Kwaheri from Kili Airport

I cannot believe I’m leaving. Time flew by so quickly. Even today, MW woke me up at 7am because I slept through my 550 and 615 am alarms. I rushed non-stop - packing, picking up my last dress from the Indian lady, going to Masai Market for one last time to get JD’s necklace fixed and buy some painting and necklaces, saying goodbye to everyone at ICTR, trying to grab something to eat (FAIL) and finally getting into the shuttle to go to Kili Airport with AJ. How did those 6 hours go by in a blink??

The one benefit of having so much to do - no time to think about anything. I didn’t have time to think about how much I’d miss everyone, how I am not going to wake up in my bed surrounded by a mosquito net, not going to wonder if I’ll have electricity, not going to come home and hope I can wake up Seff to get into my house (oh crap - I forgot his tip. His inappropriate hugs and kisses should be sufficient for a tip… right?), how I won’t be able to get chipsi mayai for 1500 Tsh and a Stoney (oh Stoney - I tried to hard to find you and take you home) for 500 Tsh. No more “Mambo mama?” No more “Ninakupenda, dada.” No more “You are an AFRICAN woman” (complete with hands indicating an hour glass shape).

Last night we pseudo-played highs-lows. Lows certainly include getting my new purse slashed and my camera and bracelets jacked, cancelling on Evans’ mom’s dinner after she cooked ALL day for us (yes, I realize how awful I am) and how lonely I felt at the very beginning (especially when AJ went to Zanzibar and I was left in Arusha). But even that (the loneliness) turned out to be fantastic - I got to hang out with EB, meet several of his friends (which later turned out to be really helpful when we wanted to see Moshi and do the waterfall hike), go to all the going-away parties for all the previous interns, and go on an amazing safari with AK, IB and EW.

Highs: Cheetah hunt on safari, watching the lion family eat and play, ZANZIBAR (especially Friday/Saturday nights), pub crawl (minus getting my camera stolen at Masai Camp), Masai Camp Attempt #2, and just generally hanging out with such cool people. It’s amazing how close you get to people in such a short amount of time. I don’t think I really got to really know anyone until almost a month in. Now? I definitely have several fabulous friends that I must see when I go back to the states. I’m glad I was there for some people during some really hard times, that I had people I could confide in too.

Ultimately, I hope this trip brought MW and I closer. We definitely had our own highs and lows this summer but I think (hope?) that we’ll come out of it stronger - because of our love for Afrika, our appreciation of new and amazing cultures, and most importantly, just how much we mean together. MW came to the conclusion this summer that he did not want to be apart long-term again. Plans for his two foreign service missions abroad for 4 years while I’m in the states / not with him - out the door. He got really upset with me when I said I wasn’t sure I could wait for 4 years (especially without being married). Now we agree - if he goes, we get married so we can be together. I figure with a JD and my go-getter attitude (;)), I’ll find something satisfying to do wherever he lands).

I am tearing up as I write all this. I already miss TZ. I cannot wait to go back. At the same time, I am SO ready to see MW, my parents, my wifey (and her new husband!) and all my other HS, W, and BU rafikis. I wonder how I’ll find school, the refugee clinic, and all my friends at home. Will I be distant? Will I constantly long to be back? Will I feel at home? I guess I can only hope that I am happy to be home but be ready to leave to Afrika whenever the chance arises.

Final Countdown

The final countdown has begun. I leave Kilimanjaro Airport 6 days from today and arrive in Boston almost exactly one week from this very hour. I have a 6 hour delay before another 5 hour flight to home sweet home: Sin City. An hour later, I'll finally see MW after more than 11 weeks apart.

I've enjoyed being in Arusha. I could definitely come back to Tanzania to work, at least for a few years. Even if I don't wind up living here, I certainly plan on returning with MW to climb Kili, enjoy Zanzi (especially Stone Town) and traipse around the rest of this beautiful country.

But for the first time, I feel ready to go home. I'm ready to see my parents, my dogs, my BFF/wifey, my high school friends.

Most of all, I'm longing to see MW. It's been a hard 2+ months. I hope that we will see each other and the same sparks that flew when we first kissed will fly again, that we will discover a new, deeper love for one another now that I understand and have also come to adore one of his greatest loves: Afrika.

Here's to hoping that the adventure that physically took me so far away will emotionally bring me closer to those I love most.

Vegas

Decisions, Decisions

I'm trying to decide what to do this weekend. I only have 3 left and I want to make the most of them.

My options are:

Waterfall hike on Marangu or Machame (bottom of Kili): This was the original plan but Sabi, a friend/guide, has yet to get back to me about time, cost or required equipment. I'd like to go but it looks like without the information, this won't happen.

Trip to Masai village near Monduli: This is a trip organized for/with a Masai friend of JS to his village. The cost is around $50-60USD. We'd see a sacred tree, eat lunch, and walk around his village. The money would help the village but I'm not sure I want to spend that much money on a day trip when I have to start thinking about gifts, etc.

Trip to Mulala: This is a cultural tourism program that I wanted to do from the very beginning. The more trips people do though, the less I think it's a good idea to do. They really try to rip off wazungu (white people) so I'm not sure I want to spend my day getting hustled.

Stay in Arusha / hang out / go to the Masai market: AB and NK are planning on just hanging out and going to the Masai Market down the street from me. I was planning on going again to get gifts but not sure I should do this now or during the week. I feel lame just staying in town. If I go to Tenga next week and Nairobi the following week though, this might be the best time to get everything organized. Plus, I could still go to the dance competition at 730 and do a different day trip on Sunday.

Also - I realize how silly this may be. No matter what I do, I'm still in AFRICA. And I love it. :)

Zanzibar: Alhamisi!

I was supposed to go to work for a half day but a late night meant I got to work around 10:30. Unfortunately, our flight got pushed back so instead of leaving at 1pm, we had to leave at 4pm. BB, AT, NK, HB and I were all on the flight together. Little did we know that Arusha airport was so tiny that we couldn't even check in until 30 minutes before the flight.

While we waited, we decided to go across the rocked parking lot to a little bar, where the boys started the vacay off with some Konyagi (nasty but popular local gin). HB and I looked on in amusement but declined to partake.

Finally, we returned to the little airport and stood in a long line extending out past the airport's front doors. Once inside, we handed someone an old school printout of our itineraries and were handed flight stubs. We went through mini-security and then waited in a patio-type area outside to board our plane. After a few minutes, we were lead to a plane and told to choose our seats. NK and I sat together behind BB and in front of AT. AT, NK and I attempted to watch XMen on NK's laptop but the volume was far too low. Instead we all wound up chatting about the UN, other interns, how excited we were, how beautiful everything was, etc.

We saw Dar (huge city) and then started flying over the Ocean. The further we went, the more blue it turned. It was unbelievably gorgeous. The excitement kept building as the plane got closer. When we finally were able to exit, the air was warm, a welcome change from Arusha's cold winter. We filled out a quick immigration form (Zanzibar is *officially* part of Tanzania but still acts like it's own country... sorta - look it up) and headed out to get a taxi. For people traveling here, BEWARE. Men will approach you with laminated pieces of paper claiming that the official price is $20USD for a taxi ride into Stone Town. Do NOT listen to them. Tell them you're a resident. Tell them there is no set price. 10,000Tsh is what we paid for 5 people in a van and a car would be even less.

Driving through the town, I was mesmerized. Stone Town is Mje Mkongwe, or Ancient Town, of Zanzibar City. It is heavily populated and influenced by Islam and Mosque-like architecture. I think all the shapes and colors on the buildings and beautiful hijabs on the women were fantastic. While there is a Muslim population in Arusha (approx. 1/3 of the population), they usually hang out around Mosque Street, where I have been to all of twice in my past two months. In Zanzi, they are everywhere.

Once we got to the hotel, we discovered that they were booked so HB and I had to stay in the hotel behind Princess Salame. Score! Place turned out to be nicer and cheaper. We had a fabulous little balcony, king size beds with huge mosquito net set-up over a canopy and a shower complete with mirrors (amazing or awkward? Unclear).

We were all quite hungry so we met up with the other interns who had arrived a few hours earlier at a really expensive restaurant. Too expensive for me so I just had a Stoney Tangawizi (oh, how I will miss thee).

And then we headed to the Night Market. If you don't know, look it up. This was spectacular. I've never seen anything like it. At least 50 guys fill up the plaza off the docks and have tables filled with fresh lobster, clam, shark, barcuda, red snapper, shrimp, etc. If you know how to bargain, you can easily get the different kinds of meat on a stick for 1000Tsh/each. By far, the best thing we ate was the shark and spicy lobster. Also, try the sugar cane juice that they squeeze on the spot. The juice is the same all around (500-1000Tsh, depending on size) so get it anywhere.

After a couple hours trying all the different types of seafood, we asked some locals where we could go to dance. They suggested a place and we all piled into two taxis to head over. Unfortunately, when we arrived we realized we were the only ones at the place. Most of the group decided to stay and drink, but AN, NK and I peaced to a different place per the suggestion of our taxi driver.

Once there, the owner told us that the club wasn't open yet (it was only 10, we had to return at 12) but we were free to go upstairs and join the wedding celebration... so, of course, we decided to crash the wedding. Four different ladies and the Zanzibar-version of Ricky Martin each took turns singing on this music system that was blasting so loudly I legitimately thought I was going to have permanent hearing problems (like I don't already, right MW? Lol). The other group showed up for about 10 minutes but then decided to go back to the hotel to hang out on the roof deck and stare at the ocean. I opted to stay with the boys (AN, NK, BB) and shoot some pool.

NK and I schooled AN and BB. Twice. Then NK got BB to bet some local that he'd beat him in a game. Fortunately for BB, the local guy did not understand nor was interested in betting on a game. Second funniest thing of the night: the local guy kept waving his hand in front of his face, as if he were hiding or something? I had no idea what was going on, but later found it's John Cena's move in WWE? If you mention his name or make that motion, every kid in TZ will know what you're referring to. Bizarre.

After the boys finished off about 8-10 bottles of Konyagi, AN decided it was time to go down to the club. Between going upstairs and coming back down, the price of admission into the club had gone up 500Tsh (less than $0.50). AN was displeased. He tried to get us all in for 2500Tsh (less than $2). No go. He tried to get *me* in for free (I'm a lady after all). No go. How about 5000Tsh? No. After 10-15 minutes of failed bargaining, NK finally paid the 10k and walked us in. I was going to suggest that one of us pay the 2500 to see if it was worth it before all paying and wasting our money, but alas, I was too late.

Oh was I right though. Not a damn person in the place. I was quite tired at that point and sat down on the couch while AN and BB tried to haggle with the bartender over the price of a bottle of Konyagi, claiming it was 2000Tsh cheaper upstairs (it was not). Finally, AN, in his drunken glory came out to the dance floor with a drink in his hand and eyes closed and did the GIN HIPPY dance. It was spectacular. Oh, how I laughed at this 6'4, lanky Indian boy hippy dancing all over the fog filled room. THE funniest moment of the night.

Finally around 2 we went home. I was so happy to climb into my huge bed and fall asleep. I really felt like a queen but I'd much rather take my full size bed at home and be squished to the end, but held so tight, by the one I love. In fact, the entire trip just made me miss him more. No better way to enjoy heaven than with your boo, right?

<3

The Beginning of the Mombasa Mafia

Saturday I woke up at 7am to the beautiful view of the Indian Ocean and beach outside my window. It was warm enough for me to walk around in my bathing suit + yellow dress (unlike Arusha where I wear a fleece and scarf every day). I enjoyed the sun until about 10am when NK woke up and went to the ocean for a morning dip. Around 11, everyone was finally up and we had breakfast. Steven cut up some passionfruit, mango, bananas and pineapple for our fruit platter. He also made toast, eggs, and "sausages" (like beef hot dogs).

At some point, someone suggested we get massages. Everyone agreed to a 1000Ksh maximum. I secretly did not want a massage (I hate people touching my body) but I agreed anyway (mostly because I didn't think it would happen). But - voila! - Steven knew a woman who agreed to come to Sutt Cliff to do 30 min full body massages for 500Ksh/person including tip. After she arrived, we set up a place for the massages on one of the tables on the veranda. We then each switched off between getting our massage, basking in the sun, going for a dip in the pool/ocean, and walking along the beach. As someone who really hates their body being touched, especially by strangers, I will admit that the massage felt really good. I've never had a full body, deep tissue massage done before, especially not with a view that amazing.

The walk along the beach with AX, EX and AS was great. The flowers, crabs and water were all miraculous in their own ways. EX and I talked about the reputation of frats in Britain versus America (and determined they were the same), while AS, a frat boy, vehemently defended his brotherhood. I also talked to AX about missing MW and plans to live together. A few hours after breakfast, JH and I volunteered to make lunch (since Steven was still out looking for the fish we asked him for). I must say, I (along with everyone else) was pretty impressed by our quesadilla and fresh guacamole meal.

Sidenote: It's so weird that almost all of my friends are engaged, married or gearing up for engagement. I even went engagement ring shopping with another intern today. When did this change happen? Am I at that stage in life where all my friends start to become real grown-ups and get married, have babies, etc? For awhile I felt like I needed to get engaged too, but have (fortunately -especially for MW ;)) stopped feeling that way. Now I've just started telling people I want 9 kids. Mostly because I'm in love with MW's family and his mom is 1st of 9. No worries people - I will not be popping out 9 kids anytime soon. Or ever. Three is probably my real limit. We'll see. SEVERAL years from now. :)

That night, we had spectacular food. We had some type of rock fish and the best curry prawns I've ever tasted. It was so good that we called Steven out to clap for his amazing work. Since I was falling asleep at the table, I decided to take a 1 hr nap (that turned into a 2 hr nap). In that time, I missed Never Have I Ever, the Animal game, Fives, the start of beer pong, a trip to the store for MORE beer and - most importantly - the Star Spangled Banner at midnight (for the 4th of July). Sad I missed all that but I definitely would have fallen asleep outside anyway.

When I woke up, I went to the veranda to watch JY and GG kick everyone's butt in beer pong. To be fair, NK and (mostly) AX were REALLY close to winning - sinking the ball in the last cup on their last chance, requiring a final round of 4 cups, which they brought down to 1-1 before finally losing the game and the 1000Ksh NK bet GG). After the games were done, the girls went to sleep and the guys hung out and chatted. We ate these chocolates that allegedly require you to put them unwrapped on your forehead and worked down into your mouth without any hands. We had pretty awkward / hilarious conversations. GG passed out in his chair and then when he finally woke up, laid down on the couch outside, refusing to get into the bed he was sharing with JH. Hilarious.

Sunday I woke up early again and laid out in the sun for awhile. After a few hours, people started joining and we had Steven make us breakfast on the grass again. Somehow in our ridiculousness, we all forgot to buy food for our BBQ when we went to the store the previous night. JH and I offered to go a) take care of converting the money to pay for the house rental; b) get groceries and c) stop and look for souvenirs. We successfully completed the first two, but sadly not the last.

GG made amazing beef and chicken burgers with cheese and garlic. We also finished off the avocados and mangoes with some pina colada juice (that was meant to be used with the rum the previous night... but never happened). After lunch, we took some final group pictures and then got ready to go. It was so hard leaving because a) we all got along really well; b) no one wanted to leave Mombasa or in particular, the house; and c) no one wanted to head back to their respective internships/jobs in Arusha, Nairobi or Da Daab (refugee camp).

Alas, our trip was over. The drive back was rather uneventful except for the fact that our driver had to physically open the Tanzanian border himself and then hunt down a person to take care of our visas so we could legally come back in the country. Ridic. It was also at this point that Alex asked if: NK was my boyfriend (no); was anyone in the group my boyfriend (no); was my boyfriend in Arusha (yes!); and then for my number. What?? I've definitely had problems with guys when I said my boyfriend/fiance/husband was in America but I thought for sure they'd back off if I said he was in the same city. Apparently, this is a wrong assumption. "African" women - beware. I made a really smart move - I got his number and said I would text him mine. Of course, I never did, despite NK's constant pestering to do otherwise (jokingly, btw :)).

All in all, I'm SO glad I went. It took about 5 hours on Thursday for me to decide if I was going to go or not, but the trip was SO worth it. If you're ever in Mombasa and want to spend some time in your own little paradise, hit me up. I'll give you the info for Sutt Cliff.

Weekend in Mombasa: Welcome!

Mombasa Mafia w/ Love:

Eight of us (5 ICTR interns) spent the weekend in Mombasa, which is a beautiful city on Kenya's coast. The weekend was AMAZING. I will certainly return and HIGHLY recommend this house to anyone who stays in Mombasa.

The group was fantastic together. We had a British couple who was a bit older and had worked for corporate law before deciding to follow their heart into international human rights law. AX found a job in Ghana and EX, her fiance, found a job there for a few months and then AX did the same in Arusha when EX got the internship here. There was JH, who planned everything and is a superstar law student who has decided to postpone her graduation from a top 3 law school to continue working on her case here (and for a boy). There was AS who is a frat boy who has sailed all over the world and knows everything. There's NK who will probably be one of the people I actually keep in contact with when we get back to the states. He's done a lot of work (Peace Corp, NGO) in China and traveled all over Asia.On the drive, we saw a herd of elephants (including a baby!) and some camels. While the road was awful, the view was beautiful. Especially when we got closer to Kenya, the dirt became quite red. The coloring reminded me of Red Rock back home. I find it quite amazing how I can find such different environment so beautiful - from Tanzania's luscious green mountains to Kenya's flat red desert.

When we got into Mombasa, we met GG at Serena, a really expensive hotel right on the beach. Walking out of the hotel and seeing the pool, trees, beach and Indian Ocean in all its glory was breathtaking. It was chilly but I didn't care; this was bee-yoo-tiful. We had a beer while taking in the ocean breeze and getting to know GG. He is amazing - he's 25 and already working for the UNHCR/Mapendo with Somali refugees. Just a genuinely nice guy who's doing a lot to make a difference.

We decided to go to the grocery store to get food/supplies for the weekend before attempting to find the house we rented. We also met JY there, an intern at Mapendo.'s Nairobi office After spending quite a bit of money on food/booze, we set off to find the house. For two hours. In the dark. While our travel agent, Fiona, ignored our call while she took a bath. WTF. Haha. Honestly, I wasn't even upset. We had cracked open some Tuskers while Alex, our driver, tried to follow Fiona's map and get directions from Masai guards in the area. Finally, we found Jackson on the side of the road and asked him if he knew Sett Cliff. He directed this cracked out woman and her adorable child (who looked like the girl in Little Miss Sunshine) to where they were going, he hopped in our van and directed us to our house. We NEVER would have found it. Jackson got a very large tip + beers that night.

When we arrived, the staff (Steven, our cook and a maid) greeted and welcomed us to Sett Cliff. I remember screaming out of excitement for finally finding this little piece of paradise (and yes, I know I keep referring to all these places as heaven/paradise, but if you come and see for yourself, you'll understand why). The house was better than we could have hoped. It was two buildings. The one on the right had two bedrooms and a shower on the bottom and a master bedroom upstairs. The building on the left had two bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, a bathroom, and a kitchen. A covered veranda was attached to the building on the left, overlooking the Indian Ocean and beach. There was a pool right outside the right building and stairs by the veranda and the pool leading down to our personal beach and to a dock.



After Steven graciously offered to let us squish in and watch the Ghana game in his bedroom out back, we went for a late night dip in the pool and then the ocean. Somehow the ocean water was SO much warmer than the pool. The moon was out. It was wonderful. After an hour or so, we moved to the veranda and just hung out / chatted / got to know each other. One of my favorite stories from that night is AX talking about going to Blue Heron (mzungu restaurant in Arusha) without EX. She emailed him to taunt him because she knew he was stuck at work. He wrote her back (and read in a British accent): "You treacherous little slut." LOL.

I am so jealous of pretty much everyone who was there that night. They all took time off before law school or have done really amazing things in school. They've traveled all over, earned degrees in foreign countries, worked for amazing organizations and really made a difference in someone's life. I hope that my life will start to be that amazing soon and that TZ is not just the beginning of the end of amazing-ness for me.

More on what actually happened that weekend later!

I conquered Meru

This past weekend I summit-ed Mt. Meru, Africa’s 5^th tallest mountain. It’s now Thursday and I finally feel normal again. The first two days were beautiful and the hikes were wonderful. I took over 300 photos of the beautiful red hot pokers, trees, giraffes, buffalos, and, of course, Meru. I “joined” Team Pole Pole (Slowly Slowly) with MS, JS, and MH. Because of the altitude difference, hikers are supposed to ascend slowly. Especially with my asthma, this was not a problem up to the first two campsites.

Summit day, on the other hand, was brutal. We woke up at midnight, had tea and biscuits and started the climb a little after one. One of the girls, MH, was really sick so Peter, our guide, asked a porter to come with us in case she had to stay behind / turn around. In the pitch black and the rain, we marched on for hours - up hills of sand, in zig-zags, and across rock faces. By 630am I was physically and mentally exhausted. My clothes (5 layers of shirts, 3 layers of pants and snow gloves) were completely drenched. Between the rain and the wind, I was sure I was going to lose some body part(s) to frostbite or die of hypothermia. I starting blaming Peter for telling me that I could do it when every peak that looked like it could/should be the summit wasn’t. I was upset at MW for not telling me how to keep dry/warm (unfair, I know. I blame it on the altitude?). I was so mad at myself for thinking it was a good idea to climb a silly mountain. Oh, and Kili. Definitely off my list of things to do.

But eventually, finally, we reached the summit. It was completely clouded over and we couldn’t see Kili, Arusha or the sunriset. This is what I paid $400 for?? Ugh. We quickly took a few (lopsided / fuzzy) pictures and ran off the mountain. MH ran ahead and JS, MS, Peter and I took a quick, but not too rushed hike back. I almost immediately started to feel better, as my clothes started to dry out and I took off some wet clothes (namely, my drenched gloves). At one point, Peter stopped and pointed out the rough outline of Ash Cone, which is the ash remnants of the volcano (used to be higher than Kili) that blew, creating a lot of the path to Meru’s summit. Peter kept commanding the clouds to move away to reveal more of such a beautiful sight and we were lucky enough to see most of the breathtaking view. In those moments, I began reconsidering Kili.

After an hour or so more, we finally reached the Saddle Hut Base Camp. I was so exhausted after 11 hours of hiking. I barely touched the cabbage, toast, chapati lunch provided and quickly crawled into my sleeping bag to try to get warm. I laid there for about an hour, shivering. Finally we had to get up, pack and head back down to the first set of camps, where there was a Rescue Car waiting for us. The nine of us piled in the back with Peter and another guide standing up. The rocking back-and-forth in the car / against everyone and the awesome animal sightings (giraffe, colubus monkey, dik dik, etc) made our bond even stronger.

Overall, I’m glad I went. I’m even happier that I was able to summit. For those looking at doing Meru/Kili, do it. Nine times out of ten you’ll have better weather than we had and as long as your group is just as great, the overall experience is fantastic.

More to come on dinner at Jose’s last night and dinner with Evans tonight later. Now, it’s time for bed. J

Deadline Met!

Today we turned in our appellate brief for The Prosecutor v. Setako! I must say, I think it's a pretty good brief and I'm happy that I was able to edit and contribute to the final draft. We won't hear anything back until after my internship is over, but this just gives me an excuse to stay current with the ICTR's happenings / stay in touch with my supervisor. Wonder what I'll be assigned to do next. Keep your fingers crossed for exciting, substantive work :-D

In other news, I went to Arusha National Park yesterday. It definitely was not as cool as Serengeti but it was beautiful and I had great company (Yellow House, BR, JD, and EF). In order, we have the colubus monkey (above); a diarama of the park (that lit up!); one of the many giraffes we saw; a babboon; and the group with two groups of flamingos in the back (yeah, sorta see that pink/white blob in the back.... that would be the flamingos).

Since we got back around 5, we stopped at Maasai market to have a look around. There was a lot of beautiful stuff there (from coasters to jewelry, statues to clothing) so I'll definitely go back. If anyone wants anything in particular, speak up now!

I also took everyone to the Blue House for their first chips maayai! Most enjoyed it but there were a few whiners - HUSH, I say. The food is great, especially at only 1800Tsh (1300Tsh for chipsi, 500 for soda or 1000 for beer). Plus, Tony walked us (all 8 of us) home. Pretty legit bodyguard service there :)

Today, after work AJ and I walked to a small veggie market near the Impala roundabout. I got 1/2 kilo of passion fruit, 2 mangos, 2 cucumbers, 1.5 kilos of onions, a papaya, a bag of little peppers, and 1/2 kilo of leeks for 8000Tsh (less than $6USD). AJ got 1 kilo of carrots, 1.5 kilo of tomatoes, 1/2 kilo of potatoes, 2 green peppers and 3 avocados for 7000Tsh. All in all, a pretty good buy. We'll see if I can do better next time. :)

Espresso Yourself!

Another fantastic day. We arrived at Njiro Cinema at 9 and left for a village near Mt. Meru (about 30 minutes away). We stopped at an orphanage for children under 5 first. Before going, we picked up 10 kg of rice and a huge bag of fruit to take (because it really is quite rude to go to an orphanage empty handed). Most of the "older" ones were out playing so we spent an hour with the babies. SO adorable. Justin (the local guide) told us that 60% of the orphans' mothers die from HIV and the other 40% are from various diseases and death during pregnancy. So sad. The orphanage is also severely understaffed. There were at least 9 babies and who knows how many toddlers with three house mothers to feed, change and look after all of them. One of the house mothers was telling us that because they're so understaffed, the babies often get no real attention or love. :(

After, we visited the local hospital, where we saw the AIDS Clinic (which gives out free meds to HIV/AIDS infected persons), a kitchen for families to make meals for their sick relatives and a funeral procession going on. Beate, wife of the couple who run Wild-Tracks (www.wild-tracks.com), told us about how the entire family (sometimes 100s) will come together to collect, clean and bury the body. They'll spend at least a week mourning the loss.

Later, we visited a private secondary school. The boys, who board there, spoke English quite well and were so friendly with all of us. They sang Tanzania's song, talked to us about their

computer labs and what they hope to become (an engineer/doctor and history professor in the mix).

Finally, we started walking towards the coffee plant nursery. Along the way, we saw banana trees, coffee plants and bean plants all along the most beautiful backdrop of Mt. Meru on one side and a view looking into the valley on the other. Along the way, Justin picked off coffee beans and taught us how they get the bean out. The picture below shows the outside covering (the big red blob) and the slimy, but sweet bean that's inside (two brown blobs). There's also another covering on the brown beans, exposing a gray-er looking bean that then gets dried for several weeks, roasted for 30-50 minutes (depending on what kind of roast - medium, french roast, dark roast) and then packaged (for whole beans) or ground (for espresso/filter drip/french press).

The nursery was also pretty cool. We met some of the members of the co-op where Beate and Frank buy their coffee. The co-op is now switching to organic coffee plants so they showed us the different stages at which the plants are growing (3 mo, 5 mo, 9 mo, 2.5 yrs). The chairman said that they switched from traditional Arabica coffee to organic because it requires less time/money to harvest them, they yield more (10 kg v 7 kg for traditional) and can be sold at a much higher price - an organic tree costing 500Tsh and a traditional tree costing 100Tsh.

Finally around 2, we started to head toward Beate/Frank's house for lunch. There was SO much food and it was SO amazing. Hands down some of the best I've had while I've been here (as I write this 5 hours later, I am still full). We started out with five plates of fruit, including pineapple, watermelon, papaya, mango, passionfruit, bananas, oranges and avocados. We all were stuffed after the fruit dishes but then came the main meal: ugali (like spongy cream of wheat), chapati, boiled bananas, rice, goat curry, spinach and a salad. Oh man, SO good! We ended lunch with some recently-roasted medium roast coffee and Norwegian waffles (Beate is from Norway and Frank is from Tanzania so we got the mixed food!). I'm not normally a black coffee drinker. In fact, I need quite a bit of milk / sugar before coffee is acceptable. This coffee though was so good with only a sprinkle of sugar.

When Beate said we could go see the coffee factory when we were already, there was no response. We were all so full that we had to sit around for another 10 minutes before getting up and walking around to another building next door (literally no more than 30 ft away). Inside, was a table with several jars, which Beate used to explain the entire coffee process and show the difference between the different roasts. Since it's such a small operation, their coffee roaster can only handle 4 kg of beans at a time. They then put the 400 degree beans in a box with wire on the bottom to cool off before sorting the bad beans out. They then package the beans / ground coffee in plastic bags, which they seal off and put in handmade bags with adorable designs (Kili, giraffe, zebra, safari, Maasai people, etc). The bags are finally tied off with banana fiber twisted into a strong string. Normally, 250 g sells for 4500Tsh but we got coffee included in our fee! Honestly, I thought the $35 for everything today was a steal. And if you're interested in ordering coffee, you can order online: http://www.wild-tracks.com/kaffe_eng.htm.

And now a nap before the big England v America game. Being in a bar here yesterday when South Africa played Mexico (Meksiko in Kiswahili) was amazing: the cheering, the clapping, the excitement was fantastic. The cigarette smoke from all the expats - not so much. Let's hope it's not as bad tonight...

Surreal

Settling into Arusha has been so surreal. We've had two incidents of muggings of interns: in the first, the girls were stupid - carrying around SLR cameras way off road; in the second, an intern was walking along Fire Rd (the road off which a ton of interns live) on a Sunday afternoon with tons of people around when two guys pushed her down, took her wallet and ran off. Today at orientation (useless!), everyone kept emphasizing that we should be safe but not to worry because Arusha was a "peaceful" city. Relative to Nairobi or Dar, sure. Otherwise, I'm not sure. The head of security (Juan Carlos) says that California is a lot worse . . . but California is also a lot bigger than Arusha. Other than this, it seems pretty damn normal. Everybody is just trying to make a good living to support their family; everyone is just trying to get by.

Work:

In any event, work has been pretty enjoyable. As part of ALAD (Appeals and Legal Advisory Division), I'm working on appellate briefs of defendants who helped orchestrate the Rwandan genocide in 1994 against the Tutsis. For about a week, I edited a draft of a brief, which was fine. On the one hand, I can't complain because I got to work really closely with the team and I'm doing substantive work, which is more than a lot of other interns can say. On the other, I kinda wish that I was doing something legitimately legal rather than editing someone else's legal drafting. Given that my super has a strong preference for American style of writing / citations, though, I may be given an opportunity to draft something on my own. Even if I don't, I think I may try to write some substantive piece this summer, particularly because it will probably come in handy in either/both my International Human Rights seminar in the fall of my Refugee seminar in the spring. Unknown to me, most of the defendants being tried here were caught through immigration proceedings (defendants use fake names and then are expelled from the country of residence, etc). In fact, there's a whole DOJ department dedicated to capturing war criminals who attempt to fraudulently gain legal status in the US. Maybe my paper might address this?

Besides the editing, I helped another attorney prepare for his first oral arguments on Tuesday. In the ICTR, we only have jurisdiction over three crimes: genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. There are several different modes of liability for each of these, including instigating, aiding and abetting and commission, among others. This Attorney, SH, is doing an appeal for a case where the defendant was not found guilty of commission because he didn't physically kill anyone himself. However, in at least three other ICTR decisions, the Appeals Chamber has held that a defendant can be held guilty of committing genocide/extermination/etc if he was an integral part of the crime by participating, encouraging, ordering or providing material items required to commit the crime.

For instance, in one case, Prosecutor v. Seromba, the defendant was a priest who was found to offer refuge to Tutsi and then expel several of them from his church, knowing that the Interhamwe were just outside and ready to kill them. Even worse, he encouraged, ordered and advised a driver to bulldoze the church with over 2000 Tutsi refugees inside, assuring the driver, who refused to bulldoze the church on the bourgmestre's orders, that trash/rubbish/demons (depending on your translation) had tainted the church, that it needed to be bulldozed and Hutu would build a new church. What was very striking (and Christians and/or those more knowledgeable, please correct me if I have my biblical history wrong) was that Seromba ordered the driver to destroy the church three times. I originally thought Judas had done something three times, but now I think that it was Peter who denied him three times? Ah... not sure. In any event, it was striking. If I can figure out exactly why, I'll edit or clarify later. In any event, he was convicted of committing a war crime (extermination) even though he didn't actually bulldoze the church or kill anyone.

Essentially, I had to read the Trial Chamber Judgements (yes, here it is spelled with an 'e') to figure out what the Trial Chamber convicted the defendant of and see if they cited the theory about commission from this other case (Gacumbitsi); review the Appeals Chamber and see what their judgement said about Gacumbitsi / what convictions they upheld; and then track the convictions and Gacumbitsi application to the Indictment. We were really looking to see what language the trial attorney used in the indictment to see if the language we used in our indictment would likewise justify a conviction for commission without raising problems of notice (ie: if you only say he instigated, then a conviction for commission would be unfair because he was not aware that you would try to convict him of commission and arguably, his defense would have been different). Make sense? If not, ask me to clarify. I know I'm including way too much info, but I find this stuff really interesting. AND SH said it was "perfect, exactly what I'm looking for." So, when I watch his oral arguments next Tuesday, I'll know I had a hand in making his argument stronger! :-D

Fun:

AJ and I had a pretty uneventful weekend. Friday, I went to lunch with my super at a pretty Americanized place. Near the end of our lunch, MS and EB showed up and joined us. We talked about the Peace Corps, the Balkans, and my super's legal experiences there and here (given MS and EB's interests, respectively). My super eventually left and AJ met us at the cafe. We were waiting for JP, who had traveled to Rwanda and was supposed to give MS/EB tips on their next trip. After waiting almost an hour for him, we decided to head back to the UN to grab some alcohol for a potluck we discovered one of our roommates was planning for that evening. We then walked to a bar on the opposite side of the Tribunal, where we had a few drinks, played some pool and chatted with EA and Stanley, a new friend. I asked EA about what I'm doing to keep getting guys after me, and he explained that I "look like an African woman" and because so many older white women come to TZ to have sexual relations with the men here, the guys get the wrong idea about my intentions. Even if I say that I am engaged or married, if my fiance/husband is not with me, it doesn't matter and they won't leave me alone. So... I pretty much can't be friends with any locals who are somehow attracted to me. Boo.

Around 7, we went back to the house and discovered that none of the interns had brought food with them to the potluck. Uhm.... right. So, AJ and MS bought chips from Blue House (and had our guard, Seff, guarded by another guard haha) while I made some pasta + veggies. AJ and I weren't really in the mood for a party, so we went upstairs, chatted, read and eventually fell asleep lol. I woke up later to MS coming in the room, so I got up, grabbed my stuff and went downstairs to sleep on the couch for a final night (before I finally got my own room)! :-D

We originally planned to do a waterfall hike on Saturday, but after JP said he was planning a different hike (that his landlord knew about/would drive him to maybe but if not, people would hitchhike) and other people wanted to join him so we decided to do that. Once we knew MS and EB were still in town though, AJ and I ditched the hiking plan and decided to go with MS/EB to some school and then to the tourism fair. After everyone woke up on Saturday though, we discovered EB's plan was uber complicated and it was probably best that we not try to traipse all over TZ. Honestly, I was irritated that I had given up the hike for cancelled plans . . . until I found out how the hike went. AK told us how JP's landlord hadn't told him about this hill to hike - he just saw it on the bus back to Arusha from Nairobi and decided he wanted to climb it. Long story short, it turned out to be military land and the four interns were discovered by 2 TZ soldiers who accused them of trespassing. The soldiers eventually got 2 Masai men to guard them as well. While JP was very nonchalant about the whole situation, the other interns, all female, were not pleased that they were suddenly outnumbered 4:3 to men with weapons and power. Even worse, two of them did not have any ID and the UN IDs the other two had were laughed at by police (one because it was Korean and the other because one of her surnames was Masai). After several hours of interrogation and finally getting JP to agree to delete the photos of the land off his camera, AK made it home alive and safe.

Later, EB texted AJ about getting MS to the bus station by 430, which definitely did not happen because we were at ShopRite and MS didn't have a phone. MS left soon after and AJ and I had a pretty low-key night, playing Monopoly Deal (for those who haven't played - don't judge; play first, you'll love it. Promise.).

We tried to go to Blue Heron (an expat restaurant) because internet was being so finnicky but discovered we actually didn't know where it was. Oops. We grabbed some food from the store (dried mango - 2000Tsh!) and returned home. MS came back over for a little bit but then said his final "final goodbye" (this kid has said "goodbye" at least 4 times). I think AJ was a little sad to see him go, but hopefully she'll see him soon. Maybe in Kigali?? We applied for seats on the UN plane this weekend since MS/EB will be in Rwanda (hopefully). How awesome would it be to spend a weekend with them in another country? Very. We find out tomorrow whether we got seats. If that falls through, AJ is thinking about going to Arusha National Park with some friends from Chambers and I may go to Zanzibar with some friends. We'll see how all works out...

Conflicted

Being here makes me realize two things: 1) how much I'm in love with MW and 2) how I honestly don't know what to do with my life because the more I learn, the more I don't know what I want or what I should try to achieve with my life. I could easily stay in the states, make a decent living, send my children off to good schools and travel a bit. I'm sure I'll do some good by helping someone on a regular basis (legal services, etc). I could also (w/ a little more difficulty) be here or somewhere with the UN/other NGO, contributing to an inefficient organization who cannot prevent the evils we all swore we could never let happen again, sending my children to school and maybe traveling. Honestly, I don't see *many* substantive differences. So what's the point? How do I choose? Or maybe this means I simply haven't found what I'm looking for.

More on actual work I've been doing later.

Center of Heaven: Serengeti/Ngorongoro II

Day 3:

Sunday, 6 am:

I woke up to find the entire valley covered in fog. You have no idea how sad I was that we wouldn’t be able to see the sunrise over the crater. It’s supposed to be one of the most beautiful things you’ll ever see in your life. I may just go back in a couple of months just so I can see it. We’ll see how things work out though.

The day still started off okay with a great breakfast, which included watermelon, oranges (which are green here… not sure what’s going on with that), crepes, french toast and hot dogs (“sausages”). Immanuel came to sit with us but he was mostly texting on his cell phone. Finally, after everyone packed up for a final time, we headed down into the crater.

Right as we got into the crater, we saw a whole circle of hyenas, jackals, a lioness in the center and a huge male lion on the side, apparently eating something. Just before we started to drive in, we saw one hyena run towards the group and then suddenly get chased away by four hyenas running in a row. Immanuel explained that the sole hyena didn’t belong to the pack (ie: wasn’t from the same mother/father) and would always be chased away. Poor hyena.

Next, we saw flamingos! There were so many of them along the water, it was fantastic. Unfortunately, unlike Serengeti, you can’t get too close so the view was from pretty far away. We kept driving around looking for more animals, but with the overcast sky and rain, I was starting to lose hope. I convinced myself that the weather would turn up soon and we’d finally find our rhino!

And then we did. Again, it was quite far away so my pictures aren’t the greatest but there he was, flapping his little grey ears around in the wind. After 10 minutes or so, we drove around to a different side to see a family of rhinos. They too were pretty far away so we kept searching. Finally, we came on mom and baby rhinos. For awhile, they just laid there in the grass. Immanuel said that they would want to lay down to stay out of the wind because it hurts/irritates their ears. Finally, the little baby stood up, stared at us and nudged mama rhino to get up. She was having none of it and AK needed to use the restroom, so we said kwaheri and went to a nearby restroom.

The view from the site we were at was gorgeous. The lake was filled with fighting hippos and was lined with a beautiful big tree on one side and super bright green foilage on the other. There were several huge birds flying overhead and a stunning metallic blue/green bird that I think made it into one of our pictures.

We then left to drive through the forest, where we heard about the Yellow Tree (that the people cut down because they thought it was making them sick when in reality, they were getting malaria from the mosquitos) and saw a couple elephants and several vervet monkeys . Finally, we came upon a small clearing and had lunch (muffin, bananas, veggie samosa, an amazing french toast w/ something super sweet and yummy in the middle and juice). Just as we were about to leave, we saw a vervet monkey climb on top of the bathrooms. Igi went to say hello and take pictures when suddenly the monkey ran down. I screamed at EG to watch your food! Watch your food! Before I could finish the second phrase, the monkey had grabbed her sandwich and ran into the grass. EG stood there stunned for a few seconds. He then reappeared at the top of a tree in perfect view, eating the sandwich with saran wrap and all. It was hilarious to see him flaunt his spoils like that. I have a video so I’ll try to post it here (or FB).

Sadly after lunch, it was time to head back to the camp, pack up and go home. I was sad to leave such a magnificent place behind but I’m so glad that we did it together and this week. Before we left, Ngorongoro had one more great surprise: a whole family of zebras waiting for us at our campsite. It as spectacular to get back just to see them. We walked really slowly and cautiously towards them and took pictures from 5ish feet away. I also experienced yet another first (I really should start a list) - my first time climbing a tree. I think the tree was a Baobao tree covered in the strangular vine (just like it sounds, it’s a vine that covers/suffocates the tree until it dies). Luckily, it was an easy climb up and down and the view was great. Finally, before we left, Igi rolled up and gave one of the Masai guards a cigarette. So strange.

The drive back was/seemed so much faster. I’m sure with the nice weather, it made it possible to go faster on the roads. Also, I wasn’t trying to take a picture of everything either. The one great thing that I loved about going this weekend: we got to see the area in beautiful fog that made everything look like shadows and then see everything in the clear sun. It was like seeing two entirely different areas.

After a few hours, we finally returned to the White House. We stayed up to tell everyone how great our experience was and while we were, AJ and Mike returned from Zanzi (super tan!). They said they were jealous of our trip - haha OH yeah. We're pretty awesome, and our trip was pretty spectacular.

Even though there are 3 Americans + 1 Canadian + 1 mystery roommate, I think this will be a good summer :)

Center of Heaven: Serengeti/Ngorongoro I

This weekend was amazing. Beyond amazing - zaidi ya nzuri sana! The short of it: 1.5 days in Serengeti + 1.5 days in Ngorongoro = a perfect safari game drive (and by perfect, I do mean PERFECT, ie: seeing every animal you could see, most up close and personal).

The details:

Day 1:

Friday, 7:00 am - picked up at the White House by our driver/guide, Immanuel, and our cook, Prosper. It was completely overcast and raining, but I had high hopes - and kept assuring everyone - that all would pass by the afternoon. It was a fairly long drive, and it was difficult to see anything in great detail. Still, I thought Arusha to Serengeti was marvelous. It's so green here, it's unreal. The other interns (Iggie, AK, EG) all went to sleep, but I was so hyped to be going and amazed at the views that I didn't sleep at all. The one thing that made me uncomfortable, if that's even the right word, was the number of people, particularly children, who would stand at the side of the road with their hands out or who would crowd the car with clothes/jewelry, promising you a low price. No matter how many times you said "hapana asante" (no, thank you), they simply wouldn't leave until the vehicle began moving again. On one hand, I completely understand that because some mzungus (white people) threw money at Africa for one thing or another before, we will also spend $3 on a bracelet (that can be bought for half that price in the market here). On the other, it makes Arusha a very uncomfortable place to be because you can never go anywhere without being approached by someone trying to sell you something (always at the "resident," not "tourist" rate).

After a few hours, we passed Lake Manyara (gorgeous - I totally want to spend a day or two exploring it) and arrived at a picnic site supposedly overlooking the Ngorongoro crater around noon. Unfortunately, the clouds had yet to dissipate so we sat in the car and viewed shadows of trees and something resembling buildings while eating a packed lunch. We then continued on to Serengeti, stopping briefly at a viewpoint where we could *actually* see in the crater and where we were stopped by a group of Maasai. As I got out, they started the typical Swahili exchange - Habari yako? Nzuri sana. Na wewe je? Nzuri. I was handed a beautiful green/blue beaded bracelet by one of the men. I (naively) thought it was a gift, only to quickly realize that they wanted money for it so I immediately handed it back, explaining that I had no money (which was technically not true but with only a $50 bill, I really didn't have any money that I could spend). All of a sudden, they began speaking English - perfect English. I literally stood there for a minute and then blurted out, Oh, I didn't realize you spoke English. You speak perfectly. (Awkward, I know - let's move on). I wanted to ask them where they learned to speak so well, but thankfully my brain kicked in and I said I wanted to take a picture of the crater with the rest of my group. The little boy kept asking for his picture but I kept saying, I can't give you a picture. I have no printer. No. He was not a celebrity-in-the-making nor did he want to be popular with my FB friends. He wanted money for letting me take his picture. Generally, the Maasai don't allow pictures to be taken of them. First, I wonder when and why they (who does "they" even include) change? Second, what do Maasai do with money? Don't they grow/make their own food/clothes, walk with their animals, already have wooden huts in their bomas (think group of homes in a circle)? I'm still not sure what the answers are to such questions but I assume that the answer largely depends on where the Maasai live (ie: in really rural areas vs tourist hot-spots, like Ngorongoro).

Finally getting the pictures we wanted, we hopped back in the car to head towards Serengeti. By this time - and probably because we descended so much - the weather had cleared up and the sun was shining brightly. We stopped at the Serengeti visitor entrance to pay fees and while we were waiting for Immanuel and Prosper, we hiked a bit up this beautiful path and took pictures with the Serengeti in the background. At the very top, we saw our first safari animal - an elephant! We were so excited, and I know I immediately thought Oh - we must find that elephant as soon as we enter the park! Haha. Now I look back and realize how much my expectations of the safari were influenced by my experiences at zoos. (Did I mention this was my first real international trip? Yikes).

I thought once we got in the park, we'd go to the campgrounds and set up tent for the evening but thankfully, we had a mini-game drive for several hours first. Those hours were fantastic, practically non-stop. We saw vultures eating a zebra, hippos spewing water at each other, the head of a lioness among the tall grasses, zebras seemingly "necking" (apparently they're not being affectionate, but rather looking out on either side for predators), wildebeest, water buffalo, and playful elephants (and an angry one who charged at a nearby safari car). Not only were there adorable baby elephants, but also a leopard sitting in a tree overlooking the scene. Immanuel said it is very unusual for a leopard to be so close to elephants because normally they will be scared away. On our way closer to the campsite, we saw a family of baboons (what ugly, chapped butts!), a few very scared-looking fervet monkeys and then the day's favorite: a family of lionesses and baby cubs eating and playing. We must have spent at least half an hour just watching one lioness roll on her back and one of the cubs pounce on her stomach or the cubs literally play tug-a-war with dinner (again, zebra). We were very satisfied and ready to go back to the campsite for a good night's rest. We helped set up the tents, get our stuff in and safe before dark and then ate popcorn while waiting for dinner, which consisted of spectacular zucchini soup, avocado salad, spaghetti and some mince meat.

Day 2:

We woke up at 6:00am for breakfast (cookies + tea/coffee) and then went off for a game drive. During dinner and breakfast, I told Immanuel that Day 1 was fantastic but we still needed to see four more animals: cheetah, giraffe, flamingo and rhino. He told me he couldn't promise anything but I assured him that we'd find them. And boy, did we.

As soon as we went out on the road, we saw a family of giraffe chewing on some trees along the road. They were so cute, but a lot shorter than I imagined. We continued on, stopping for a lone hyena. He came right up the car, staring at us shyly. It reminded me of the chick (?) in the book Are You My Mother?

And then we saw what everyone only hopes of seeing: We came upon a mother cheetah lying on a rock and a group of four cheetah cubs curled together by a nearby bush. We drove so we were literally no more than 5 meters away. Unfortunately, my camera died from the extensive photos/videos I took on Friday, but I am kind of glad because it allowed me to focus on the animals rather than on taking the best picture. After fifteen or so minutes staring in awe at how beautiful they all were, the mother got up and started walking away. After she was about 50 ft away, the cubs began to slowly follow her one-by-one. I grabbed the binoculars and watched the mother walk closer and closer to a pair of gazelles. She ducked behind a group of bushes for a minute or so and then took off full speed. The poor pair had no idea she was coming until it was too late and they could only run frantically in a zig-zag. Once the cubs began eating their breakfast, we drove over to them so we could have a better view. We were so close you could hear the cubs cracking the bones of the poor animal. For some reason, I was upset I couldn't see what they were eating but once they grabbed part of it and lifted it up I sincerely regretted being so concerned with viewing everything in great detail. After another ten minutes with them, we decided it was enough and we left.

No more than 10 minutes later we found a sole lion with a thick, beautiful mane. He started walking towards our car but then decided to lay down and take a morning nap in the bright sun. After, we saw a few more animals (zebras, a few more giraffe, dik diks, water buffalo) and then headed back to the camp site for lunch (pizza that tasted like a mix between bruschetta and corn bread - don't judge, it was good; chips; avocado salad; tilapia sticks; and fresh fruit) and to pack up the car so we could head to Ngorongoro.

On the way to the Crater, we saw hundreds of zebras, gazelles and water buffalos crossing the plain while hippos spewed water at each other behind us. I imagine this is what the migration in June and October/November looks like. It was simply amazing to watch so many of them walk in a single-file line, play in the river, chase each other, "hug," and shake their heads up and down as if they were saying "yes." As we continued, we saw more giraffes with little birds on their necks, who apparently groom giraffes and buffalos by eating the bugs off of them. I really love how they all travel together and not just by species. Symbolic? Or maybe just more magnificent to see such a mix of beautiful creatures all at once.

We quickly arrived back at the visitor center and while we were waiting, we saw a neon pink and purple lizard (?) on the bathroom wall. Definitely one of the prettiest looking creatures we saw. We kept driving for another 2 or so hours to the campsite at the Ngorongoro crater. Since it was so clear, you had a perfect view into the crater and of the nearby lodges that we were unable to see the day before. The sunset was not as beautiful as I hoped it would be, but I thought it was probably because (at least from our viewpoint), the sun rises, but doesn't set, over the crater.

We had access to showers (w/ cold water, of course) and a sink to wash our hands/faces properly. We also had access to electricity so I was able to charge my camera for the next day's game drive. There was a puppy at the site, and I immediately went to pet it. Only later when the Maasai guards were literally beating him to get out of the eating area did I realize that the dog probably has fleas/ticks and needs to be kept away for health reasons. Whoops. Prosper made another amazing dinner with cucumber soup, chicken that looked like curry but wasn't, rice and banana fritters.

Best part of the night: a phone call from MW! We didn't chat long but it was fantastic to hear his voice (and to hear that Celtics had won and advanced to the finals!). Of course, I spent the next 30 minutes telling everyone about him. It's always so funny how law students/lawyers are impressed by his work. Not that's it's surprising, but I think we all think that it's so cool because it's something we were never good at it and/or interested in. Love that I can brag about him. :)

When we went to take the dishes into the kitchen area, I said hello to the other cooks. They asked me to come back after getting ready for bed so they could tell me stories. I asked AK and EG to join, but after ten minutes it was clear they really had only wanted to talk to me. Peace, one of the cooks, said something in Swahili, which Henry translated as "if you have a boyfriend, he is very lucky." Uh... asante sana? Henry asked me if I knew why he said that. Why don't you tell me. "You look like African women here." Ahh yes. Thick. I know, I said, putting my hands on my hips. "Oh someone has already told you?" Yes, my whole life I have been told. They then asked me if I had a boyfriend and when I responded affirmatively, they told me to break up with him so I could date an African man. I kept saying, No, I don't think so. I'm very happy with him. "Oh, but he'll find another woman; he'll be okay." I'm sure he'd be fine but we've already been together 2.5 years and we love each other and are happy. "Are you going to get married?" Can I just say how much I hate this question?! Honestly, I don't know. Maybe. We're happy. We're in love. But you never know what's going to happen so I can't say for sure if we will. Should I be that honest with perfect strangers? Especially to a group of men encouraging me not to stay with MW? At some point later, our own cook, Prosper, said "Mimi ninakupena sana" (I love you very much). Again, not sure how to take it so I just said asante sana :)

After 20 or so minutes, a British and Scottish girl came into the kitchen because their tent had fallen down. Peace and Henry went to fix it and I stayed to talk to them. They're volunteers with a hospital right across the street from the ICTR. Really nice girls though their accents were so strong I had difficulty understanding them. That's definitely something I need to work on... When Henry returned to tell them that the tent was fixed, I knew he'd want me to stay but I thought a) it was awkward and b) I really did need to get sleep before our 6am wake up call + morning game drive. So, I said good night to everyone and went off to the tent, past the dog (who took up residence right outside our door) and into my super warm sleeping bag.

More on Ngorongoro later... I really should be more concise so I can finish these posts sooner but I'm hoping that by writing so much, I'll really have a clear memory of all the wonderful things I experienced. :)

A Fantastic Start

Ahhh, success at last! Per AK's advice, I went into the ICTR after 10 this morning with my laptop screen open to my employment confirmation letter. A quick call to FM actually found her and I only waited 10 minutes until she found me. I got my badge, met the Admin Assistant of the OTP (Office of the Prosecutions) and the head of the OTP, got a desk in an intern room and was assigned to work with Senior Appeals Counsel, DW. She's an American and Smith alum (yay Seven Sisters!)! Though she didn't originally want an intern, I think we're both happy with the placement. She's smart, nice and blunt - qualities I really have come to appreciate, especially in fields that are often disorganized.

I've already started working on an Annex (like a bibliography of cited cases) and reading up on some cases she's overseeing at the Appeals Chamber in the Hague now. I'm still waiting on a key to the office, a computer and my account, but I'm pretty sure that all will be set up on or by Monday. Also, today was my first day taking the UN van home - so convenient and safe! Makes me happy. AND - welcome LG! Another American intern has arrived safe and sound to the White House - can't wait to really get to know her. :)

Best part of the day: we booked a safari for this weekend! We'll do Serengeti for 1.5 days and Ngorongoro Crater for 1.5 days. We're not doing Lake Manyara or Tarangire, but I think those should be pretty easy weekend trips to do if I want later. All in all, a good week. Look forward to pictures by Monday!

Settling In

I've skipped writing in my journal for a few days but am trying to return. Yesterday (Tuesday) was wonderful. I went to the School of St. Jude's with Ed (Australia), Roam (Isreali) and Jonathon (Isreali/American) in Mishono, just outside Arusha. It was my first time taking a dalala and boy what an experience. I think I counted 17 people in the dalala, including the boys hanging out the side. Once we arrived, we had a bit to walk. We had several offers to ride on the motorcycle but I'm glad we decided to walk it.

I'm sorry I didn't bring my camera because the campus, the atmosphere - everything was so amazing. The School of St. Jude's gives over 100 poverty-stricken children the opportunity to get high quality education FREE. They provide two meals a day to regular students and four meals a day to boarders, who live about a 20 minute walk away from campus. They teach computers, Kiswahili, physics, chemistry, mathematics, art, music, dance. The teachers and staff are mostly native Tanzanians, though there are some who are from Australia (the founder, Jemma, is from Australia).

Felix, our tour guide, started out as a bus driver. He asked for an office job but they told him he needed to learn to speak English and to use the computers before he could get a job. He took English and computer lessons at the school (free of charge to staff). After a year and a half, they asked him if he still wanted an office job so now he works as the visitor coordinator. I think it was a smart move - both for him and for the company (marketing, etc wise) to have him be the coordinator with such a great story like that. Plus, he's just a really nice guy so it was a pleasure spending the day with him.

We got to tour the original campus (for 3 students!), the library (where the librarian in training screamed to me "I love you! You are so cute!"), the art room (where we met Kwaka, Ed's friend from dinner and dancing at his house the night before), and admin (where we met Mim, Ed's friend's sister-in-law). The Isreali boys left but Ed and I got to eat lunch (some cabbage stuff, rice, and lentils), which was actually really good. They cook their own food (and grow a lot of it) on campus so I was really quite impressed. They also have purified water everywhere so the children get clean water. If the staff or children speak Swahili, they lose points. There's a competition with prizes for the class with the most points at the end of the year and a cash prize for the person who never speaks Swahili from the staff.

After lunch, we visited the headmaster, the secondary school and the boarding school. To get to the boarding school, you have to walk along this muddy road and pass several little houses with many animals (goats, cows, tons of chickens/roosters). You also pass a whole field of coffee plants, banana trees and maize. It seems like it goes on for miles. You finally come to this huge gate, guarded with more Maasai men (apparently because they are known as the soldier tribe - and because they generally lack any education - the Maasai men wind up being guards for many places). The school is in the process of building more houses for the boarders (using locals to build everything). The buildings themselves are beautiful. Beautiful floors, beautiful layout. In the girls rooms, they have six bunk beds and each room decides to fold their beds differently than any other room. They also try to decorate it (door only) with sayings like "I love my room! I kiss my room!" It's really quite cute. They are all so clean too. I imagine it is to teach them discipline and responsibility, as well as for when sponsors and visitors tour the campus. On each floor, there is a common area for the children and each dorm has a classroom so another teacher can follow up on that day's lesson, help with homework, answer questions and maybe give them a preview of the next day's lesson. Finally, as you're walking out, you see this gorgeous, lush, green mountain and behind it, Mt. Meru. How. Breathtaking. I can't even explain to you how gorgeous this area is. You simply must see it for yourselves. In the meantime, I'll (hopefully) be able to go back out and take pictures to post on here for your pleasure.

After the boarding school, we watched the kids play volleyball and soccer for awhile. Afterwards, Ed and I took the colorful school bus to the Clocktower. We walked around, found a cute bakery, where we tried a samosa (not bad) and had soda in the tall glass bottle. After, Ed showed me the market, the Shop Rite (South African supermarket) and cute little restaurants, etc around old town. Finally, we met up with Ed's friend Alpha and Alpha's friend Abdullah for a beer (I've started collecting beer labels for my handwritten journal :)). We had to leave shortly thereafter to meet up with the Isrealis and then go to dinner at a Syrian place for Bin (BM)'s departure. It was really beautiful, with a huge sheet-like thing covering the entire ceiling. The food was decently priced (wraps - 6500 Tsh) - AND they had shisha! :) The hummus was not great (not enough lemon!) but overall, I was happy. It was also nice to meet several more interns and talk to some of the people in the house before they leave as well.

This morning (5/26) I woke up at 7 (after going to bed at 3am) to walk down to the ICTR to see if I could start early. Unfortunately, once I got there the guard started asking me where my employment letter was, who I was working for, what the internship coordinator's extension was. I had nothing on me. I had no idea I needed anything. He called FM, but she didn't answer. He left two messages. I waited half an hour. Then I decided, if she is so scatterbrained that she can't respond to emails in three months and can't arrange for transportation from the airport as promised, she probably wasn't going to be into work until much later. I wound up leaving and finding Hinji before he took his shuttle to the airport to fly to Zanzibar. I thought I might to with him since I wasn't confident I could get a hold of FM, but on my way home, I ran into Ed and the Isrealis. Ed suggested I wait until the other interns get here because they'll want to do Zanzi, and knowing myself, I will enjoy it a lot more if I'm not alone (Hinji's phone may not work so I may not be able to get a hold of him and would wind up spending the week in Zanzibar by myself... mmm no thanks).

Once I got home, my feet were bleeding (rain + friction w/ my heels) and I had no key. Mama (Veronica) let me in thankfully. I took a nap for 3 hrs (whoops!), read some, ate some, and texted Ed to see what he was up to. He invited me out to dinner with a friend, Yemi. She was an intern in chambers with Ed last year but she decided to do another year-long stint. She's originally from Nairobi but now calls Cali home. She seems quite nice and really funny so I hope we become friends.

I left Africafe with Ed, Yemi and Evans (Ed's really good friend) to go with PG, AK and EB (all ICTR interns) to watch a movie about the "Third Gender" in India. Apparently there are a lot of hijras in India: men who dress up as women and have sex with men. It definitely is a bit misleading because even the hijras distinguish themselves from hetero/homo males and hetero/homo females. Seems like "third" gender isn't quite accurate. Also, the director of the documentary seemed so judgmental. It was really quite strange.

Now I'm back and talking to MW. It's strange to be able to talk to him for so long here. It really makes me feel like I'm not that far away, not really in Africa. Guess I'll see how I feel once I start work. One thing I can say: MW and I seem (strangely) to be doing so much better. Everything seems perfect, no fights, just pure love. It's amazing. Can I blame it on law school? Haha.

FINAL DESTINATION: Garden of Eden

I have FINALLY ARRIVED!

While I was waiting at the gate in Addis, a man came running to the security check out line (the 2nd one at the particular gate, not the main one at the airport entrance) screaming "please! please! please!" His flight to Lagos was still sitting on the tarmack but as he screamed, they began pulling away the ramp. I felt so awful for him. Essentially, this is what happened to me yesterday - minus the audience. I turned around to start up a convo with two girls behind me, explaining what had happened yesterday. I eventually discovered that they had backpacked throughout Nigeria for 2.5 weeks and were now flying to JRO to climb Kili. I explained my situation about getting to Arusha (and realizing - too late - that I had no idea what the address was or had a number to call in case of emergency). I hoped that they too were going to Arusha, but oh well.

Once we boarded the plane, I turned to the young guy sitting next to me (Jerry from Canada) and asked him what he was doing. He, too, was going to climb Kili with friends. They had gone to the Middle East (Israel, Egypt, etc) to see Bethlehem/Jerusalem, visit Petra, and go sandboarding. After climbing Kili, they plan to go to South Africa to, among other things, go to a World Cup game. Now, I'm not a soccer fan AT ALL. But GOD I would love to go to a game in South Africa this summer. Just sounds too amazing to pass up. Though he wasn't going to Arusha, I gave him my/MW's contact info so he could FB me and ask MW about couchsurfing.com for his backpacking trip alone throughout Europe. Best of luck, Jerry! I'm super jealous of your travels!

And then, four hours later, I was woken up by the loud shake of the plane as it landed at JRO airport. Even at the airport, everything was so beautiful and green and lush. It was humid and I was tired, but I cannot express to you how happy I was to finally be here. Checked through immigration without problem and then went searching for my luggage (which had been sent to JRO on yesterday's flight). The guy said that it just kept going around and around on the belt and he thought about sending it back that day. Since he kept it, he thought I should give him a present. At first, I thought he was joking. As he kept insisting though, I realized that he really expected me to give him a tip for doing his job. I told him I needed change so he took me to the currency exchange place (1390 - $1, not bad) and I wound up giving him $5. I figure, even if he unfairly take advantage of me, I'd rather pay him the $5 than piss him off and get into a taxi with a friend of his not knowing what to expect.

As expected, the UN did not show up to get me at the airport (though, as I found out later, it didn't pick up AJ or other interns either so it was nothing personal). I got into the taxi and prayed that he was legit and a) would not harm/extort me and b) actually knew where he was going because I did not.

The drive here was gorgeous. The trees were so big and green. It definitely looked like something out of the movies. I simply have not seen scenery this vibrant or rich in my life. I took pictures of what I could (hopefully I can figure out how to post them here, but, if not, check FB).

When I saw Fire Rd, I knew everything was okay. Though he drove too far and stopped several people to ask where our house was, we eventually arrived and BM came out to greet me. The driver asked for $50 USD, which I told him at the airport I could not give him unless he allowed me to stop and get change. Instead, I gave him 70,000 Tsh (Tanzanian shilingi), which converts to about $53 USD. He kept insisting that I give him an extra 5000Tsh but I told him that the exchange rate wasn't that high, I just converted my money and only got 1390 for $1 USD and the shilingi I gave him was more than he requested. Honestly, I could gave him a few thousand more but I think I was still upset about his friend at the airport forcing me to "tip" him and I had done the conversions to make sure I didn't get cheated. He walked away looking so sad, which, of course, made me feel bad. Thankfully, AJ, Hinji and Mike showed up and insisted I put my stuff upstairs and grab food with them so off I went.

I grabbed 18000 Tsh, which I (now) realize is a lot, but since I wasn't sure how much money we'd spend on lunch, I'd just bring more than I needed. As we walked down to a local restaurant less than 2 minutes away, PG (an intern living at Guta Apartments) came running up to us, letting us know that two of her roommates had just been mugged/slightly beaten up at knife point. Their money, jewelry, cameras, etc were all stolen. We immediately turned around and headed back to our house. Everyone still being super hungry, we just put our valuables away and brought very little cash with us. The yellow lab then walked our group down to the restaurant. We ordered Chips Maaya, which I think is just french fries and cheese melted together with cucumbers and tomatoes on top. It was actually pretty tasty.

While eating dinner, Eddie and his friend, Evans, came up and sat down with us. Everyone was freaking out because he had just shaved his beard and went from looking like Jesus to a young boy. Eddie was super nice and pretty funny. He demanded that I finish my first Chips Maaya or else risk ending up like "Jimmy," who couldn't find food that tasted good and withered away after refusing to finish his first Chips Maaya. I laughed and finished the meal, though I left most of my beer there (it was double the size of bottles in America).

We came back to the house and everyone decided that they wanted to watch Die Hard. I decided to take a shower (with HOT water :)) and then a quick 20 minute nap. Of course, that turned into a 2 hr nap and everyone is now asleep. Tomorrow at 9am we're going to go to the ICTR to watch one of the defendants in a trial testify. I also hope AJ and I can set everything up to start work next Tuesday (badges, etc). After, we hope to go safari shopping with Mike (or Hinji?) for a short safari. We originally planned ona 6 day safari, but I think doing a 3-4 day one now plus a weekend one later will be fine. Especially for half the price we originally agreed to pay. I also hope that I can get a wireless stick and cell phone tomorrow so I can write home and let everyone know that I'm safe and sound.

Some cool things I learned today:

- In addition to the French classes the UN offers for free, they also have a free shuttle that you can take to/from work and a gym with kickboxing/step aerobic classes for $10 month.

- I chose the right area to intern. Apparently Chambers is good but inconsistent with the amount of substantive work they have to give interns. The prosecution/defense, however, get to work on upcoming trials so it's more like a typical litigation team.

- Apparently the UN runs trips to Rwanda every month and they give away tickets for any empty seats to interns. I *really* hope that we get to go.

- It looks like we may be able to do safari + Kili + Meru + Zanzibar + weekend excursions to nearby countries after all. It will be a lot of money, but I just don't see how I can turn down such amazing experiences. Oh, and speaking of Kili - everyone made it to the top! They were freezing and tired, but they did it so I'm looking forward to taking my picture with the "Congratulations - you made it!" sign up at the summit as well. :-DDD

I think this is the first 24-hr period where I have not spoken to MW at all. It makes me sad. I miss him terribly and wish he could be experiencing all this with me. That being said, I'm glad I'm forced to do this on my own for now. I'm sure that someday we will have our own African adventures, and I will be a much better partner than I can be now.

Good night!

Perfect Timing

Yesterday was epic. My plane to Kili was held for two hours in Addis because so many people on my flight were trying to catch it. Everyone on the Kili flight was told to go upstairs and get on the plane. I was told to stand in a line of people who had missed their flight. I thought something was wrong, asked two different people but was repeatedly told Stand in line. Until I got to the front, where the attendant kindly told me to run upstairs just in time for them to tell me the plane was on the tarmac. Why didn't you come up with everyone else? Why did you take so long? UGH. As if this were my fault. I reluctantly accepted a comped hotel room and two meals at Panorama in Addis. I took a two hour nap, woke up, logged online at the hotel business center and talked to P.

Later, I had dinner with two Americans (Zach and Elizabeth). They work with camps in Ethiopia. Elizabeth was in the Peace Corp for 2 years in Lesotho. She now works as a consultant with Paul Newman's company Hole In the Wall. She was really nice, and I'm glad my night wasn't completely awful. After dinner, I went back downstairs and logged online to chat with MW for awhile more before heading to the room to see if I could get a hot shower and wireless. Unfortunately it was no a go for either. I hope that I get at least semi-warm water tonight.

It's day 2 in Africa and hopefully day 1 in TZ. Haven't been able to get a hold of FM (hah) at the ICTR so I doubt that I'll have transportation from the airport to Arusha. I took a 7 am shuttle to the airport for a 10am flight. I was through security by 7:11am. Wish I had a bit longer at the hotel since they at least had free internet there. It's $5 an hour here. Ugh.

Although MW and I said good night in case I wanted to go to bed, I just couldn't go to sleep without really saying good night. I told him that I really wanted to hear his voice - so he called me! It was far too expensive but (I think and *hope*) that it was worth it for him as much as it was for me. Even after that, I couldn't fall asleep. I just felt so anxious. I worried that my cell phone alarm wouldn't ring, that the front desk would forget to call me (they did) and I'd wind up missing my flight. So.... I'm running on a two hour nap from yesterday afternoon + however much I slept on the plane. I honestly can't tell you how long I was asleep or awake - I'm not sure I even know how long I was on the plane or how long I've been gone. I think it's been less than 24 hours? Sure as hell doesn't feel like it.

Last night/this morning I started to think that maybe travelling isn't my thing. I've just been so nervous and scared about getting mugged, kidnapped, etc. MW said I should go out for dinner but I'm the only white female I've seen so far in Ethiopia so I feel like a prime target. I hope that I feel infinitely better once I get to Arusha, move in and meet all the interns. I hope that traveling alone may not be my thing but traveling with others turns out to be a new favorite pasttime. Not that I have the money for it. Whatever the case, it will definitely determine my future path for better or worse.

Day 1: My First Intercontinental Flight

The last month has probably been the most hectic and stressful one of my life. Well, duh. You did just finish your first year in law school after all is the typical response to my observation. People are right. Law school is stressful. But so was college. And high school. And while first semester was pretty stressful, I overall found it to be a lot easier than I expected based on all the horror stories recounted by those who later went on to be amazing academics and famous attorneys. Granted, I did not get a 4.0 so it should have been harder if I had studied more and more thoroughly. Second semester also entailed an additional class and Moot Court briefs and arguments. Still, given my relative success and decent amount of free time during first semester, I thought that second semester would be essentially the same. I could not have been more wrong.

Looking back, it seems as the semester went from struggling to finish all the reading and briefing for class (not even including outlining) to struggling to finish my outlines and memorization of all the concepts and connections I had yet to solidify throughout the semester for four final exams spread out over three weeks to struggling to finish the 10-page memo and footnote edits for the writing competition (and the "postmark date" fiasco that I cannot even begin to explain right now) to frantically trying to pack everything I needed to fly half way across the world by myself to a place I have never been before and where I know not a soul. There were certainly times in class where I felt like I thoroughly grasped (aspects of) the material and moments in the outlining process where the entire subject finally made sense and the connections alluded to earlier seemed so obvious. Of course, I had no time to appreciate these moments because there was always something else on my mind: getting the right shots and meds at the right time, completing my community service hours, interviews with W students, buying gear for climbing Kili (!) and going on safari in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater, etc etc etc.

Even now that I'm on a plane to Rome (after a 1.5 hr flight to DC and a 2hr delay, which may cause me to miss my connecting flight and force me to stay in Addis Ababa for the night instead of the house I booked in Arusha), it still has yet to sink in for me. How did I get here? How did I get through all that? How did P get through all my yelling/rants/sobbing over HUGE PROBLEMS that turned out to be not such big deals after all? And then set in the momentary mini-panic attacks. What the hell am I doing? Why did I think I could do this by myself? Really? - Africa is the first place you choose to travel abroad. ALONE. But then I focus on something - anything - else. Or, better yet, that this isn't all really happening. As if it were no different than if I were simply going home to Vegas for the summer.

As we close in on Rome (4.5 of 9 hrs to go!), I know that I can't call or text mpenzi wangu (MW)(my love :-D) for advice like I just did in DC when I found out that I might be staying overnight in Ethiopia. But Rome will have wireless so I can still email and IM, right? Apparently so does Bole Airport in Addis Ababa. And there are those internet cafes once I finally make it to Arusha. Ugh. I know I have to expect differences but I keep bouncing back and forth between imagining Arusha as desert with no stores or resources to a city not that different than Boston. We'll see how I feel in a few hours. Or after an actual night's sleep (thanks to Red Line, Monster and coffee I've been running on an average of 4 hrs of sleep for more than a week, getting only an hour "last night" (aka: this morning at 6 am) on the plane from Boston to DC).

Before I left, I told MW how anxious/sad/happy/excited I was to be leaving. He told me to write it down because I'll never feel the same combination of feelings again. It's my first time abroad and my first time in Africa. I am super excited about this. However, just like MW said earlier, we always dreamed that my first time here would be with him. Even thinking about climbing Kili without him seems wrong, incomplete. Yet I know that this is really important for me. I'll grow a lot, learn a lot about who I am and what I can accomplish on my own when no one else is there to help. MW keeps saying he has faith in me and I should too - so, here's to hoping and believing that the next three months will be amazing.