Hi! Glad you stopped by the blog. I hope to keep it somewhat regularly updated as I embark on another Dutch study abroad program. This time, I’ll be back in Utrecht but for seven months instead of six weeks. I am really looking forward to the adventure as it will be a new start for me in many ways. I will end up graduating law school in December of this year and I hope to then find an internship or work until next September when I plan to start an LL.M. in human rights or public international law. I will keep you posted on those details, however, as December draws nearer.

The program I’m involved with this semester, EuroScholars, is a relatively new thing and I will be the first American Law Student to participate. My school, Washburn University School of Law, has posted a news story about my participation. I was thrilled to see this article, despite the fact that the picture is less than stellar-ha!

Before I ship off to Europe, I will spend a week or so with my parents at their new home in Columbus, Ohio. I am really looking forward to hanging out with them before I leave. I suppose I got a bit spoiled when they were just across town instead of across 3.5 states. I hear there are good shopping locations and nice bike trails near their neighborhood, so it should be a welcome break from what’s been a very hectic summer.

I will leave 28 July for the Netherlands and before my A2 Dutch course starts on 4 August, I will spend a few days with my brother, Chris, in Amsterdam. He has spent the summer near Cape Town, South Africa jump-starting a music academy for talented students in the area. You should check out his blog if you want to know more. He’s really done an amazing job in the three months he’s been there.

I am really looking forward to heading to the Netherlands for this project. My language course runs through the month of August and then I’ll start the research project while taking a comparative methodology course at the University of Utrecht Law School. After the methodology course, I will focus solely on research and writing about child maintenance schemes in the U.S. and NL. My efforts will ultimately culminate in a co-authored article with my supervising professor, Dr. Ian Curry-Sumner, in the Utrecht Law Review. I will also give two presentations to groups of law faculty at Utrecht. The whole experience should be amazing, but I am a bit nervous at the outset as I don’t know exactly what to expect. I guess that’s all part of the adventure .  .  .

I did find out this week that after a bit of a rocky start, the housing situation seems to be all settled, and I have a place to stay on the Cromwijcklaan in Utrecht. I’m starting to get really excited!

So, finishing up the packing is the last part of the to-do list. Now if I could only whittle down the shoe selection to fit into United Airline’s suitcase guidelines . . .

Tot ziens!