And then comes the Rain

I'll backtrack to our first couple of days in Freetown.

The Hostel
We moved into the National Stadium Hostel - a nice 5 story hotel built with the help of the Chinese government. The fire hydrants, the water heater, the toilet and the air conditioner are all Chinese. With Chinese character names and instructions. We've had intermittent electricity at the hostel during the night. So the nights are a bit warm, but enjoyable nonetheless.


The Food
We've found our nightly dinner spot about a quarter of a mile down the road - Mari Nella's. This place serves traditional fare: fish and chips, chicken and chips, egg sandwiches, and beer. We stumbled upon this Lebanese bakery from which the office orders lunch. They have quite possibly the best chicken shawarma sandwiches I've had the pleasure to eat. Finding drip coffee or tea has been next to impossible. For now I make do with instant coffee and coffee-mate.


The Special Court
The compound is heavily fortified with cement walls. It slopes downward (as does much of Freetown). This is truly an international scene. Advocates from all over the globe work here. We also have a UNICEF outpost accross the street, so we see quite a few Europeans when visiting the UNICEF Canteen. Everybody is running around excitedly because opening statements for the first trial are scheduled for tomorrow. Most attorneys are foreigners with local co-counsel managing the development of the cases. One sweet thing is that since Monday night we were told to utilize the UN transport system whenever we wanted. The UN mission (UNAMSIL) has become a part of the city.


Thus far, I have attended a couple of rulings on motions at the smaller chamber housed within the detention center. The second ruling we attended concerned Charles Taylor's status of immunity as head of state (the Court declined to grant him immunity). We will all definitely attend the opening statements tomorrow. Apparently everybody has to procure tickets for the event. The first phase of the first trial is scheduled to last at least 4 months.

Today two of us tagged along on an outreach presentation - the Special Court is really pushing to make the trials a national event and I am sure it will be the news for the next month or so. I am thrilled to witness a pronounced level of interest in understanding the legal process - especially a unique application of international criminal law such as the Special Court.


Oh yeah, the Rain
It finally started to rain last night. Heavy and healing. People look forward to the cleansing power of the rain. It was awesome to get a break from the heat as well. I stayed awake thinking of you last night. Missing how you feel next to me. I miss your laughter. It was definitely noticeable to the group how much I missed you because they asked if I had emailed you yesterday. Anyhow, I must go for now. I love you. xoxoxoxoxoxoxo sleep tight