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LLM / Washington DC

Entering my last finals season

The Friendship Archway in Washington D.C.'s Chinatown.

It’s officially the last month of my LL.M. program!

The year has gone by quickly partly because of my workload and the insane amount of things to do in Washington D.C.

My weekdays are spent at school, the office, and various coffee shops around town. The weekends are mostly spent skipping between D.C. and Virginia, with lots of dog park time.

Spring has also arrived (after a brief snow storm) so the city is full of cherry blossoms and tourists again. This is a fabulous way to end the school year.

Cherry Blossoms at night in Arlington, VA.

Cherry Blossoms at night in Arlington, VA.

Pigeons swarming the National Mall at Washington D.C.

Pigeons swarming the National Mall at Washington D.C.

Ingrid the labradoodle not choosing a tennis ball at the dog park.

Ingrid the labradoodle not choosing a tennis ball at the dog park.

Spring cherry blossoms at Georgetown University Law Center.

Spring cherry blossoms at Georgetown University Law Center.

The balancing act

Just like in Dallas, we’ve quickly made a lot of friends in Washington D.C.  — the nice thing about this city is that it’s full of yuppies from out-of-town, so many people are open to meeting new people. 

Balancing a social life and school has always been easy, and I think maintaining social relationships will also be doable now that I am transitioning back to work. No one expects to see us during the week, and most of our friends go to the same few spots on weekends.

These low-maintenance relationships are a marked difference than those I had in my early 20’s where things felt more like an episode of Friends or Vanderpump Rules. Maybe this is adulting.

A rooftop evening in Washington D.C.'s U Street neighborhood.

A rooftop evening in Washington D.C.’s U Street neighborhood.

A drag queen performing at Freddies' Beach Bar in Arlington.

A drag queen performing at Freddies’ Beach Bar in Arlington.

Street art in the H Street neighborhood of Washington D.C.

Street art in the H Street neighborhood of Washington D.C.

Leftover signs from "March for Our Lives" at Logan Circle in D.C.

Leftover signs from “March for Our Lives” at Logan Circle in D.C.

Preparing for the storm

This past weekend was wonderfully lazy. I think I needed a mental-break before the 4-week marathon of finals.

I have two term papers which are mostly done and then three finals. I think Partnership Taxation will be my most difficult final, although Administrative Tax Procedure will probably be equally as challenging because there are so many rules to remember.

Tax Procedure is also my first in-class final at Georgetown. Being back in a timed-test situation is a little weird, but my mantra right now is “it can’t be harder than the bar exam.” 

In addition to my “it’s not the bar exam” mindset, I think my study routine also helps manage the finals stress: I generally avoid studying at campus and instead opt for more scenic areas of town. I also study at Starbucks near home often so I can take dog walk breaks. We’ll see how well this works for me this time around.

Healy Hall at Georgetown University's main campus.

Healy Hall at Georgetown University’s main campus.

The Exorcist Steps at Georgetown University.

The Exorcist Steps at Georgetown University.

Gunter the chiweenie sleeping on the couch.

Gunter the chiweenie sleeping on the couch.

Ingrid the labradoodle at Bardo Brewing in Washington D.C.

Ingrid the labradoodle at Bardo Brewing in Washington D.C.

Gunter with giant chess pieces in Crystal City.

Gunter with giant chess pieces in Crystal City.

The view from Georgetown University Law Center's library.

The view from Georgetown University Law Center’s library.

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