This summer, I guided a 29 day backpacking expedition in the European Alps. My co-leader and I were in charge of a group of 14 high school students, who came from all over the United States. We flew into Paris and then took numerous forms of transportation to get to Chamonix, a town in southeastern France. From Chamonix, we embarked on an 8 day backpacking trek along the Tour du Mt. Blanc, a well-travelled route that circles the Mt. Blanc massif. Unlike backpacking in America, we spent all of our nights in hostels or mountain huts, and we had all of our breakfasts and dinners served to us. Some nights we were even provided with Birkenstock clogs to wear around the mountain hut. This form of living wasn’t always a blessing, however. On the third day of hiking, 10 members of the crew suffered a diarrhea pandemic arising from food poisoning. On the fourth day of hiking, which happened to be the 4th of July, we crossed from France into Italy, where we were greeted by a giant snow storm. Aside from the snow storm, Italy treated us very well. On the seventh day of hiking, we crossed from Italy into Switzerland. On the eighth day of hiking, we arrived in Champex, Switzerland. We took a rest day in Switzerland and then we abandoned the Tour du Mt. Blanc in favor of the Haute Route. We then spent 10 days hiking on the Haute Route, making our way from Champex to Zermatt. The Haute Route proved to be more isolated, more strenuous, and more scenic than the Tour du Mt. Blanc. On the Haute Route, we walked along sheer cliff faces, we traversed snowfields, we glissaded down snow-covered slopes, and we saw phenomenal scenery, such as glacier-clad peaks rising up thousands of feet from the valley floor below. The participants even built a snowman one afternoon. And we were attacked by cows. To make a long story short, while we were taking a break one morning, one of the participants decided that it would be a great idea to feed some pretzels to a large bull. The bull, and some of his friends, then became very territorial and aggressive and ate a significant amount of our food. Thankfully, we were able to resupply in a town that evening. Our trek along the Haute Route ended when a herd of goats escorted us into Zermatt. While in Zermatt, we climbed the Breithorn, a glacier-clad peak next to the more famous Matterhorn. We also spent a night in the Hornli Hut at the base of the Matterhorn. To conclude our expedition, we spent three days sightseeing, relaxing, and consuming large quantities of food in Paris. We also saw Harry Potter (in English with French subtitles). In total, we hiked over 175 miles in 20 days, much of which was up and down hills/mountains. We did the equivalent of climbing from sea level to the top of Mt. Everest and then back down into the ocean again, plus some. The participants got to know one another exceptionally well. Many of our participants had studied French and they were able to practice their language skills. We also had a German speaking participant who got to practice his German. My summer abroad was unrelated to my legal studies, but it was a phenomenal experience nonetheless.

I set this blog up in May, right before I left for Israel with every intention of posting regular updates on my adventures. Now I have a week left before returning to the United States, and this is my first post. I know, it’s awful but, between my internship and traveling, I’ve been so busy this summer. Here are some highlights for whomever is interested:

My internship:

I have been working for the past three months at the Supreme Court of Israel in Jerusalem as a foreign law clerk to President Dorit Beinisch. Israel, as a much newer and smaller country than the United States, has a more limited breadth of precedential caselaw to draw upon. Therefore, the Court often looks to foreign law when novel issues arise. Basically, I am responsible for researching the American approach to pending opinions. In addition to me, President Beinisch’s chambers consist of a British barrister who researches Commonwealth law, a German attorney who researches European law, two Israeli interns completing their year of mandatory post-law school apprenticeship, and three Israeli legal assistants who are permanent employees of the Court. My work has been extremely interesting and has spanned a variety of topics including administrative law, criminal law, constitutional law, family law, civil procedure, and anti-trust law. Working in a country’s highest court of law, especially in such a politically volatile area, has given me the opportunity to observe hearings of many controversial cases. Even though I can’t understand what’s going on (the hearings are in Hebrew), it’s really interesting to observe how the Israeli justice system works.

My travels:

During the little time I have off, I’ve tried to squeeze in as much traveling as possible. I’ve spent several days in Tel Aviv (a van from Jerusalem costs only five dollars!) enjoying the beach, restaurants, and amazing crafts market. I spent one weekend camping with a group of Israelis on the shore of Lake Kinneret (aka the Sea of Gailee), swimming during the day and cooking kebabs over an open fire at night. Early in the summer, I traveled to Caesarea to see Yehuda Poliker, a famous Israeli singer, perform in a Roman amphitheater under the stars. It was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. A few weeks ago, my boyfriend, Paul came to visit, and we spent ten days exploring the country. We started in Tel Aviv, then stayed in a moshav up north near the Lebanese border, went on a wine tour in the Golan Heights, drove through the Negev desert to Eilat, and spent a day in Jordan hiking through the ancient city of Petra.

As soon as I can figure out how to do it, I will post pictures of my Middle Eastern adventures.  I hope everyone else is enjoying what’s left of their summer.

I am Debora, a rising 2L, spending the summer working in Nairobi, Kenya. Together with 3 other Wash U law students, we have been working with Miss Koch Initiative, a community based organization based in Korogocho (the third largest slum in Nairobi). We deal with issues concerning sexual violence and girls; governance and human rights; sex education; and talent development among youth in Korogocho (also known as “Koch”).

I was able to witness the historic launching of Koch FM, the first community radio based solely in a slum. It is modeled after community radios that have sprung up in the “favelas” in Brazil. Koch FM serves as voice for the community and designs it programs to address human rights and other issues in Korogocho.

 Click here for pictures of the launch and other pictures of Nairobi.

Koch FM Launch

Koch FM Launch 2

Koch FM Launch 3: Caroline, one of the Koch FM presenters, speaks to the crowd.

Koch FM Launch 4: Part of the crowd

Downtown Nairobi: Along Kenyatta Avenue in the City Centre

Downtown Nairobi

Downtown Nairobi