Navigating DOG Street

I’m pleased to confirm that I survived my first full week of law school. The oncoming wave I was staring at apprehensively last week has passed. I came through it, perhaps a little more tired than usual, but unscathed. To continue the metaphor, now I feel as though I’m paddling a kayak in a rough sea. I’m definitely working, but I’m afloat and headed in the right direction.

I have four classes: Legal Practice (a writing and lawyer skills course), Civil Procedure (studying the rules that govern courts and lawsuits), Criminal Law, and Torts. My brother-in-law suggested torts would be a good class if it was about baking. Luckily for me, it isn’t, as my kitchen skills are generally at the cook-some-pasta-and-add-a-vegetable-to-it level.

Law school has a very steep learning curve. I feel like I’ve learned a great deal and yet only scratched the surface. My understanding of the subject has turned nearly 180 degrees in the last week, and I feel like I’m doing something completely different than I expected. It’s a good difference, though. I’m finding law very interesting. And I enjoy the mental workout. Settling my classes, homework, work hours, errands, and other activities into a new routine has been fun.

“Other activities” this week included a special tour for the 1Ls around the law school related parts of Colonial Williamsburg with a professional tour guide (and a short talk from “George Wythe.” Our guide told us about some of the founders of the law school, told us stories from Revolutionary times, and led us by some of the 88 (+/-) original colonial buildings in the town, including the courthouse and the Wren Building (the original college). We were then invited to a reception with Dean Douglas (Dean of the Law School), who took some time to talk to each group. It was nice to hear from him in a small group setting.

I’m on another learning curve as well: Williamsburg itself. I was in class the other day when someone mentioned DOG Street. It took me a minute to put DOG Street together with Duke of Gloucester Street (you can see why it has an acronym). The learning curve for Williamsburg isn’t as steep as the one for law school, but I definitely have a heightened sense of my surroundings. I like noticing the moss on the trees, the funny shaped leaves, the crowd of deer crossing the road (I was very glad to notice those), and the blue-tailed lizards on the walkway. I enjoy the process of building my mental map (yes, I have a mental map; considering my lackluster directional skills, this may surprise some of my family). Getting out for a few short runs and a bike ride, taking a wrong turn, wandering around a little before figuring out how to get back to the law school at the end of the tour…it’s all just different versions of exploring.  

I guess you could say the highlight of this week has been navigating all the newness and finding it to be a good fit. I’ve known, almost from an external point of view, that this is the right place for me to be. But this week I felt it more completely, as if I’ve been given a glimpse down the road of the impact this experience will have on my life.

So, I’m happy.