Macau

Hello again from beautiful Hong Kong. We had our third round argument today against Tsinghua University from Beijing. Tsinghua had won a Chinese national pre-moot, the CIETAC Cup, and was essentially the national champion in this year's Vis problem. Unfortunately, they drew the HUSL Samurai Wolves in the third round...

Kidding and exaggeration aside, we argued very well today, undoubtedly the most complete argument so far. We improved in the areas we wanted to improve in, and generally stayed on the ball throughout. The Tsinghua team was difficult and well-prepared, but we were equally so. I would venture to guess that we prevailed, but that's just me.

Anyways, after facing off against the Russian team yesterday, myself and my fellow travelers took the jet ferry over to Macau. Similar to Hong Kong, Macau is also a Special Administrative Region of China, and was for nearly 500 years a Portuguese outpost. Still, Chinese, Portuguese, and English are official languages. Macau, aside from being a strange little Mediterranean enclave in the South China Sea, is also the Vegas of the East. Mega-casinos as far as the eye could see. However, there also were very quaint, thoughtful touches. My favourite was the Portuguese style cobblestone sidewalks, done in fanciful patterns.

We shunned said casinos, and ended up wandering about the back streets of a gritty residential neighborhood for most of the daylight hours. It was extremely reminiscent of Brazil from my perspective - people jetting by on a navy of mopeds, tiny trucks delivering propane and supplies, having one's life flash before one's eyes as the aforementioned zip past. It was real, and it was glorious. I had this amazing street waffle, with nutella, coconut milk, peanut stuff, and some sort of sweet condensed milk.

Anyways, we finally got dinner in a Portuguese restaurant, and it was probably the best food I've had so far on the trip. We ordered this stupendous Portuguese fried rice with pork and shrimp. However, the pinnacle came with the galinha à Africana - this fantastic chicken stewed with garlic, coconut milk, and chiles.

It was a short trip, but a worthwhile one. For those of you who haven't been on a high-speed catamaran, one would be amazed how fast you can move across water. I would go back in an instant.

Tomorrow, our last general round against Bond University of Australia. We will do our best, and then hope our scores are good enough to advance on Saturday. Here's hoping...

Round 1

Hello again from Hong Kong. Today, the Hamline cobras faced off against Hanyang University from Seoul, South Korea. Aside from a few easily remedied things, it was a fantastic first round. Nowhere to go but forward.

Tonight, we ate dinner at a two Michelin starred restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui, and then proceeded to "invite" ourselves into an arbitrator cocktail hour on Hong Kong Island. After that, we took the tram up to the top of the peak overlooking Hong Kong, and walked around for a bit. Then, we caught a double decker bus down to the harbour, took the Star Ferry back to Kowloon, and then finally took a metro train back to our hotel. Long, yet successful day.

Tomorrow, we face the Mari State team from Russia. Once that is done around lunchtime, the plan is to catch a ferry over to Macau, which similar to Hong Kong, was a colony up until 1999, albeit a Portuguese one. Apparently there is good food, and other stuff to do.

For those folks (if any) from Hamline reading, you can rest assured that we are representing the school to the best of our abilities, and talking up both our Vis program and the DRI as much as we can. I think we're making plenty of really great contacts, and both of us feel very confident as we enter the second round tomorrow. So, wish us luck!

Week

Hi folks. It's hard to believe, in the midst of the wildness of work, school, and competition, that in just a titch over a week, I'll be jetting off to Hong Kong for the Vis international commercial arbitration moot. After six months of devoting my life to this competition, to becoming best friends with Alan Redfern and Martin Hunter, to making Room 303 of the Hamline Law Library my second home, it's go time.



Truly, I am absurdly excited. For the longest time, I've felt a bit of an itch to get off of this continent, to go elsewhere, to go somewhere unfamiliar. Furthermore, despite the percentage of my life consumed, I think this international arbitration business is wildly interesting, and this competition personally and professionally fulfilling. My participation in Vis has (essentially) led me to new employment, where I have had the pleasure of writing a substantial portion of an actual international arbitration claimant's brief. Maybe more importantly, it has made me incredibly close with three other individuals I probably never would have met, people I would now probably count amongst my closest friends.

In any event, we're ready. I'm ready to fly 20 hours, I'm ready to eat rhinocerous horn or whatever else, I'm ready to argue the finer points of Milan Rules Art. 20(4), I'm ready to have that confused, stupid American look. Hamline might not be ranked in the US, but we're sure as hell going to be ranked in Hong Kong...

Destination: Hong Kong. Object: World Domination

Come the end of April, this is where you can find me. World arbitrators - you are hereby put on notice.

Team Hamline/Viper/Awesome, away!