Ok, so this is my first attempt at a blog post. Bear with me. I have decided to create this blog in order to be able to share my incredible summer adventure with my family and friends in one cohesive manner. That means no chain e-mails and no having to have Facebook to keep up-to-date with what other amazing country I may be in! As you all know I love to write and I love pictures so you know this blog will get a lot of love. I urge you all to please subscribe to my blog and comment (as nicely as you can) whenever you would like!
I suppose some of you are wondering what is going on, where am I going and how this all came to be, so I will drop you into my story at the inception of my summer plans...
As you all know, I am a second year law student (a 2L, to those in the know - which is now all of you) at Chapman University School of Law in Southern California. What you may not know is that I am getting an International Emphasis with my law degree and that I am leaning heavily towards work in the International Human Rights and Environmental Law realm. Hence, the decision to work internationally this summer. It has long been a dream of mine to live in other countries, to travel and to explore and experience other cultures and about 6 months ago I found a way to do that! I applied to a program called the Center for International Legal Studies (CILS) through Suffolk University Law School in Boston, MA. The program sets you up with employers from the top three choices listed in your application packet. I was worried for months, waiting to hear from this magical program that would send me around the world to work for an amazing employer (for free, of course) and experience a new country. By mid-March, I was worried no more. I had two offers: one from a firm in New Zealand and one from an investment banking firm in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam. Though it was a tough decision, I decided on Vietnam for a few reasons: first, I have never been to Southeast Asia and really wanted to experience that part of the world; second, I was planning on going to Australia anyway and New Zealand is pretty similar (minus the even funnier accents); third, my potential boss, Thao, in Vietnam was funny and I want to have fun this summer (my interview was through Skype - a communication vehicle which I have had vast amounts of experience with, re: having a boyfriend that lives 10,000 miles away); and lastly, Vietnam is INEXPENSIVE. This is the most magical word of all when you are deep in debt and working for free AKA when you are me).
So now you know how I have landed this amazing job with the general counsel of VinaCaptial, an international investment banking firm in Vietnam! The rest of my trip followed from those plans. After my six week internship in Vietnam I am flying to meet , Danny (the aforementioned Australian boyfriend who I Skype with, that I am sure you have all heard about now :)), in Bali. We are staying at a villa there for six days/five nights. I know, right?! I can't believe it either. Then we fly to Perth so he can show me around his hometown. Hopefully this means I get to see whale sharks in the North (fingers crossed)! (Oh and for those of you who don't know - Perth is in the Western most part of Australia - basically the farthest point possible from us). We are there for about 3 1/2 weeks and then off we go to Sydney for four days! I am not sure who knows about this or not so I will tell all of you: I am thinking about getting my Masters in Human Rights, right after I sit for the bar next July (eek!). I am applying to a number of places, one being the University of Sydney. So this trip is not just pleasure, its business as well, people. I plan on scoping out the city to decide if it is somewhere I could live for a year at least. I know, tough work. I am one lucky girl.
After four days in Sydney, Danny and I part ways - don't worry, we are used to it - he back to Perth and I to LA, where a day later I am back on a plane to New York for my friend Jess' (law school friend) wedding, to visit the Other Brownell's in Goshen, and to see some close friends in NYC. Phew!
I think that covers it all, I hope I didn't bore anyone. If I did, like I said, comment (nicely) below.
I love you all and can't wait to share this adventure with you!
Jessie xo
