Legal Resources Centre, Accra, Ghana

Looking back at my summer internship in Accra, I can now confidently confirm that my first experience in a Ghanaian district court in June was a prototype of the Judicial and Legal system here. Keep in mind, Ghana has been a democracy for over fifty years now and is one of the most developed countries in Africa in 2010.

In a legal aid case, my supervisor and I were representing a client who had been renting a taxi cab and paying back the owner the debt in monthly installments with his profits from collecting fees from passengers. After putting in a significant amount of time researching Ghanaian Contract law of a Conditional Sale agreement and the Hire Purchase Act, we prepared a strong argument for the defendant.

Our case was scheduled for 9 am in early June. With my New York habits still freshly ingrained, I arrived at Court at 8:45 am but was not shocked when my Supervisor arrived closer to 9:30 (by then I had been gradually assimilating to what we called GST-Ghanaian standard time. In short, we soon learned that 5 minutes meant 10, 10 minutes meant 30, 30 minutes meant 1 hour and 1 hour meant it was not happening today). Although the Judge called our case at 9, the plaintiff’s lawyer was present and requested the case be stayed until 10am to which the judge agreed.

At 10am, the case was called again. This time, however, our client was not present. When the judge inquired as to his whereabouts, my supervisor responded “my client says he is here.” The court room was small and there couldn’t have been more than 20 people in total present. After scanning the room again, everyone looked back at my supervisor and then to the judge. Naturally, the judge asked again where our client was. I couldn’t believe that again my supervisor responded that our client said he was present. Clearly he wasn’t present in this courtroom! As cell phones are not permitted in Ghanaian courts, my supervisor left the room to call him. When she returned, she had no further information and continued to repeat that the client said he was here. This conversation continued in circles for almost 5 minutes before the judge adjourned the case until July 29^th, 2010. When we left the room, my supervisor didn’t mention anything. When I asked about the situation and where our client really was, she responded that she did not know and he would contact her eventually. I couldn’t believe we put all this effort into this case and she was so complacent about contacting and finding our client, until I realized this is a common situation in Ghana. Due to judicial corruption and inefficiency, Ghanaian citizens often lose interest in settling cases through the legal system and look to other means to solve their problems or quite commonly dismiss them altogether.

This story is a good introduction to understand the basis of one of our major projects during the second half of the summer called the Judicial Vacation report. This report captured the essence of certain judicial inefficiencies and reasons for backlog and distrust in the legal and judicial system. These efficiencies often encourage citizens to solve legal issues on their own to avoid getting caught in the maladies of the Ghanaian judicial system.

Ghana has approximately a two month judicial vacation that begins in early August and ends in early October. Cases heard in the middle and end of July are often adjourned by judges until mid or late October due to the substantial vacation period and lack of necessary judicial officers on duty during the time period. Substantial delays in the administration of justice, however, create incentives to avoid the judicial system altogether or instead leads to bribery and patronage for special privileges from officers who may aid efficiency of the process.

The interns spent weekday mornings in the high courts, human rights courts and fast track courts taking copious notes about each case on that court’s docket. Our compiled information proved that many cases were unnecessarily adjourned until October or even early November, which effectively resulted in human rights abuses in many criminal cases for defendants that were detained. Inefficient or weak judiciaries result in inconsistent application of laws, arbitrary of excessively lengthy detentions, and the deterioration of individual and personal property rights.

Although there were definitely many major issues with the Ghanaian Judicial system, I did have many positive experiences with other projects at the LRC. One particular project inspired confidence and motivation in the Ghanaian legal system and international human rights law. Working with the Touch a Life Foundation and the Village of Love manager and director, I gained much exposure to client interviewing and learned a lot of about human trafficking developments and efforts to protect victims from child slavery on Lake Volta. I believe that with my interview efforts and data collected from the directors and managers, I can turn my findings into an academic paper with substantial continued researched at my University and contact with the Village of Love and LRC in the coming future months.

Central American Legal Assistance in Brooklyn, New York

In New York City, notarios are almost on every corner claiming to provide competent legal services. Many Latinos desperate to obtain status in the United States go to these people in hopes of becoming Legal Permanent Residents or citizens. But, since many notarios know little to nothing about immigration law, they take people’s money and disappear, leaving many in removal proceedings. Sadly, many people come into the office after the damage is done and there is little we can do but tell them how they can proceed.

The Central American Legal Assistance (C.A.L.A.) founded in 1985 has been a place where people seek sound legal advice. They trust that we understand their country conditions and experience. Aside from doing walk-in consultations everyday, the organization specializes in asylum, NACARA, Temporary Protected Status applications and other forms for humanitarian relief that is available for Central and South Americans.

Central American Legal Assistance, located in the basement of a church.

Everyday at the office, we saw people who fled Latin America because of violence and persecution. Many children who merely wanted to reunite with their family were caught at the border and placed in removal proceedings. Due to the harsh immigration laws, more and more people are being detained and because of bad case law many people’s viable asylum claims are denied. One big issue that I saw this summer was young persons fleeing Central America because of the gangs or maras. The maras are powerful and merciless; they control territory, collect taxes and kill. The Board of Immigration Appeals held that young people who refuse to be recruited are not a social group and therefore do not fall under one of the five protected grounds to grant asylum (race, religion, nationality, political opinion and social group). Such a holding leaves many children and adolescents unprotected with the risk of death or torture if they are forced to return to their home country.

For instance, in Honduras, 15 year-old Luis went to school by bicycle forty- five minutes away from his home. On his way he encountered mareros who asked him time and time again to join their gang. He refused every time. But on one occasion they were fed up, they hit him in the head with a gun and left him unconscious on the road. He later woke up in the hospital with a concussion. His parents could do little because their local police station was an hour away and typically police officers dissuade you from making complaints against the mareros because it is more dangerous to do so. The maras see a complaint as an act of defiance against them and seek revenge. Luis’ parents knew that they could not protect him and therefore they sent him alone to the United States with a coyote. He came to the United States and went to his asylum interview but the asylum officer did not grant him asylum but rather referred his case to immigration court. Therefore, Luis has another opportunity to win asylum in court, but as I noted, because our case law is so bad—he would unlikely win asylum in court. Although, Luis is lucky he has another avenue to stay lawfully in the United States—a Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) visa. But since he lives in upstate New York no organization took his case. Although C.A.L.A. has little resources as it is, they took his case. Luis is now in a distinct path to lawful status, because the case law in the United States on asylum is not expansive enough to include such young people who are courageous enough to say ‘no’ even if by doing so their life is in danger. At C.A.L.A. time and time again I saw people with similar stories to that of Luis but others are not so lucky. They face deportation back to the country where they are left unprotected, many without their parents and where their future is uncertain.

Another troubling aspect of deportation defense is the lack of resources for organizations to do this type of work. C.A.L.A is one of the few organizations that provide direct legal representation to people in removal proceedings. It has been tough but a great learning experience working at C.A.L.A. this summer.

In Sucumbios (Ecuador)

I have spent 2 days in this Ecuadorian province. We visited some polluted areas. I think, pictures explain everything!

Quito

My lecture was successful. I've spent this week going to the office and working with some of the lawyers and voluntaries (nice people!)

(second pic- office's library, firts pic-celebrating the secretary's birthday)

Summer's End

להתראות, ישראל!
(translation: see you later, Israel!)

My summer at the Hotline for Migrant Workers in Tel Aviv has come to an end, and I am back in New York after two and a half months away. It's nice to be home but I miss Israel so much. My last few days were a whirlwind of activity – the office was still packed every day with migrant workers applying for naturalization for their children from the moment we opened our doors until the last volunteer left. We had crayons and clay and children's books scattered all over the room, and it was slightly hard to focus on our work with the sound of babies crying and children yelling and running around. What was most interesting for me was that no matter what country their parents were from – the Philippines, Ecuador, Nigeria, etc – all the children played in Hebrew. One of the requirements for achieving citizenship was that they attend public school, so these kids are used to making friends and playing games in a language that many of their parents don't know.

My last project in the prison was working with a Somalian man named Akiba (who, at only 20, seemed even younger than his age) who was trying to apply for asylum in Australia. I mentioned him in one of my last posts. Anyway, the process was complicated by the fact that the application required 8 passport photos and he did not even have one, and we weren't allowed to bring cameras into the prison. Eventually, by waiting until the most helpful guard was on duty and then asking him for a printed copy of the photo that they had on file of Akiba, I was able to take the photo out of the prison and make copies on photo paper, which hopefully were professional enough for the Australian government. We spent a few afternoons together carefully filling out the application, and Akiba's last request of me before I left Israel was to ask whether I could make him an email address.

“Sure,” I said, “It's actually very easy. What name do you want?”

He asked me to make him an account with the user name “2pac no die.” Turns out Tupac Shakur is huge in Somalia – who knew? We're keeping in touch now through his new email account, and he signs all of his emails as 2pac Akiba.

I'm definitely missing many of the people I met in Israel, both from the detention center and outside. I even miss the language, though I spent the whole summer struggling with it. Between the staff and volunteers at the Hotline and the friends I made and strengthened in Israel, the summer was never boring and I had an amazing time. I'm so glad I went. I learned so much from some incredible people, and I couldn't have imagined a better way to spend my summer. Thanks so much to the Leitner center and to Jim Leitner for allowing us the opportunity to do this work!




Left: Learning to make Eritrean bread (Injera) from Eritrean refugees who opened a restaurant near the Tel Aviv bus station.










Right: Lafa-bread bakers in the Old City of Jerusalem near the Damascus Gate.

Sydney, HIV/AIDS Legal Centre

Well, that was a quick summer.

I spent ten weeks of it in Sydney, volunteering at the HIV/AIDS Legal Centre (hereinafter “HALC).

HALC is located in Surry Hills, just minutes away from the Central Business District. The solicitors at HALC take on almost every legal matter that pertains to HIV, either because the person with a legal issue has HIV or because that issue is inherently HIV-related, like disclosure or discrimination. Since HIV disproportionately affects the gay population, HALC acts as a resource for those with legal issues related to homosexuality as well. Some of the cases I was able to work on were protection visas, workplace discrimination, disclosure, tenancy issues, wills, and superannuation and/or disability claims.

The work I found most interesting was helping people process protection visas as a refugee. The Australian government, among many others, grants permanent residency to persons they consider to be refugees if they are outside their country and are unable to return due to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion. Persons with HIV and/or are gay may fit into “membership of a particular social group.” I worked on one such case - a gay man was legitimately afraid of being killed by his family if he were to return to his home country after he was “outed” in Australia by a family friend.

I also helped out in a few employment discrimination cases, in which the employee was discriminated against by being passed over for promotions, treated horribly, and in some instances, fired, because of their HIV status. HIV is considered a disability, and it is unlawful in Australia to discriminate against those with disabilities in the workplace, in the educational system, in providing goods and services, etc. If an initial complaint to the employer is unresolved, HALC helps those in need file and process a formal complaint with the Anti-Discrimination Board and represents them during the hearings, and through an appeal if need be.

I was also fortunate enough to help in a number of other matters. These issues include tenancy disputes of all kinds, from contesting rental arrears to neighbor harassment to interpreting rental building by-laws. I helped to draft wills, enduring guardianships, and power of attorney forms, as then witnessed their executions. I helped relay advice from the solicitors to clients on whether or not disclosing their HIV status was mandatory in regards to insurance, employment, or immigration applications.

One of the laws in Australia that I found really interesting, but was not able to personally work with cases on, is the law against the vilification of persons with HIV or AIDS. It is illegal for anyone to publicly humiliate or incite hatred towards a person because they have HIV or AIDS (even if they are not actually positive). This was a very new concept for me – hopefully the United States adopts a similar stance soon.

Besides being able to become very involved in the cases, the best part about HALC was the people I worked with. Everyone there was happy to be there and did everything they could to make sure their client got the best representation possible. They were passionate about helping people with HIV, promoting HIV awareness, and encouraging positive policy changes. This was very inspiring.

When I was not volunteering at HALC, I kept myself busy doing touristy things. I saw attractions like the famous Opera House, the Royal Botanical Gardens, “the Gap” – famous for suicide jumpers, Bondi Beach and the Coastal Walk down to Coogee Beach, the nearby Blue Mountains, and I even managed a weekend in Cairns to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef. I also experienced quite a lot of the shopping, eating, and nightlife in Sydney.

It was a summer (Sydney winter!) well spent.

So long Kathmandu

It is almost time to leave Kathmandu and it has been a wonderful trip. I’ve worked on a couple very interesting projects, met many lovely people, sped around on motorbikes to observe judicial proceedings about town, rode elephants, even drove an elephant, made friends with some stray dogs who became my loyal protectors, fell for a pretty cow named Beula, got attacked and run off the road by a bull, the neighborhood punk, almost lost a leg to a spider bite, and nearly lost my life about a million times in the everyday terror of traffic on the road. I’ve developed a love/hate relationship with Kathmandu and though I can’t wait to go home, I’m already making plans to return after taking the bar. Though I can't be more specific about the place I've been working, they have been wonderful.

One of the projects I’ve worked on is a report on fair trials in Nepal. The recent HRC decision on case of the alleged “Bikini Killer” basically sums up how ridiculously unfair the judicial system is in Nepal. From the very beginning a suspect is denied any legal protection. Multiple hearings take place before a single judge simultaneously. Corruption, bribery, torture, and other abuses of power are rampant. Many years pass while a defendant awaits an appeal. Nepal deviates from international law in almost all aspects of its legal system. It will be interesting to see the contrast between the U.S. and Nepali criminal justice systems in the coming months and years, and to see how closely the U.S. criminal justice system complies with international law.

The other project I’ve worked on is a guide for child rights activists for how they can advocate for the representation of child rights and facilitate the involvement of children in the transitional justice process. This has involved extensive research into children’s participation in transitional justice processes around the world and interviews with various NGOs about what kind of work they are doing now, and how different NGOs can coordinate thier efforts to ensure that children’s stories are told and that thier interests are accounted for in the truth commission, reparations, and institutional reforms.

I am very grateful to have had this opportunity. I have learned an enormous amount in a very short period of time, made wonderful friends, and couldn’t have asked for a better summer after the first year of law school. Thank you to Jim Leitner and everyone at the Leitner Center for making it possible.

Lecture in Quito

I've been invited to give a lecture in Quito, regarding international investment arbitration from an U. S. perspective. The Ecuadorian Society of Arbitration and the Ecuadorian Chamber of Commerce are organizing the event.

I'm a bit stressed preparing the lecture, but... it will work!!

I'm already in Ecuador. The flight was long and the "soroche" (acute mountain sickness) was a bit difficult at the beginning, but now I'm feeling great.

The previous weeks have been very busy, working for the internship with lawyers in NY and Washington. This weekend, I'm preparing my work for the next days in Ecuador.

Center for Reproductive Rights

How the time flies! It is nearly impossible to believe that my time at the Center for Reproductive Rights has already come to a close. The ten weeks I spent working at the Center were absolutely invaluable, as I learned an unimaginable amount about a range of issues relating to reproductive rights and, more generally, international human rights.

The Center for Reproductive Rights’ summer program is organized with the goal of introducing interns to an array of issues. As an intern in the international legal division, I had the opportunity to work on projects addressing issues such as the importance of safe abortion, government accountability in relation to maternal mortality, and access to post-abortion care. I was also able to partake in projects in different regions throughout the world, although I am especially grateful that I was able to put my Spanish skills to work for numerous projects addressing issues in Latin America. Furthermore, I have been able to really delve into the international jurisprudence both at the United Nations level and within the Inter-American legal system.

One day this summer, all of the interns in the international legal program had the great pleasure of spending the day at the UN, watching a meeting between the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the government of Turkey. These meetings serve as a forum for the Committee to determine which parts of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women are being abided by, and which parts of the treaty the government needs to put forth more effort to implement. Generally, NGOs submit “shadow letters” to the different treaty monitoring bodies with information about potential human rights violations that the government may have neglected to inform the Committee about. Having spent a portion of my summer working tirelessly on a shadow letter, it was really meaningful for me to be able to see how these letters are used in practice. It was so interesting to be able to watch as international human rights law unfolded before our eyes. Observing as the members of the Committee inquired into the laws and practices of the Turkish government was truly a remarkable experience. I greatly look forward to reading the Committee’s Concluding Observations when they are issued.

The Center also had a series of weekly brown-bag lunches, wherein a staff member would discuss an issue related to reproductive rights. Each week someone from either the domestic or international legal program would host the lunch, which allowed interns from both departments to be exposed to issues that we may not have a chance to work on this summer. These lunches were extremely intriguing, and piqued my interest into areas that I never thought of exploring before. My favorite brown bag lunch discussed sexual abuse of Native American women on reservations, which delved into the different laws on reservations, the protections that are in place and how the current system is failing to protect women.

I, of course, cannot forget to mention how wonderful New York City is in the summer! Despite the suffocating heat wave, it is so amazing to be here when school is not in session and I actually have some free time to take advantage of all that New York has to offer – Broadway plays, museums, concerts, outdoor movies… I could go on forever! This summer has been absolutely wonderful, and I am so glad that I had the wonderful opportunity to spend it here in New York City at the Center for Reproductive Rights!

HIV/AIDS Legal Centre (HALC)- Sydney, Australia

Since its my 2nd year at HALC, I thought it would be interesting to focus in a more specific area of law at the center for my blog post, Refugees. Since fellow Leitner Intern Kelly Starcevich has been writing about refugees in New Zealand, hopefully my post will show a little contrast between Aus and NZ since they are often times grouped together.

Currently the topic of Refugees and Immigration are big topics in Australia. An election has been called by Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Aug 21. Australia has constantly wrestled with the topic of immigration from its early days as it is a very large country with a very small population. Illegal immigrants or ‘boat people' as they are often called in Australia are a major topic in current election campaign.


The view of Sydney from "The Gap", the entrance to Sydney Harbor.

Previously, Australia had what was called the "Pacific Solution" under Prime Minister John Howard during the 90's and early 00's. Under this scheme, all illegal immigrants stopped in their boats before reaching Australia were sent to a detention center on the small island nation of Nauru.

In 2007, under Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, the detention center on Nauru was closed due to complaints over bad conditions and the fact that Nauru was not a signer of the UN Refugee Convention. Instead Rudd sent detained immigrants to Christmas Island which is owned by Australia for processing.

The main reason for using these offshore processing centers for refugees is that Australia has two types of protection visas, an onshore and offshore one. The onshore protection visa is far easier to satisfy.

With a new Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and an election approaching, debate has intensified over what to do about refugees. Both parties have pushed to the right and want to look tough on asylum seekers. The Labor Party under Prime Minister Julia Gillard wants to set up new processing center on East Timor and calls for a ‘sustainable Australia'. Meanwhile the Liberal/National Coalition Party (which is actually more right-leaning) under Tony Abbott wants to reopen the center on Nauru and dramatically lower the number of immigrants to Australia by 'turning the boats around'.

Explore the map below to see exactly where Nauru, East Timor, and Christmas Island are located:

View Boat People in a larger map


A clip from the morning television show Sunrise contrasting the immigration policies of Gillard and Abbot.

During my time at HALC this year, I was able to work on several protection visa applications for asylum seekers who were lucky enough to make it to Australia on a tourist visa and can now apply for an onshore protection visa. Generally, to satisfy the criteria for protection (Please see the UN definition of a Refugee), one needs to show that they belong to an identifiable social group and that they have a very real fear of persecution. This persecution should be at the hands of government but if the government fails to protect the group from societal persecution this persecution can often times be attributed to the government to satisfy the criteria of being a refugee.

At HALC most of our applications for protection are based on sexual orientation or HIV. Specific to HIV protection claims in refugee cases, we would argue that HIV+ people are an identifiable social group of people. We would then have to show that failure to provide proper medical care by government amounts to persecution of people living with HIV. Also many times we are able to show that the government fails to prevent persecution from society, and then argue that it should be attributed to government.


Volunteers at HALC attended Bingay, a weekly fundraiser by ACON (AIDS Council of New South Wales, a major funder of HALC) with crazy antics, risque prizes and hosted by a Drag Queen.

Some real world examples of the 'persecution' we argue involve the different types of HIV meds provided by the country. Sometimes people do not respond to the first set of antiretroviral medications or they begin to respond less to the meds over time and require stronger second line treatment for HIV as the virus becomes drug resistant. Unfortunately second line treatments are still very expensive and rarely available or subsidized in the developing world. Many times protection claims can be asserted if the home country of the refugee cannot provide this medication and the refugee requires it.

Other times, the government may fail to adequately educate the populace to prevent HIV or dispel myths about the virus. In some developing countries which I researched this summer, government officials recommended that HIV+ people not fall in love or have children to stop the spread of the virus. At the same time, these governments did little to educate regarding unprotected sex and sharing needles, two of the top modes of transmission of HIV. Often times these countries did little to eradicate the myth that HIV could be spread through air or touching leading to pervasive discrimination and persecution which often strengthened a refugee’s claim for protection.


The 12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. Just a part of Australia's amazing coastline.

Additional HIV protection claims are often strengthen when adherence is considered. Adherence refers to a patient following dosing instructions from their physician exactly as prescribed. This is particularly important in regards to HIV. If doses are skipped or even late, the virus is able to mutate and become drug resistant faster when the proper levels of medication are not maintained. Physicians recommend that people living with HIV maintain at least 90% adherence. This is particularly difficult because certain medications may need to be taken every 8 hours which would require a patient to set their alarm to wake up in the middle of the night for their dose. In many of the developing countries I researched, proper medical care for HIV was often in far away, more developed areas of their home country which would make adherence even more difficult if they were forced to return home.

Returning to HALC this summer, I was able to see the results of several protection visa applications I worked on last summer. One application was success and granted on the first hearing allowing this client to stay in Australia indefinitely. Another client unfortunately had appealed their denied application and had exhausted all appeals and was forced to leave the country. While disappointing, I try to focus on the success I’ve had while at HALC and know that I put forth my best effort when things don’t turn out right.

Overall, I’ve had another great summer at HALC and have learned even more than last year. Thanks to HALC for providing me with fantastic and rewarding legal work and the Leitner Center for making this opportunity possible.


Proof that the US is not the only country where politicians abuse colloquialisms for votes, this clip highlights the humorous use of Aussie slang 'fair dinkum' when discussing 'the boats' in the election debate. (Fair dinkum means true or genuine)

Retrospect

My summer in Nicaragua has just come to an end. Ten weeks go by faster than the mind can imagine. I arrived yesterday evening to LAX to news that my stepfather died of a heart attack literally an hour before I landed. It’s funny how I could spend a summer away trying to help those so far removed from my immediate life and yet neglect those who surround me daily. To say the least, this summer was an eye-opener. While I accomplished many things, I can never forget that sometimes, the help we do for others is never enough and that no matter how much I desire to help those in desperate need, I can’t forget about those dearest to me.

Looking back on my time in Nicaragua, the small villages where I spent many a night, the impoverished communities, the starving children, and the smiles I received just by visiting the rural peoples immediately bring joy to my heart. However, and in all attempt to sound the least pessimistic as possible, I can’t help but feel that pain and suffering exist everywhere, is inevitable.

Towards the last few weeks of my stay, Stephanie, John and I got to visit and stay with a few families in some very rural communities, where even water was scarce. Our last few working days were spent visiting houses asking set questions regarding the typical conflicts encountered in day-to-day life. We were to report back on the frequency of animal theft, border and land disputes, and toughest of all, domestic violence. While at first the task seemed intriguing, which in fact it was, it shortly became similar, as trite as this may sound, to pulling teeth. Imagine walking into a rural home, built of plywood and covered by a large piece of sheet-metal, where the best of amenity is a wood burning oven with constant harmful fumes permeating the small house, and where everyone, sometimes two or three, sleep in a single hammock, and then, more or less barraging them with questions. While few families were responsive, for the larger part, the community was shy, evasive, and most of all scared to answer such intrusive questions by foreigners. I know in my heart that the work of Nitlapan only has but the best of intentions, but I cant help but feel the route taken, this sort of PR done by “gringos,” hurt more then helped. Despite this however, we were at least able to get the word out that mediators would be in place within their small communities so that when future conflicts arise, they will have local community members to turn to. (Pictured left, the shy nature of residents we encountered).

In the end, just being surrounded by purity of life that Nicaraguans enjoy, the simplicity, the love for one another’s family, living on open land, and using only the most basic of necessities is to say the least enlightening. Now that I’ve returned home, to Orange County, California, to expensive cars, expensive homes, expensive everything, more and more I feel that with all the things I’m surrounded with, I actually have less than I did in living in rural Nicaragua. (Pictured right, another family I visited, both suprised to see a camera but yet also content with life.)

This summer has definitely changed me. For the better, I’m sure. I recently finished reading a book entitled Emergency Sex and Other Desperate Measures detailing the work of three United Nations human rights workers: a Harvard Law graduate, a doctor, and another UN official, working in Cambodia, Rwanda, Liberia and Haiti. While this collection of stories has encouraged me greatly, the ending reverberates with me now more than ever. At the end, the three reflect on their journeys, the life lost, the people saved, the naïve dream of saving the world, and come to a resolution that I am currently finding myself at: “So that’s the easy answer: foreswear idealism; resign myself to a sad maturity; put away the things of youth; be thankful I survived and move on. But that’s horseshit too, a craven capitulation. I’m not ready to let the youthful part of myself go yet. If maturity means becoming a cynic, if you have to kill the part of yourself that is naïve and romantic and idealistic—the part of yourself you treasure most—to claim maturity, is it not to better die young but with your humanity intact? If everyone resigns themselves to cynicism, isn’t that exactly how vulnerable millions end up dead?” With this ending note, and with the current moment I am in, having to console my crying mother, the old adage really does ring true; death is a gift, a gift of life, and gift to fight harder to save more, and more than anything else, a reminder to not forget about those around you while on a mission to save those so far away.

Above, the local school teacher and his children.