Around 6,000 pages

It took around 30 minutes to sort out all papers, and other effects that this semester produced.

It took 3 days of doing completely nothing to get me back reflecting on what was.

Finally, my first year in law school is done. Complete, assuming I pass all my subjects. Though this might not be a cause for great jubilation, finishing first year in law school is obviously the treacherous first step towards finishing Law School and taking the bar all in the firm determination and hope of passing it.

It has been a tremendously rich year. First year law is essentially a transition year. This is where I started to begin shedding off the old ways of college and nurturing a new one which ought to meet the rigorous demands of the legal profession. I may ask myself sometimes, Am I happy with this kind of life? I really would say yes, I am. There is deep sense of joy studying the Law since I am quite convinced that this is a response to what I value and do for the rest of my life. I just keep on hoping that the “joy” would translate into good performance. Well that is just me, I do not know if my professors agree. The only thing that bugs me is the fact that I am seeing my life beginning to be reduced into a routine-based, reading-heavy life which what Law Student Life is mainly all about. My books are now my best friends, energy drinks are my companion, the library is my new sanctuary, and the coffee shops are my new facebook. I have plain boring Law life. I do not go out and drink, I just go out. The only thing I am seeing that would reinvigorate my soul is my soon-to-be engagements.  I want to fight this “suspended-animation” mode that I find myself in by actively engaging the world as a volunteer of the XU Center for Legal Assistance and Legal Network for Truthful Elections.

I can’t also believe that amount of data I have consumed. More or less, I’ve read around 6,000 pages this year! This is a life record and more of it will come year by year. If you’re going to ask me how much I actually remember, I can only draw an imaginary image of a skeleton of what I’ve read. Like any normal mind, I need to reread everything so there will be flesh in those conceptual skeletons of the law.

Now enough blabbering about how Law school can be a soul-draining experience at times. What brings color though is the friendships that you nurture. From 150 freshmen students during the first semester, we are now down to 100. It is predicted that next semester would only house one block of 50 students so anxiety is really high. It is really the friendship that lifts the load off. Though I am not a member of any fraternity or organizations, I keep to myself the network of friends that I have nurtured. Interesting to mention though is that “friendship” has so many connotations in law school and when exams come, it would be expected that this friendship would be tested. This is simply just a fact. However, in the midst of all the stress, I still thank you dear block mates for making the entire year memorable.

For the new law freshmen next year, it would be an exciting year with your new curriculum. Just enjoy every bit of your study and always keep the source of your motivation close so you will be reminded why you entered in the first place.