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Five Stereotypes of ICTR Interns

I’ve been thinking, and sometimes we fit into some pretty good stereotypes. Then you have the Here for the Safaris intern who come for two months tops (and sometimes less), spends most weekends on Safari, most Thursdays at Via Via and most Fridays complaining about their Via Via hangover. Usually completely oblivious to the fact that the accused has human rights too. They are relatively unharmful as long as they stick to the Office of the Prosecutor and aren’t found working in Chambers. Next are those that are Here for the Long-Haul, one of my favourite types of interns. It is also almost guaranteed that something awful will happen to these people. I’ve listed some of them here:
There’s the Human Rights Majors: first year (hopefully no later) law students who’ve discovered human rights and want to help lock up the “evil genocidaires” as quickly as possible and for the longest time possible. Sitting in the ICTR office for the past six months I’ve got to see a lot of interns come and go, and for all sorts of reasons. Happy to fix typos for their entire internship, as long as they only have to work three days week. They are only really annoying when you need to compete with them to get a spot on the free UN flight to Rwanda. Also liable to have a paranoid fear of being robbed, being ripped off, using taxis, walking, dalla-dallas, getting food poisoning from fish/milk/the locals or contracting malaria. After five months I’m probably leaning towards the crotchety old long-hauler complaining about all these newbies ruining my office and front lawn. There are also the interns who were Expecting New York and didn’t realise that Arusha is not New York City, even if we are working for the UN. They enjoy complaining about power outages, lack of hot water, lack of internet, bad food, dust, dalla-dallas, AK-47s, hot days, cold days, cramped offices and the pole pole pace of things. These interns quickly become the veterans who know everything there is to know about the Arusha/ICTR/UN/Rwanda and learn to resent the coming and going of all us ‘newbies’ (and our constant questions). Unlikely to share work, tips or food with you, very likely to work overtime and most weekends. These interns really, really, really, really, really, really want to work in international law and willing to do anything to make that happen. They come for three months, extend their internship to six months, and now, nine months later, might leave…as soon as their trial finishes (or they manage to snag a paid job here). But I’ve done enough complaining about the internet and offices that I must have a streak of New York-envy in me. I’m not sure which stereotype I am. Finally there’s the interns that Would do Anything for a Job at the ICTR.

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