BACKPACKER NATION
Harvard Law School -- My 68th Country
Home | Cape Town To Cairo | Walk High... Sleep Low... In Nepal | Nepal, The Sequel | Africa Again | Onwards To South America | What About India? | Vietnam, Laos And Bangladesh | Laos Returns And Angkor Wat | Oh Cambodia | Bolivia's Uyuni | The Amazon Basin/World's Most Dangerous Road | Bali Dreams/Gili "T" | Sri Lankan And Maldives Moments | Inca Trail And Machu Picchu | Australia Down Under | Carnaval in Brazil | Masai/Serengetti Safaris | Ugandan Gorilla Tracking | Pyramids Of Egypt | "South" Africa | The Greek Isles | Viva Argentina | Sawadee Thailand | Shalom Israel | Revisiting Brazil | Random African Memories | Berlin Wall And Braveheart | Costa Rica, Ecuador And Mexico | Jolly England And Czechoslovakia | More Bolivian Coca Leaves | Random European Sights | Zambia, Zimbabwe And Lion's Head | USA, USA, USA... | Atacama Desert Views | Wow -- Africa Is A Big Continent | Great Walls Of China | Free Tibet Now | Terracotta, More Monks And Mao's Tomb | Siberia And The North Pole | Ireland in The 21st Century | Helpful Travel Links... | 956 Days Around The World -- Places, Miles And Highlights | Random Passport Stamps At The Border | Hurricane Katrina Comes To Town | Harvard Law School -- My 68th Country | Magic In The Galapagos Islands | Islas Galapagos (The 2nd Act) | Atitlan Guatemala And Copan Honduras | Seven Natural Wonders Of The World | Seven Man-Made Wonders Of The World | Red Square Moscow

I Still Get Proofed Sometimes When I Am Out ...
img002.jpg
...But To Prove I Went To Ha-Vard Definitely Requires At Least Two Forms Of ID

If Anyone Has Ever Needed Proof That God Has A Sense Of Humor, All You Need To Do Is Look In The 2006 Harvard Law Yearbook And See My Incredelous, Smiling Face 

Okay, So One Of The First Benefits Was The Inn...
Lincoln.jpg
...Where Pics Of Felix Frankfurter And Other Luminaries Hung From The Walls

Okay, so I did not exactly think Katrina was going to land me at Harvard Law.  Heck, I did not think a nuclear explosion would land me at Harvard.  Nor did I think I would want to attend such a high and mighty school.  After all, I am a salt of the earth backpacker.  I am more likely to make friends with the waiters at a dinner party that the guests of honor.  What the heck was I going to do at a school where everyone was named Harold Jacobs IV?  It took all of my will and might to pass on going to NSE in Fort Lauderdale, where my old apartment on the bac was waiting for me and my volleyball and softball teams were willing to take me back with open arms.  Sun, surf, babes in bikinis ... nah, I would rather go to the top law school in the country.  Wow, I must be maturing -- well, at least a little:)

Yes, Just In Case You Needed More Proof...
name1.jpg
...I Completely Understand, As I Still Don't Believe I Went There

Name Dropping Becomes An Occupational Hazard...
name2.jpg
...Once You Attend Ha-Vard, As I Know You Understand

Well, I went from an unwilling student to a fan of this place so fast I would have made Carl Lewis jealous of my quickness.  In no Particular order, I rubbed elbows with Justic Scalia and Breyer, lived in the famous Lincoln's Inn, complete with open bar downstairs, DirectTV in every room and across the street from the law school -- asked a direct Bernie question to Peter Gammons, worked on a gubernatorial campaign on VA for three days and nights, got my mug in the yearbook and my finger around a Harvard ring, went from being a hermit to a social butterfly who many people were interested in catching, saw 'The Game' go to triple OT at Yale, spent 10 days driving through Ireland (as you have seen on previous photographs), was interviewed by the top firms in the US of A, wooed with chocolate covered pretzels and dinner parties, went to the rare book room and read Turow's 1L original manuscript from the rare book room, as well as publishing my third novel, What Now?, and finally was able to see what a real law school looks like (sorry, Tulane, but you ain't it:).  Fortune comes from misfortune.  It is an amazing world in which we live.

Not To Think It Was All Studying And Hard Work...
Kaitlin.jpg
...As I Had A Brief Moment Or Two With This MIT Undergrad

And My Time Would Not Have Been Complete...
Ilona.jpg
...Without Dating A Hungarian Harvard Undergrad As Well

It is funny, I suppose, ut I felt like this was my last time to date girls in the 19-22 range, seeing as I am a 36 year old ancient relic.  But I did not feel that way during these five months.  Now, of course, I do once again.  So old I am amazed I can still move without the help of a nursemaid (well, maybe not quite THAT bad:)  And rumor has it, if you are with super-intelligent girls it will rub off on you in some way.  Heck, I am feeling much smarter already.  C'mon, somebody ask me the square root of 16.  Anybody.  Bueller.  Frye.

Yes, I Made Friends With The Squirrels...
squirrel.jpg
...In Cambridge Commons Right Next To My Home

The last time I was able to walk through a park every time I came home was back in 1990 through Hyde Park in London toward my flat in Notting Hill (well before the movie, I can assure you).  Snow, never my favorite, was suddenly a novelty once again, seeing as I did not have a car and had classes within a stone's throw.  And the squirrels were incredible, except for when they would invade Nate's 3rd floor room and appear on his bed in the middle of the night.  Let's just say, he was not an accommodating host in these instances.

44 Follen Street And Lincoln's Inn...
Inn.jpg
...Will Always Live In My Mind, Although I Never Would Have Thought So A Year Ago

I mean, c'mon, to live in a place where scores of Supreme Court justices used to be members and where the weekly parties, from traffic light to tailgate to general festivities never ended.  I felt like I was auditioning for the film, Old School II, and I was in great position to get a leading role.  This non-profit corporation/building worth over four million dollars was a godsend.  I have slept in thousands of beds, from hostels to hotels to acquaintances to the sandy beaches, but never a place like this.  Long live Lincoln's Inn:)

Yes, I attended Harvard for one semester and Tulane for the rest of the time, but I will say this now.  Harvard showed me what a law school should be like.  Tulane fell short, long before Katrina reached out her bony fingers over the proceedings.  And I am grateful that Ha-Vard opened its doors to the likes of me.  If I have one more once-in-a-lifetime experience in my lifetime, I will have exhausted the list -- (oh, wait, I am going to the Galapagos Islands in two weeks with my lady love -- oh, well, I guess I have room for one more)

Welcome To The World Of John Harvard...
Harvard.jpg
...Who Lives In Infamy By His Sheer Presence

John Harvard and his magic foot.  Kiss it and you ... well, I don't exactly know.  No gift of gab.  Maybe a gift on being a liberal? 

The Foot Of John Harvard Is A Different Color...
foot.jpg
...Because The Masses Keep Kissing It With Reckless Abandon

Click Here To Go To Page Next -- The Galapagos Isles, Along With The Sharks And Sea Lions And Iguanas Are Starved For Attention /// The Attention Of The Mighty Click (You Know What To Do)