Dinner with the girls

My neighbor was staring at us - we returned the favor

Galina!

Hello everyone!

Sorry for the delay in writing - it has been quite the busy time, peppered with periods of no internet access at home. I can't believe how dependent I am on technology that is taken for granted.

This past weekend I was in a witness proofing for several hours, and it was incredibly interesting material covering the run-up to Srebrenica and the shelling campaign in Sarajevo. As I sit at my desk now, working away, I am listening to the witness' testimony and recognizing the aspects we have been attempting to highlight in the Prosecution's case thus far. My stomach is in knots every time the Defense references the Information Report, which was written and submitted by yours truly.

In even more exciting news, my dear dear friend Galina is currently visiting me for a few days! It is just wonderful seeing her again - we met in undergrad, and the last time I saw her was in Boston on a wintry night when I was in the throes of law school stress. We're having a fantastic time catching up and chatting. She wandered through Haarlem yesterday, also visiting the St. Bavo Cathedral which I took photos of, and was lucky enough to hear the organ actually being played (I will have to ensure that takes place when Dad is visiting, one way or another). She is coming for lunch to the Tribunal today, and if the timing is right we will watch my trial taking place from the public gallery.

Photos will follow!

Very cool for PoliSci nerds like me

I checked out the book Waging Modern War by General Wesley Clark from the ICTY library today.

Opened it to the title page...

And found his signature there, in blue ballpoint pen.

He should have signed it "Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, all-around Silver Fox."

"Long live absolute world peace."

I have the day off tomorrow in observation of the United Nations' 2009 International Day of Peace. Especially in light of Justice Goldstone's findings that have been reported on as of late, I hope the day can be observed in some small way.

Visit - http://www.internationaldayofpeace.org/

Quite the day...

I can only laugh.

Here's why.

After a particularly draining day at work, I came home to seek comfort in a warm cozy environment, speak with my Mom on the phone, have some black currant juice, and go to bed early.

Then I heard the strangest dripping noise.

As anyone who knows of my Boston apartment is sure to confirm, I am not really thrilled that my bedroom ceiling is currently dripping water through the light fixture onto my fluffy bed. HOWEVER, I can only laugh at the absurdity of the situation. :)

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UPDATE:
It's already fixed! Two workmen just came running in here at 10:00 at night. Where were these guys in Boston?! Apparently in the land of canals and dams, they take a damn leak very seriously!

Blog invite

Hello all,

Due to some security issues with my personal information that just came up, I have restricted this blog to only the people that received invites. So if you are reading this, that should be you!

Halfway Mark!

Today I am officially halfway done with my internship here in the Hague!

I took a moment to think about what I have learned and accomplished so far, and cannot believe this has all happened in three months. Most of my friends in law school have had moments where they suddenly felt like an attorney, and those moments have happened for me here... especially when I read my own wording in a Prosecution's reply that was filed with the court last week. There are still daily challenges, both intellectually and personally, and I am soaking up all the knowledge that I can.

So to mark this date, I am changing the look of the site again, bundling a scarf against the fall wind that is gusting, and wearing my new pearl earrings that are oh-so-Vermeer.

Friday

Last night I had a really lovely time with a few friends from work, then finished out the night with Paula and two of her friends from the Tribunal. I have loved meeting people here - everyone comes from such varied backgrounds and has such interesting stories. The group of us four girls that ended up together at the end of the night had a phenomenal time laughing and sharing anecdotes about our work.

I came home to the most gorgeous flowers, a thank you from Paula - she is the second person that I have managed to find an apartment for, and I think I have a fall-back career in real estate.

Just a couple more days until I reach the half-way mark in my time here, and then one week after that my amazing friend Galina will be coming from Cambridge for a visit! With so much happening in the next couple months, I think time will continue to fly by.

Surprise!

My parents sent me the most wonderful news this morning - they are surprising me with a visit here in Holland in October! I think it was the photos of the organ that did the trick ;)

For Daddy - Mozart was here

Terrible shot of my mug, but the point of the photo isn't me - the plaque above states that in 1766 Mozart played the Müller organ at the ripe old age of 10. The organ is so grand and so staggeringly gigantic, it boggles the mind that his musical genius was accomplished enough at such a tender age that he was able to master the 5,068 pipes. My father sent me on this trip as his proxy, and I hope my photos have done the organ justice. 

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My Oma always liked to repeat the story of a winter that my family spent in Berlin. One of the mornings, I sat and listened to my dad practice in a church near her home in Tempelhof. 

Later that evening, we attended a Christmas concert at the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis Kirche, something modern and jarring. As we walked out Oma asked me what I thought of the concert. Family lore holds that I pondered the question carefully, then pronounced in German with much authority: 

"My Daddy plays better."

Around Haarlem and the Adriaan windmill

Canal scene

Scale of the Müller organ

Panorama of St. Bavo

St. Bavo Cathedral

Apparently this church is serious about people not peering over the ledge into the choir area?!

The floor of the St. Bavo church consists entirely of gravestones - 1,500 in all

One of the many registers of the dead 

Müller organ - Dad's visit by proxy

Saturday night

I just got home from a lovely dinner with interns in my office followed by an outing to see the newest Harry Potter movie. I spent a very blustery day in Haarlem with Amarys, and will get photos loaded as soon as possible. My computer is still without a new power cord, which is on the way from my wonderful father. Priority mail is really a dazzling thing when Europeans are charged just about double what we Americans pay for Apple items.

More to follow!

Storm

I've referenced the Wizard of Oz once before on here, but now I turn to the venerable flick for an apt description of the storm that is blowing through town right now. My ride home with a friend after work was made more interesting when the wind nearly slammed her into me sideways, while my raincoat ballooned out like a sail. First gear was definitely a workout with steady headwinds of 20 mph and gusts at 40. I'm timing the bolts and rolling thunder, and it's just about time that I yank the plugs out of my computer to be on the safe side of things.

I think this might be what autumn is like here, and in that case, I feel right at home - I miss Oregon.

Uffda

I may have walked under a ladder recently... tonight my MacBook charger died an unceremonious death, which is just the latest thing to break around this place in the last few weeks.

I maintain a good sense of perspective, though, and am happy to report that nothing in my apartment is leaking creaking or squeaking.

Even better, a Finnish intern very sweetly brought me strawberries in my office, which was a fantastic pick-me-up!