The grand introduction...

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Hello one and all,

Since embarking on my little trip a few weeks ago I have been beset on all sides by hordes of you clammering for some news and the odd photo to prove that I’m not actually hiding out in one of the more attractive ghettos of Nottingham or filling my time before starting in ‘the real world’ by propping up a bar somewhere in Blighty.

So here it is. Welcome to yet another blog page devoted to some smug git waxing lyrical about what a splendid time he’s having while most of you are braving the British winter. With a bit of luck this will temper my urges to fill up your inboxes with ridiculous mass emails, inevitably longer than the ending to Lord of the Rings and as likely to be read as an albino in a snow storm. I can hear you groaning already. Yes, have no fear, the rest of this travel diary will be equally as torturous and self-involved.

Feel free to dip in from time to time if you like or - more likely - kick back and revel in the fact that this little beauty can have a life of its own leaving you completely at liberty to kick back and enjoy my absence, unpestered.

So here’s the plan:

From September till the middle of December I am working as an intern at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). The Tribunal is based in Arusha, Tanzania, and was created at the end of 1994 to investigate and prosecute those chiefly responsible for the genocide and horrendous violations of international law which tore Rwanda apart the same year when, in the space of just 100 days, an estimated 800,000+ Rwandans - nearly all Tutsi - were killed. I flew out knowing a little bit about the history and the Tribunal but very little about what I’d be doing once I got here. The official acceptance letter said my assignment would be with the Chambers Support Section and that my private insurance must cover emergency medical evacuation. It seemed I would figure the rest out when I landed…

All being well, I will be in Africa for five months. My plans are best described as flexible but since I’ll definitely be in Arusha, working my little socks off, till the middle of December there’s no real hurry. This is Africa after all.

Have a great end to the year, stay in touch and I guess I’ll see you in 2008.

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