The school year is finally over and that means it's time for students to disperse and do myriad activities for the summer. Some go home and visit family, some may actually go and take more classes over the summer or some may stay and work on campus. Then there are those students, like myself, who applied and were accepted into the University's International Internship Program (IIP), where students are given the opportunity to work in a range of possible fields of interest all across the world for eight weeks. I am currently working at Vieira de Almeida & Associados, a renowned law firm here in Lisbon, Portugal.
I have been here for three weeks already and I've enjoyed every minute of it, both the city itself as well as my internship. Lisbon, although it can be a bit hilly, is a wonderful city to walk around, enjoy the nearly ever-shining sun and the cool breeze all the while experiencing an unusual blend of historic and modern style. On multiple occasions some friends and I have visited the beach at Carcavelos and have gotten nice tans. We were fortunate enough to arrive during the Santo António national holiday where the town of Alfama celebrates en masse with great music, lovely food (a lot of fish I must admit) and a vast amount of happy faces.
As far as my actual job is concerned, I couldn't have asked for a more welcoming and interesting place to be. The one way I consistently describe it to people is that it seems like a blend of the Silicon Valley startup culture with a law firm. Everyone seems rather young, enthusiastic and passionate. Currently, the firm is working to be at the forefront of legal innovation and policy. I am working as a researcher in the business development office investigating market trends and preparing PowerPoint reports describing where the future of law is headed in various sectors. My supervisor is very nice and quite helpful, but then again so is everyone I've come into contact with at the office. Colleagues I had just met invited me to dinner, and I had an amazing and hilarious time. I may have five weeks left, but I know that time is going to fly by, so I definitely will strive to make the most out of every minute I still have here. Princeton has provided me with a great opportunity so I can't afford to waste it, now can I?