recommend that more Northeastern law students come to El Paso, if not, Texas for a Co-Op. This city girl will always have Texas in her heart. Thank you Texas for allowing me to feel at home here.

For July 4th weekend my friend and I went camping to Ruidoso, New Mexico and on our trip back to El Paso we stopped by the White Sands National Park. These white sand dunes are considered a natural wonder of great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand that engulf 275 square miles of desert and created the world's largest gypsum dune field. Check out the pictures to see what I mean.

Other interesting piece of news was a survey that revealed that El Paso, Tx is rated the 3rd safest city in America. The article states that if the immigrant community represents a large proportion of the population, you're likely in one of the country's safer cities. San Diego, Laredo, El Paso-these cities are teeming with immigrants, and they're some of the safest places in the country. The article further states that El Paso's embrace of its immigrants might be a big reason why the low-income border town has remained one of the safest places in the country. See the link to the article for more information:

http://www.kdbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=10649488&nav=menu608_2

After living here for the past weeks, I will concur with El Paso's Mayor John Cook when he states that El Paso embraces and welcomes its immigrants. When I first came here I expected more immigrant backlash or anti-immigrant attitudes but instead I have seen the opposite from the El Paso community. I've been impressed with how much the Mexican culture is integrated with the El Paso community. For example, the City El Paso has gone to court (and lost) in an effort to prevent construction of the border fence within its boundaries, and local officials have resisted federal efforts to enlist local police for immigration enforcement, arguing that it would make illegals less likely to cooperate with police.

I will end my blog today with a great quote, "Most people in Washington, D.C., don't understand our philosophy here that the border joins us together, it doesn't separate us." El Paso Mayor John Cook.

Till next time y'all!

White Sands National Park

Ariel View of El Paso, TX

Ariel View of both El Paso, TX amd Juarez Mexico.