Sickness, Belfast & the Four Courts

So I actually didn't get better last week and in fact got worse. I'm pretty sure I had a Sinus Infection (I think I can tell what thats like by now!). So instead of taking any chances I went to the doctor and got some antibiotics and also some pain killers for the sinus pain! The doctor's visit was pretty expensive due to me not being a student but the prescriptions were super cheap and I even got a 10% student discount... Go National Healthcare system! I didn't even have to show insurance or anything. Once I started taking the antibiotics things got a lot better.

On Saturday we took a trip up to Belfast. Our Dean is friends with the AP Reporter for Ireland and Northern Ireland (yes there is only one and before him there was none, they were reporting out of London. It's pretty messed up and why all the news media out of N. Ireland is only bad and about violence, presents a very skewed version of things.) His name was Sean and he also happens to be not only a Trojan but a Band Alum as well from the late 80's. He started reporting in the early 90's and knew everything about the conflict. He was incredibly knowledgeable and a fantastic tour guide. The downside of course was that our tour was of the Trouble and the very worst of the worst of Belfast. It was very depressing for me. Even though the powersharing has started, peace has been declared, and the British Army has pulled out a lot and pulled down all the surveillance towers, the walls were still up between the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods in the worst parts, barbed wire up everywhere, peace lines, murals for both sides and major unemployment in the worst areas. When we went to the IRA graveyard, we saw these kids all drugged up and drinking which was apparently indicative of the youth in general in these areas. Sean says there is still a huge drug problem and by drugs I don't mean weed, I mean meth. We visited one IRA memorial for one neighborhood (every neighborhood has its own for its members that had been killed) and there were these girls there telling us how they aren't allowed on the other side of the "peace line" - a giant wall separating the prods and catholics. And their houses are pretty much fortified buildings. I'd heard that Belfast was a pretty cool city and I think we just got to see the worst parts and it made me very sad. Some of the other kids in my program were going to stay, and me too, so that on Sunday we could go see the Giants Causeway, however after all that I couldn't bear to be there anymore. So instead I came back to Dublin and Anett who lives with Irish people out in Ranelagh invited us all to their party they were having. So I went to that and had fun conversing with actual Irish people instead of Americans, which was so nice. Then afterwards we went out dancing until 4am. The clubs were really cool and literally underground. I would have never found them on my own. Sunday I slept in til like 4pm and it was nice. Then Ben and I went to this bar that plays traditional Irish music on Sunday nights. Everyone goes to Church in the morning and then out to drink at night. This day was special cause Dublin had just beat Laois in Gaelic Football so the place was packed and everyone was wearing Dublin jerseys. The band was playing all sorts of Rebel songs and everyone was singing along. It was fantastic.

Didn't do much on Monday, however today our class took a field trip to the Four Courts which is the big court in Ireland and where all the Barristers work out of. We got to see a courtroom and a Barrister gave us a run down on how their system works. We were going to stay to see a trial, however 5 mins into it the Defense needed more time in order to view some evidence they only had just received, so the court went into recession for an hour and we left. Oh well. I couldn't understand what they were saying anyways. But the Barristers all wear black robes and wigs, although the wigs are no longer mandatory, most still wear them. It was pretty cool. Their system is much like ours except for the difference between Solicitors and Barristers. Solicitors are the lawyers that do most of the legal work and would be who you would go to for advice or to draw up a will or contract. If it gets contentious and you have to go to trial then the Solicitor will hire a Barrister who is more specialized in litigation and arguing in court. They are who will then argue in trial for you. Barristers by law cannot solicit work and people cannot go to them to get a lawyer, you must go through the solicitor and the solicitor will then hire a Barrister if they need one. So a lot of the work of being a Barrister consists of looking busy, hoping for work and not getting paid. But apparently is "really fun" according to our Barrister guide. Also if you want to work in Ireland you have to take an entrance exam, similar to the Bar, then if you are going to be a Solicitor you have to go to Solicitor school which is 2 years and then you become an apprentice to a Solicitor until you can practice on your own which is about 2 years. If you want to become a Barrister its the same only you go to Barrister school for 1 year and then get a barrister to take you on as an apprentice where you basically are their slave since you do not get paid and do all their work. The cool part however is that if you pass the New York Bar you don't have to take the entrance exam. :)