LAW

I have always been interested in Law. I studied law during 2 years in Paris. Now that I am about to change my academic orientation, I miss those two years and I miss being in a huge theatre full of people who all want to be outstanding. I miss a lot of things. Last semester, I discovered the Association of Women Lawyers in Calgary. The following is their history and the events they organize.

“The Association of Women Lawyers ("AWL") is an organization committed to promoting the advancement, equality, interests and well being of women in the legal profession”.

Fall 1993:13 Calgary women lawyers formed a committee and discussed the development of a new organization to meet the changing needs of women in the legal profession.

Ø the committee was expanded and AWL was launched in June 1999. It was inspired from The Calgary Women Lawyers Association (CWLA) which was launched in the 1960s under the leadership of Mary Hetherington.

Ø The new minister of Human resources Anne McLellan and the Dean of law of the university Dr. Sheilah Martin contributed as guest speakers. They talked about the unique challenges which women lawyers face and shared their own experiences as well as giving encouragement to the new organization.

Ø At its debut, the association received funds from Calgary Law firms

Ø "Lunch and Learn" program twice a year: speaker with expertise is invited. A wide range of topics, such as financial planning, investment strategies, alternative career opportunities and gender issues in the workplace are covered.

Ø Fundraising event in the form of a spring luncheon: celebrity speaker is invited. This year, Madam Justice Louise Arbour, Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada delivered a speech. She spoke about "Justice in a Safer World".

Ø Complimentary luncheon event : honour women lawyers admitted to the Calgary Bar in the past year. “It a networking opportunity to the newly admitted women lawyers”.

Ø The AWL Annual General Meeting is held each year in December: occasion to electe new board of directors, review past activities and discuss upcoming events.

I HAVE A DREAM

The word dream makes me think about Martin Luther King’s speech “I have a Dream”. It was delivered on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. It is a message of peace, equality, solidarity, unity, democracy and hope. Martin Luther King wanted a united nation where all races and all social classes would join together. Furthermore, he wanted a world of tolerance and freedom. The following extract of the speech is my favourite part.

Ø I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

Ø I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

Ø I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

Ø I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.

Ø I have a dream today!

Martin Luther King was only 34 when he galvanized the nation with his inspirational speech “I have a Dream”. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Undeniably, Martin Luther King was a remarkable individual that had an extraordinary life. Besides, I do not want to compare Martin Luther King with another individual because to me he is unique. Yet, when I watch Barack Obama on television, he reminds me Martin Luther King because they have the same irresistible charisma.

EXPLORERS

Here I am, starting my blog about explorers late; very late. I think that since a few weeks I lack motivation about the EAP III program. However, I will do my best until the end. Well, back to business: explorers.

People explore new geographical places in order to discover new horizons, new cultures, and new standards. Explorers are curious people because they want to discover the unknown. They are also brave people because exploring other continents and other countries is taking a risk. They do not know exactly what to expect, and what they will find. They may suffer from fatigue, from hunger and from lack of sleep. Famous ancient explorers that I know are Jacques Cartier and Vasco de Gama. I remember that I had a history course in High school in Niger, and the teacher mentioned them. Moreover, there are people who explore the space.
I also think that each person who loves travelling is an explorer in a certain extent. I like travelling, discovering new cultures and new countries. I like airports, passports, planes, packing, unpacking. The perfect job for me would be an airplane pilot. I think that travelling helps people to build a very tolerant and open-minded character. Travelling also allows you to explore yourself and to know where are your limits. Moreover, exploring other countries enables you to discover your priorities and helps you figure out what you really want in your life. Exploring is definitely a rich and profound experience.

Editing experience

Last week, during the Writing class, I exchanged the first draft of my essay which the prompt was “the best way of learning a foreign language” with a classmate. I think that it was a good experience for me because the fact of examining my classmate draft helped me a lot to figure out what to avoid in an essay and what to improve. So I did a list of the positive points and the points to improve. I hope that it helped him. It was fun to be in the skin of the teacher. But I also imagine how hard it can be to decide which grade to put. I think that being an editor must be a stressful job because you have to fix everything that is wrong. It is not an easy task. What else to add? I also received a list of the weaknesses of the first draft of my essay and the positive points. It really helped me to improve the final draft because I knew what lacked and what to add. So good experience! This is all what I can say about my editing experience. Also, I think that we could make it again because it is really helpful. Personally, I was less stressed out to hand in my essay because a classmate helped me to figure out my mistakes. By the way I hope that I will get a good mark for my essay. I can’t wait to see my grade and my copy. The Writing class is always the most challenging for me. Also, I would really hate to pass the Effective Writing. I would like to start my academic courses with a fresh start, no effective writing. Tomorrow starts a new week, it is already the end of the week end. So I have to go back to my homework.

Good luck everyone for your essays!