Little updates

Storks
I found out the name of that bird I keep rattling on about! It's the Marabou stork. They are these big gray and white birds that almost look like vultures, and when they launch themselves into the sky they're like aeroplanes taking off.


Are you lost?
People keep asking me that question. It had me very confused. Was there a reason? Am I too soft-spoken? Do I look confused?

Finally I figured out what the question means. I'm not doing anything wrong, and fortunately I don't look as lost as I feel. It's just the local way of saying "hey, where the heck have you been? We missed you."

Like shaking hands, there are a million little things I didn't know, here. For example, the currency sign for shillings is /-. Dialing out of the office involves calling the secretary, giving her the phone number, then hanging up and waiting for the ring to reconnect you. And names are different -- everyone has a Christian name and an African name. Evidently it doesn't matter what order you list them in, or which name gets the honorific (although it is most frequently associated with the African name). So my boss, for example, is Onyango John Francis or John or Francis or Onyango or John Francis Onyango or Mr. Onyango or Mr. Francis or ...

As for handshakes, there are two distinct methods. You can do the firm European grip for business associates, but there's also a shake for friends. First you pump once Euro-style, then you flip your hand upward and grasp, then you flip back down and clasp hands one last time. If you're very fond of the person, you hold hands for a moment after that while you're talking, as if you've just forgotten to let go. The first time someone shook my hand that way, I was afraid it was going to turn into some sort of arcane system of shaking, like in the U.S. where you might rap knuckles, pound fists, slap palms or whatever. But this is actually pretty straightforward and standard, by comparison. Also, more sweetly affectionate -- or maybe I'm just romanticizing things.



Current events
A lot has been going on at the ICC and in Uganda.

• Yesterday, Juba peace negotiations between the government of Uganda and the LRA came to a halt again, because eight of the LRA's twelve negotiators resigned over arguments with Kony.


• Two days ago, Thomas Lubango Dyilo's trial was temporarily stayed because the prosecutor refused to release potentially exculpatory documents. It will be interesting to see what happens to the DRC general allegedly responsible for a campaign of cannibalism.


• On May 23, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for DRC general Jean-Pierre Bemba, accused of crimes against humanity in the Central African Republic. Bemba was in Belgium seeking refuge. One day after the arrest warrant was issued, in compliance with its obligations under the Rome Statute, Belgium turned Bemba over to the Hague. It is a rare instance of the ICC interacting effectively with the international community.


• In Zimbabwe, Mugabe won elections that many people are claiming is unfair. The U.S. declined to recognize him as president, and Mugabe, like much of his party, has come into criticism by much of the international community.

Travel
I leave for Moroto in the Karamoja region Sunday at some insane hour, like 5 a.m. We're stopping in Mbale to pick up our focal point person, and I will be the only woman in the car with five other men. Am trying not to think about it. Just focusing on Karamoja, and how beautiful it will be, and how excited I am to see the people and browse the art and enjoy a few days out of Kampala. I've been here a month, now. It is actually starting to feel more like home. Sort of.