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.