Little did I know that closing that door (see previous post) would be just the beginning of the wild ride that has been the last year of my life.
This past year has been a roller coaster of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Last April, the job thing as explained in my first post – a definite low. In May 2010 I graduated from law school and was honored to be the peer selected commencement speaker – an extreme high. June and July were dedicated to studying for and taking the bar – highs and lows, over and over. August ushered in my 25th birthday – so much fun – but also brought news that my Grandpa had brain cancer – nothing short of awful. In September I took a trip to Hawaii with my sister to celebrate with one of my best friend’s wedding – quite possibly the best trip ever – and my article “Drug War Madness: A Call For Consistency Amidst the Conflict” was published in the Chapman Law Review – a huge accomplishment for any law student. October I spent time with my family rallying around my grandpa and finally made the decision to move back to the Bay Area (I had no job in Southern California, and my lease was up in November so it only made sense to move). However, it was more of a forced decision than a voluntary one – another low.
Just when I thought things were going to calm down, November and December proved to be a challenge. The second week in November, I was diagnosed with mono – the worst I have ever felt in my entire life. I seriously slept through 2 whole weeks of my life and lived on slurpees for a month. I had EVERY SINGLE ONE of the symptoms although people typically only get a couple – yeah, this was a low point. The third week in November, I found out that I passed the California Bar – a huge feeling of relief rather than excitement but certainly categorized as a high. But in the same weekend I packed up and move out of my own apartment in Southern California and back into my childhood room in my parent’s house in the bay area – at the time a low for me. I felt like a failure. Two weeks later I was sworn into the California State Bar by my favorite judge, Judge James Rogan. At 25 years old, I had passed the hardest bar in the USA and was officially an attorney, but because of the mono I could not keep any of my emotions in check – I was an utter wreck. A week after that, my grandpa passed away right before my eyes – this was the ultimate low point.
If you have ever had mono or had a loved one pass away or both, then you will understand when I tell you that the remainder of December and at least part of January are a complete blur. I feel like I lost weeks of my life with no recollection of what happened during them. But at some point during those lost days, during the approximately 4-8 hours a day that I was awake, I managed to sign up to take another bar exam, the Colorado Bar Exam to be exact. (If you are asking yourself what I was thinking at this point, I have no idea and if you are thinking I was nuts, I would pretty much have to agree with you.)
Knowing that the exam was looming, scheduled for the last week in February, I tried to get my butt in gear and start studying again. It was definitely difficult what with having already taken one bar and still being exhausted, but I had a friend who was studying for the Hawaii bar at the same time who was a source of great motivation. Thus, the rest of January and all of February were dedicated to studying.
When the last week in February finally approached I flew to Denver and stayed with my friend’s mom who was absolutely wonderful. She let me stay at her house and use her spare car to get around. I could not have asked for more. The Colorado exam was only 2 days instead of the miserable 3 that California puts applicants through, but it was still difficult. I had not studied nearly as hard for this exam, but was fortunate to have remembered a good amount of the information. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I did well. Results are due out in May 2011!
Taking another bar exam after what I have been through this past year took gumption!
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