Getting Out...

As I sit down to write this evening I have to laugh at myself - I needed to check the calendar to remember what day of the week it is! I usually count that as a good thing when I’m on vacation, but, this time, it has nothing to do with relaxing. Looking back on my timesheet, I’ve put in 51 hours, thus far - 9 hours away from my Pro Bono Distinction, and I’ve just been here a week! I’m beginning to fully appreciate Jason’s dilemma of being a “captive worker,” as I call it, and I’m pretty sure that the long days will continue…

The event I went to last Saturday morning was the second day of a conference called “Strategic Plan Meeting for Prosecutors,” hosted by the Ministry of Justice. It was quite exciting to be a part of this workshop, as the Monrovia attorneys worked together to organize a cohesive, unified plan to improve their work situation, and the legal system in general. One of the focus groups took me in, and before I knew it I was helping to draft the new organization’s main objectives and mission statement! I was glad that the topic of Professional Responsibility in the legal profession was so fresh in my mind. Prof. Barnett would be proud - something about the prosecutor’s duty to “seek justice” (rather than simply serve the interests of a client) made it into the final version of the objectives!

Negbalee allowed me to leave this event at about 3pm, at which time Emanuel took me to 2 supermarkets. These stores are very similar to the IGAs in Melbourne - more offerings than 7-11 or CVS, but not quite as many as Giant or Superfresh. I grabbed some munchies for my room, and a plastic container to keep them in (should the roaches return), as well as a can of the amazingly strong bug spray that Adolphus (correct spelling) had used in my room the night before. When we went to the second store (in search of dental floss, which could not be found at the first one), I was highly amused when the boys on the street outside the store tried to sell me DVDs. I just laughed, looked at them, and asked, “Do you think I have a TV?”

The next morning, I went downstairs for breakfast and had a great conversation with Robert. Since it was he and Leana’s last day here, he said that he was hoping to get some shopping in. I asked if he minded if I tagged along, and suggested that we also go out for lunch. So, at about 2pm, we headed out on foot with Satiah, one of the boys living here at the convent, to see what we could find. I was very excited, since this was my first time outside the walls of the convent without a ride.  It rained off and on, so my little purse-umbrella came in handy. The little artisan shops we stopped into could fit about 8 people in a pinch, so I often waited outside while Leana & Robert did their browsing. This was working out well until a UN truck came speeding down the road in the rain, soaking me as it drove through the puddle behind me. Yum-bunny. Satiah laughed and said, “I told you to come in the store!” I hope this isn’t a foreshadowing of my future with the UN….

After looking in each of the shops along the road, Leana and Robert selected some jewelry and a few great masks to take back to the States. We returned to the convent to drop them off, and then went back to the Mamba Point Hotel for lunch. We all laughed when Satiah (16) ordered a beer! He informed us that the drinking age was 15 (mmmm hmmmm…). I’m not sure when I’ll get the internet connectivity to do it, but I’ll post the pictures I took at this hotel with this entry, if I can. We had a lovely meal, and then headed back to the convent. I gave my leftovers to Adolphus, who stayed behind to mind the fort. We found him and some other guests watching the Spain - South Africa soccer game, and hung around to watch some of the U.S. - Brazil game, once it came on.

From this point forward, the “heat” has been on at work. Over the weekend, I had begun restructuring the LEITI budget to be more user-friendly for the stakeholders who do not have financial backgrounds. I continued to work on this on Monday, and finished it by the end of the workday. When I got back to the APC, I met Jana and Takako, who are here doing mental health and education work, respectively. Jana is originally from Brazil, but is in school in Boston. Like me, her work in psychology has focussed on trauma, and she has spent a significant amount of time working with former child soldiers in a variety of places. Psyc-types: if you’re looking for an organization to support, check Second Chance! She is working to establish a mental health clinic in Monrovia, which will focus on trauma, drug rehabilitation, and other psychological services. Takako hails from Tokyo, Japan, and is working with a UNICEF education program. We sat in one of the sitting rooms here for some time, chatting and playing some of Jana’s iPhone games.

On Tuesday, everyone in the office worked together to get the final draft of a grant proposal out the door. After 10 hours, it was finally done. I shot Jana a text message to see what she was up to, since I was definitely ready for a sit-down meal. As it turned out, she was already at the Cape Hotel, taking advantage of the WiFi. I got Konah (the Project Accountant of LEITI) to drop me off there for a little R&R, not really knowing how I was going to make it back to the APC before curfew. We had a great meal (flatbread PIZZA!) and talked until it was time to get back to the convent. About halfway through the meal, Konah called me to say that he was sending his driver, Jackson, back to get us (I still cannot get used to this driver thing), and I’m glad he did - it was pouring! When we pulled out of the hotel gate, the street was flooded with several inches of water. I don’t know how Jackson did his, but he drove through all of it without hitting ONE pothole! Amazing. We made it back to the convent just in time, and Adolphus was waiting for us at the door.

Yesterday, I made a very important discovery - Bailey’s Bakery on Center Street! I can get breakfast for the entire office there for less than half of what I pay for breakfast for one at the convent! I told Emmanuel this was our new morning routine - the pastries are SOOOOO good! Thus far, the cinnamon twists are my favourite - they taste like cinnamon-sugar donuts. When we got back to the office, it was back to the grindstone with another proposal! Nine hours later, it was ready to go, but alas, the internet was down. Negbalee ultimately had to hand-carry it to its destination, since today was a terrible day for connectivity at the office. I think the ethernet connection was good for about 30 minutes, tops. I’m hoping it will be better tomorrow.  At any rate, after that bad-boy was done, I went back to the convent, ate my leftover pizza, and passed out.

Today, I stayed at the convent a little later than I typically do to meet Sister Mary, who runs the show around here. She’s a nice, friendly woman who keeps everything moving here at the APC. I began to talk to her about accommodations for Bobbie, the Valparaiso student who will join me here in the middle of this month. Since the Lutheran Guest House has been unreliable, Negbalee is hoping that I can help him work something out here. At the moment, Sister Mary says that the place is pretty booked-up, but I’m going to keep tabs with her about this, since so many things here in Monrovia are not as definite as they sound…

Once I got to the office, I began working on LEITI’s upcoming validation with the international EITI. Essentially, it’s a massive progress and compliance audit, so everything that the organization has done since the publication of its First Report must be accounted for. The EITI Validation Panel sent some questions, and we began tackling them today. At 7pm, about half of the work was done. Edward (the Deputy Head of the LEITI Secretariat) and I will work together to knock the rest of this out tomorrow morning, so we all can review it together tomorrow afternoon. Whew - not bad for the first week, huh?