It looks like I am in charge of organizing and hosting the UCICC's annual general meeting. I just found out today. I have three days to figure everything out, from budget requisitioning to catering to minutes to scheduling. After that, we will be traveling north to Karamoja, and I will be out of commission for a full week. The UCICC meeting is two days after I come home.
I guess it's not that bad, except that I have to write and organize a petition to the Parliament of Uganda, first. That part ... yeah. That's going to take time. Petitions out here are published as books. The sample copy of a Kenyan petition that I'm holding in my hand right now is about 40 pages long. And I have to figure out how to distribute this thing, and get the signatures for it. So I broke out in a cold sweat when I heard the news this afternoon. Advocate for the nationalization of the Rome Statute? Me? Well, if you say so.
On the other hand, psh, I can totally handle it! I've already got a five-page document, and I've barely started. It's just surprising, suddenly becoming the point person for a national campaign after having been here for only two weeks. I kind of love it. And I feel much less guilty about not having written memos or opinions, now.
The trip to Karamoja actually gives me more concern. Supposedly we have to arrange a military escort. The soldiers will be there as an extra precaution, but I'm still nervous. There are a lot of cattle raiders in that district, and I don't mean cute cowboys with spangled outfits. I have a friend who got caught in one of those raids, once, and had to duck under her counter while gunfire whizzed overhead. I suppose I'm not in as much danger as my journalist friends who have spent time in Iraq and Jerusalem, but then, I never intended to put myself in a potentially dangerous situation, either. So I'm trying not to think about it. It's funny, because you ask people here if it's safe, and they say "Sure, it's safe!" Then they talk about potential guns and death while I quietly try to slow my heart rate.
Please don't tell Mom until I'm back in Kampala safely. She's already so scared, she can barely speak coherently. Poor Mom. This internship is a lot harder on her than it is on me.
Anyway, I'm going to get back to working. These next two weeks are going to be busy. Do me a favor and send me an e-mail to let me know how you're doing. It feels so good to hear from people in the United States. Like strawberry ice cream on a muggy day in Philadelphia.
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1 comment:
I can't think of anyone better to take on these challenges!
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