Is not the fancy lastname@un.org email address (which is pretty cool, I have to say), but the posters hung up by the bulletin boards and water coolers (which were infected by some random bacteria, to complement the asbestos):
"What You Don't Know Could Get You Kidnapped or Killed."
Amazing.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Some of my New Favorite People
Me and ALLISON!!!
Clockwise from top left: Jerome, Janusz, Sandra's brother, Gustavo, Sandra, Filippo, Melodie
Filippo, Janusz, Sergi, Gustavo
Clockwise from top left: Allison, Marleis, Maria, Melodie, Me, Filippo
Filippo and Sergi
Melodie and SandraLike Sands Through the Hour Glass
(Don't worry, I'll spare you the soap opera flash-back rant)
But really, that's how I'm feeling at the moment. Time here is completely sped up and intensified to the extent that each day feels like a week, and each week a month. New friendships spring up and in a matter of a few hours or one night you feel like you've met your new best friend... Normally this might be worrisome, but we are ALL operating on the same crazy extreme time-space continuum... making it somehow all very secure feeling.
Perhaps this won't make sense to everyone, but I have really been thinking about this a lot in the past few days. A friend left for Paris on Friday night, and was afraid everything would be different when he gets back next Sunday. He's been here 9 months, so I trust he knows what he's talking about... everything can change in just a week, and it's true. Last Monday I was in a completely different place that where I am now, and I know that in a few days this will change as well. In the one breath, I am talking with brilliant people about genocide and international politics, and in the next, am planning a trip to Rome or the weekend's big meal...
It's exhausting (am actually at home sick today, my body is rejecting certain aspects of this life) but exhilerating at the same time. Really, to sum it all up, incredible.
Thought for Today: It's all about the silver lining.
But really, that's how I'm feeling at the moment. Time here is completely sped up and intensified to the extent that each day feels like a week, and each week a month. New friendships spring up and in a matter of a few hours or one night you feel like you've met your new best friend... Normally this might be worrisome, but we are ALL operating on the same crazy extreme time-space continuum... making it somehow all very secure feeling.
Perhaps this won't make sense to everyone, but I have really been thinking about this a lot in the past few days. A friend left for Paris on Friday night, and was afraid everything would be different when he gets back next Sunday. He's been here 9 months, so I trust he knows what he's talking about... everything can change in just a week, and it's true. Last Monday I was in a completely different place that where I am now, and I know that in a few days this will change as well. In the one breath, I am talking with brilliant people about genocide and international politics, and in the next, am planning a trip to Rome or the weekend's big meal...
It's exhausting (am actually at home sick today, my body is rejecting certain aspects of this life) but exhilerating at the same time. Really, to sum it all up, incredible.
Thought for Today: It's all about the silver lining.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Dawning of the Age of Aquarius
Our (2nd) Favorite Meglomaniac Celebrates his 65th Birthday
Get out your red shirts people, it's time to party!!!
Get out your red shirts people, it's time to party!!!
Monday, February 19, 2007
...pause...
Reading today about "a loader, an excavator, and a dump truck" that were ordered to dig mass graves.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Almost Almost 30...
As I began the first full day of my 27th year, I had the same early morning thoughts that are becoming frighteningly frequent - should have said no to that last drink, cigarette, dance, bar, cookie... you name it, I was pretty much done with it. But, as the daze of the previous night's festivities began to wear off, I was struck by the absolutely amazing opportunities I've had over the past 27 years.
Perhaps I should explain with slightly more context - I meet someone new at least 3 times a day. In the process of throwing myself into this crazy, intense and wildly exciting expat-intern life, you hear yourself talking about your life as though it were perfectly normal, and seeing the reaction of your new friends helps contextualize things a bit.
Here are a few of my favorites:
Perhaps I should explain with slightly more context - I meet someone new at least 3 times a day. In the process of throwing myself into this crazy, intense and wildly exciting expat-intern life, you hear yourself talking about your life as though it were perfectly normal, and seeing the reaction of your new friends helps contextualize things a bit.
Here are a few of my favorites:
- "Oh totally... Mormons are wierd... yeah I know, I am one... well, a reorganized one anyway..."
- "Well we wanted to go to the rodeo after my mom's wedding at the Howard Johnson, but we couldn't get tickets, so we went to the casino instead..."
- "In California we use the word "biernted" to describe this sensation."
- "Then as we were leaving the temple, I threw the sandwhich at the monkey before he attacked me."
- "This one time back on the farm..." (a particular favorite)
And a few other things I am especially thankful to be able to tell people about:
Seeing Ban Ki Moon, the new Secretary-General of the UN: (props if you can find me in this picture)
Swimming with one of these
Meeting beautiful and inspirational women in the most unexpected places
Swimming with sharks here 
Coming from a family of amazingly strong and slightly crazy women with beautiful feet
Travelling to the ends of the earth and back with people I love intensely
Cassiopia, my level 42 Night Elf Druid (don't really talk about her much, surprisingly, but think about her ALL THE TIME)
Getting "Goosed!"
I guess I'm just saying that I've had a good run thus far, and I'm excited about what's to come...
Monday, February 5, 2007
Normalizing
I've been here now almost a month. In my fourth week of work I have some real assignments, some real friends and colleagues, and am getting very real enjoyment out of being a part of the ICTY community of lawyers. Attended a lecture last week on "The Principle of Humanity" presented by lawyers who have been working in the field over 40 years. Very exciting stuff!
It hasn't taken me long to adopt the role as "the hostess with the mostess," and have already had 1 movie night and 1 dinner night, with more in the planning stages. I've found out where the "Chinatown" is, and where the Turkish market is, but have yet to find a Saturday free to visit. Perhaps this weekend... and then will come the real dinner nights...
And herein lies the problem - this Friday night is shaping up to be my first venture of of Den Haag and into the crazy wilderness of Amsterdam. A good friend from Argentina is going to be visiting, and a bunch of kids from work have all expressed interest in tagging along for the ride. So suddenly, Saturday morning food shopping trips are seeming less and less likely.
Normally it wouldn't be a problem to loose a day of the weekend, but one thing that has certainly taken some getting used to is the commercial schedule of this country. EVERYTHING closes by 6, every night of the week except Thursdays. The only exception to this is the grocery store, which closes at 8. So if you get out of work at 5:30 or 5:45, there is time to run about 1 errand before everything closes down. Furthermore, except the clothing stores in the center, everything is closed on Sundays as well. Basically, all shopping must be done on Saturdays. Saturday mornings preferably, as the market closes around 3. And since the last two Friday nights have ended around 6 on saturday morning, you see why this can be a problem.
But as it's the only problem so far, and is a minor one at that, I'm not that upset about it.
People probably have been wondering if the paucity of blogs and emails lately has come as the result of an unfortunate biking accident. Not true! I am very happy to report that the biking goes well. I now can't stand to be without it for more than a day, and my good friend finally got hers as well, so soon we will be non-stop biking machines. Hip Hip...
It hasn't taken me long to adopt the role as "the hostess with the mostess," and have already had 1 movie night and 1 dinner night, with more in the planning stages. I've found out where the "Chinatown" is, and where the Turkish market is, but have yet to find a Saturday free to visit. Perhaps this weekend... and then will come the real dinner nights...
And herein lies the problem - this Friday night is shaping up to be my first venture of of Den Haag and into the crazy wilderness of Amsterdam. A good friend from Argentina is going to be visiting, and a bunch of kids from work have all expressed interest in tagging along for the ride. So suddenly, Saturday morning food shopping trips are seeming less and less likely.
Normally it wouldn't be a problem to loose a day of the weekend, but one thing that has certainly taken some getting used to is the commercial schedule of this country. EVERYTHING closes by 6, every night of the week except Thursdays. The only exception to this is the grocery store, which closes at 8. So if you get out of work at 5:30 or 5:45, there is time to run about 1 errand before everything closes down. Furthermore, except the clothing stores in the center, everything is closed on Sundays as well. Basically, all shopping must be done on Saturdays. Saturday mornings preferably, as the market closes around 3. And since the last two Friday nights have ended around 6 on saturday morning, you see why this can be a problem.
But as it's the only problem so far, and is a minor one at that, I'm not that upset about it.
People probably have been wondering if the paucity of blogs and emails lately has come as the result of an unfortunate biking accident. Not true! I am very happy to report that the biking goes well. I now can't stand to be without it for more than a day, and my good friend finally got hers as well, so soon we will be non-stop biking machines. Hip Hip...
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