Yes, I am a mzungo.

Hello!

After more than a week, I finally have the chance to sit down and post some real thoughts. I apologize for taking so long to send you an update.

I arrived in Uganda last Friday night, safe and sound. Unfortunately, my luggage decided to spend an extra few days in Europe. It worked out, though, because my roommate Kevin is exactly my size and he let me borrow clothes until I was reunited with my wordly possessions (which included clothes and Starbursts candy).

First, I need to introduce you to the people in my new world:

Ilea: Might be the most amazing young woman I have ever met. She is not much older than me, but she is running all of Restore International's work in Uganda. She is well-connected, well-qualified, and all around impressive. Everybody knows her.

Kevin: Kevin is a 3L at Pepperdine. And my housemate.He specializes in Land law. We get along very well because he works hard and plays hard, and knows when to do both. If I lived in California, I hope people would say "You remind me of Kevin." Also, we are the same size.

(NOTE: I'm in a shopping area, and the entire mall just erupted in cheers because the Ugandan soccer team scored a goal. People are crowded around every tv in the mall watching the game. This is legitimately louder than any sporting event I've ever been to, and I'm just sitting in the mall. Awesome.)

Kerry: Kerry is a 2L like me, only she goes to Pepperdine. She's personable and enthusiastic, which is very important for this summer. She is working for Restore this summer helping to draft some proposed anti-trafficking legistlation. She lives in the room next to mine.

Liz: I went to undergrad with Liz. She is about to be a 3L, but she is already doing a lot in the world of international human rights. Liz has been described by those who know her as, "audacious," and that seems fitting to me. She is responsible for me being here this summer.

There's been a little change in what exactly I am doing this summer. I was transferred from the Family Court to the Court of Appeals. Liz, Kevin, and I are working side by side with the justices on certain cases, helping them with research and writing opinions.

The first case I am working on is a constitutional suit brought on behalf of women who are forced to undergo FGM, or female genital mutilation. Google FGM to find out more. The gist of it is that a girl is held down by other women while a woman cuts out her clitoris and parts of her labia. This happens in public in front of a crowd. The women are then sewn shut.

In addition to handling casework, we are also working with the Court of Appeals to help them update how files are kept. We are working to make cases accesible to lawyers, judges, and to the general public. As of now, no one has any way to search modern cases in Uganda. Lawyers just must go off of what they remember or what their registrars (clerks)remember. Hopefully this will be a sustainable project.

My time at the cafe is almost up!


Fact of the day: A mzungo is a white person. People call me mzungo all the time here. It's true. I am a mzungo.