First of all, my apologies for being so slack on updating my blog.  To be honest, I have never been a great one for emails or blogs, and tend to update them sporadically and on a whim, at best.  I have added some photos and will aim to add more and some text over the next few weeks.

My classes have now finished and I have two weeks of assignment writing before heading to Munich for a short holiday with my other half.  I then head to Kigali, Rwanda on June 9, to undertake my Applied Field Experience with the Genocide Fugitive Tracking Unit of the National Prosecutor's Office.  I am nervous and excited about my first trip to Rwanda unaccompanied and am really looking forward to working with the prosecutors on issues of extradition, mutual legal assistance, evidence taking and prosecution.  I am hoping that the experiences I gain in Kigali will form the basis of my dissertation, which I will be writing from September.

This past semester has sped by - largely helped by a three-week study trip to Sri Lanka as part of my conflict resolution major.  It was an enlightening trip which really exposed me to the practicalities (both good and bad) of working in a post-War (but not post-conflict) society.  It has really made me question myself as a future peace-builder and I am taking stock of where I want my career to head.  There are so many issues surrounding the legitimacy and the efficacy of INGOs, and having observed many whilst in Sri Lanka, I have a greater understanding of the importance of planning, having a clear objective/mandate and an understanding of the societal context in which you are working.  On a lighter note, four of my group accidentally met the President of Sri Lanka while at the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy for morning Puja. Quite a coup! I have attached a photo for your amusement.

In terms of Rotary involvement in the last wee while, I have been busy arranging the annual Peace Fellows Seminar (if anyone happens to be in the UK on October 30 I highly recommend coming along), and speaking at various clubs.  Last month RIBI had their 'Thanks for Life' campaign.  The Peace Fellows at Bradford lent a helping hand to the fight against Polio and had an information stand at University as part of the National Volunteer Week.  We took donations and did a lot of talking to students about the EndPolio campaign and the work of Rotary internationally.