The first session of classes flew by like the whirlwind that it was. I had such a great experience discussing the difference between America way of law compared to the rest of the country. Learning the civil procedure side was very interesting; there several differences that I anticipated however, there were a few similarities that I wasn’t aware existed. Additionally, I felt proud and privileged to learn from Justice Holland and to realize and understand that American corporate law is pretty advanced, so much so that other countries look to our system as a guide for setting up theirs; pretty impressive since we are such a young country comparatively speaking.
For the break in between sessions, my roommates and I (Jenny and Dannyelly) planned a fun-filled trip to Paris! I have been looking forward to this weekend since I knew I was studying abroad this summer and it did not disappoint. We flew into the outer-city airport of Paris late Firday night and after taking abus into the city, had a taxi take us to the hotel where we were staying. Our hotel was a 15 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower and our taxi drove right by it on the way to the hotel. The first glimpse of the tower took my breath away. I think it is safe to say that there was a collective gasp from our car as we saw this gorgeous monument all lit up on a clear, starry night. It was magical.
The weekend was a whirlwind of boat tours around the city to the major sights, stopping at a Starbucks to get our coffee fix, eating delicious French food and crepes, shopping in the designer stores, training it out to Versailles to see the more than impressive chateau (castle/home place of King Louis XIV and the infamous Marie Antoinette) and having a late night French style picnic (bread, cheese, wine and champagne) on the park by the Eiffel Tower and taking cheesy touristy photos while wearing purchased berets! We squeezed the most out of every minute of our time in Paris. We flew back Monday morning, just in time to start second session classes for the study abroad classes.
This session I am taking 2 classes: European Union law, which is taught, by an Italian professor and Employment Law and Unions taught by Professor Goldberg. The European Union class is proving to be quite interesting and an eye opener. It is cool to learn about the struggles and successes the countries of Europe have experienced in setting up one over-arching system that allows the countries to work together as a larger collective group which allows someone to work in London and live in Germany for example.
Last night a group of us went out for an adventure in dinner. I highly recommend reading “Let’s Go Europe” to prepare for any European travels you might be undertaking. I have found in extremely helpful in all preparations: accommodations, restaurants, quick snacks, shopping and of course major sights! It also provides you with helpful information such as whether a place is cash only, its hour of operations and basic directions on how to get to the place. Anyway, I looked up this place in “Let’s Go” and the description said…”It’s tough to find better food in Venice, let alone at comparable prices” and I couldn’t agree more. The place is called Ristorante Ribot and was completely delicious. Our waiter was terrific and even joked around with us, the chef gave us free food and we had music entertainment featuring a 14 year old boy on the violin! It was a late night but totally worth it for the fun, food and friends!