Jun 17, 02:18 PM
I’m back!
Well, it’s been a year since anything was posted here at Mark’s Brain. That’s probably fine, because I’ve been in my first year of law school and there would have been little to write about in this space except things like, “Today I read about contracts for 10 hours.”
Jokes aside, I actually enjoyed my first year at the U. of Minnesota Law School, and I think I did a fairly good job at the schoolwork/life balance. I got reacquainted with my hometown of Minneapolis and, most importantly, Jerri and I remained madly in love.
I must brag a bit and mention that I rode my bike to school almost every day, even when it was 5 below zero (that’s Fahrenheit, folks). I only rode the bus during downpours and active blizzards, which amounted to about 5 bus trips. I can’t say enough about bicycle commuting and the Minneapolis Greenway , the superhighway for bikes.
Anyway, I’m back in Arusha, Tanzania, for the summer, an intern in the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Regular readers (hah!) may recall that Jerri and I were in Arusha observing trials for a week last summer. (Have a look here.) And that experience convinced me that an internship at the ICTR would be my goal for my first law school summer.
I was fortunate enough not only to get the internship, but also a fellowship to pay for it, the Upper Midwest Human Rights Fellowship. Thanks to all the staff at the University’s Human Rights Center and to the donors who give to the fellowship.
I’ve just finished my first week at the ICTR and things have gone well. I’ve been assigned to the Government 1 case, trying three leaders of the ruling political party for their alleged role in the genocide. (The indictment (in pdf) is here.)
I’m lucky to be working directly with Iain Morley, a talented and highly experienced English barrister from whom I can learn a great deal (so long as I manage to keep up.) Iain is also a great guy, who takes a certain pleasure in smoking in places where it’s against the rules, such as his office, and who bought me a drink after my first day.
The other members of the prosecution team on this case are also really great, and even as I struggle with a mountain of background reading to get myself up to speed, I can tell that I’ll be given a chance to really be a part of the team and make a meaningful contribution. Iain and I went to a safe house to interview a witness on my first day. (Not that I did any of the talking.)
There’s loads more I could go on about, but I’m going to make an effort to write shorter posts this summer so I’ll save it.
hi mark! talked to jerri on saturday and she said you were going to update your blog . . . so i checked and you did! very exciting the summer you’re having :) i’m sure you’ll work hard and travel safely but i’ll say it anyway: work hard! travel safely!
— abby Jun 17, 06:33 PM #
So excited that you’re back on line! Thanks for the shout out about our love; incredibly true! Love you,
Jerri
— Jerri Jun 18, 03:01 PM #