So young and yet so wise Yesterday, I attended a conference on the prosecution of war criminals in war-torn Congo. The panel of speakers were engaging, articulate and erudite. The audience was made up of people from all walks of life, but all sharing a keen interest in Africa. I particularly enjoyed the speakers' ability to explain complex legal notions in layman's terms without oversimplifying the subject-matter. While I was waiting for the bus to get back home, I was joined by a young lady whom I had noticed at the conference. She greeted me and asked whether I had enjoyed the event. After some small talk, it turned out that we both shared a keen interest in foreign languages. I did not need to ask where she came from as her accent immediately gave her away. She grew up in the US and was taught Spanish by her mother at an early age. Later, she set out learning French and Italian as a teenager. She now reads law and wishes to brush up her French as she is planning to study international law in France next year. We talked about this and that while waiting for the bus. She told me that, next to her study, she was helping migrants and asylum seekers with their paperwork in the US. After having worked as a trainee in several US law firms specialised in business law, she had figured out that working around the clock and under constant pressure just to climb up in the corporate pecking order was definitely not her cup of tea. Hence her move to Europe where the workaholic culture is less prevalent, or so she hopes. She seemed to know exactly what she wanted with her life. So young and yet so wise!