After a month of hiding in a cave of books, the average law student/mooter emerges, and blinks in the sunshine thinking  “what was life like before this?”

Things have calmed down just a bit for me this week. We have a few days to breathe before moot practice goes back into full swing in preparation for Washington. And I have time to muse on how drastically my life has changed in the past two years.

Here’s how most of my friends thought of me in 2009:

(image by Arthur Tien who is an amazing illustrator. Known also to his friends as the Prince of Cake)

Before law school, I lived in Beijing and weekends were not for readings but for adventures. I went on long bike rides, stumbled across hutongs being torn down, climbed on rooftops and ran around with my camera.

Life revolved around travel and photography. No scheme was too insane to embark upon. Like the time Hubert and Karim decided to bike home: from Beijing to Paris. Or when Joel and Youngcall decided to start their own hotel. There was so much creativity, energy and optimism. Everyone was chasing after their own vision, which ranged from scaling Everest to being a business owner.

There are of course days where I look back with nostalgia, when I miss being on the road. When I deliberately avoid my camera or my portfolio for months, because the ache seems to make the pile of readings grow bigger and more insurmountable.

But what I miss most, is the variety and the feeling of being around lots of young, creative people all doing their own thing. It is interview season for first years, and as a second year student – I have much sympathy. Everyone is applying to the same firms, and chasing the same thing. The competition can be ferocious and draining. I’ve often said the key to law school is maintaining perspective. In the long run, we all find our place and purpose.

As for me, I sorely miss my life as a photographer. And though I might sigh or look back from time to time – there are definitely no regrets. There is not a shade of doubt in my mind that I was meant for the law. I’m just incredibly grateful for the chance to have had the opportunity to explore and travel prior to grad school.

Most of all though, I miss my Beijing family. Especially this girl: who is as wild and passionate about life as anyone could be, who never ceased to drive me crazy but also is one truly amazing friend.

Here’s the reason for the complete lack of updates for the past several months (November 2011??!?! REALLY????). The simple fact is, I’ve essentially not had a life at all.

Yup. That’s a picture of me. Sitting on top of a small mountain of books. At this point, more caffeine and red bull runs in my veins than blood.

The reason law students punish themselves year after year like this? The Jessup Moot. A moot is essentially a mock trial competition, based on a hypothetical situation. There are two aspects: a written submission (called a Memorial) and oral advocacy. The Jessup is the largest moot competition in the world, representing over 80 countries. I was thrilled to make the team this year, but that feeling was quickly replaced with the realization of how overwhelming the workload can be… on top of all my classes.

That is how I came to spend a 16 hour plane ride to the States over Christmas standing in the back of the plane pouring over law books, and living with my teammates for the past two semesters out of the moot room. And I do mean that in the literal sense. The final push was getting our written submissions out, and we spent the last 48 hours locked in the law building hammering the thing out (without sleep).

You don’t realize how creepy the law building can be until you have to find your way to the bathroom via light from an iPhone because the power is shut off for the holidays….. yeah.

Yesterday was a big day for us. It was the Hong Kong regional competition. The winning team would fly to Washington DC to proceed with the finals. I had been so nervous about this, because I’ve never done anything it this before. Other than a little Model UN in High School and the odd debate in 9th grade (which I fully admit, I was really bad at, and still cringe at the memory).

To my amazement, I didn’t pass out or break down when it came to my turn before the judges. It was a huge achievement just to come this far, and to take part in the Jessup. I told myself I had accomplished what I set out to do – to gain a rich experience in law school and learn advocacy skills first hand.

I was not prepared for the result.

Our team won every match in the competition, including best Applicant Memorial, best Respondent Memorial, Best Speaker, and Hong Kong Round Champions. Next month.. we’re going to Washington!!!!!

With two of my favorite girls in law school. Two of the smartest and most talented women in HK :)

And finally, ending with a shot of where it all began. It’s not over yet, and there’s still a long way to go. But for now, I’m still in shock and humbled that we will be able to continue with the Jessup. It’ll be another grueling month of juggling classes, student council, the law journal and everything else. At the very least, it’ll be an adventure :)