Sometimes one needs to put things in writing in order for them to feel real. This is exactly one of those occasions. The truth is, life has been too bloody fantastic to be true.

The moot court competition? Not only we went as far as the semi-finals for the first time. Not only we won the best Memorial in Portuguese. Not only I was the best oralist in Portuguese. We wrote the best Memorial in the whole competition, and I was the best oralist among all the 176 people that participated.

After the first results came out, I was so happy I thought I wasn't going to make it back to Brazil. I thought, hell, something bad has to happen (yes, I'm that positive a person). But I did make it back to Brazil. And the next day the final results were published online. I coulnd't be more pleased or proud of our work. The same night we went out to celebrate; not only the team, but also our professors.

We were (and are) still celebrating one week later, when we had lunch with the Dean. He's more than happy with the results, and is even considering giving us grants. Given that he's one of the people I most admire at PUC, this sort of acknowledgment was the cheery at the top of a perfect semester. To work for seven months straight on something, to spend sleepless nights and days dedicating yourself to a certain subject, and then to have really positive results is a high I had never experienced before. Not on this scale. I may get addicted.

On another note, I started working at the Center for Justice and International Law once more. I'm staying for two months, and working exclusively on a case I love.

This is the first time in a long time I'm not in love with anyone. The first time in a long time I'm actually happy to be alone. The first time in a long time I'm not anxious to find a girlfriend. Pride is next week, and, instead of wondering if I'll meet the girl of my dreams there, all I can think of is celebrating.

Those are all alien feelings to me. But I'm enjoying it. Immensely.

ETA: Holy crap! I forgot to mention I finally went to New York City, and I'm completely in love. New York is everything I thought it would be, except better. I had really high expectations, but it's just so much more fascinating than I could fathom. With my moving to Washington DC in August, there will be plenty of opportunities to go to NY and plenty of posts about it.

In twelve hours I'll be boarding the plane that will take me to DC for the very first time. I haven't been to the United States since before 9/11, and, in a weird way, I really miss it. I don't know if it's some form of escapism, but I can't help feeling the United States will be the place where Important and Defining Things will happen in my life.

Obviously, the first of these will be the Moot Court competition that starts tomorrow. I have been incessantly training and studying for it for six months now, and it's naturally become a huge part of my life, not only academically, but also socially; the people I've met because of the competition have become the friends I've always lacked in college.

During the next week I'll have the responsibility to stand in front of the judges of our make-believe Inter-American Human Rights Court and defend a State that allegedly violated the rights of a woman and her son. My main responsibility, however, is to not disappoint my professors, my team, my friends, and myself. I'll probably be the hardest to please, but I'll be happy if I look back on this experience and believe I did my best.

Wish me luck.