I just thought I was tired yesterday!

Wow! I've made it through my first day at the ICC. Yeah! So, apparently it is a holiday in Holland today (2nd Easter is something I heard - whatever that means). I just looked it up and it is 40 days after Easter (Ascension Day). What it means to me is that I went to take the #10 Tram today and found out it was not running because of the holiday. So, I took a different tram to one of the main stations to take a bus. Of course, it was on holiday, too. Fortunately I ran into 2 women who work at the ICC, so we took a cab. Luckily I left in plenty of time, so I still arrived early.

First thing was to get my ID made. I have a double chin in the picture (not too happy about that - time to lose weight!). After that I went through paperwork with HR and found out that I am working in a separate building than where the court is. It is a very nice building and has a cafeteria with airport pricing. The building is quite a maze, however, so I'm sure to get lost. There is a refrigerator that I can put my food in, but I'm not sure I will be able to find it again. My tour of the building did not stick. I may need a second one.

I have a desk, not sure if it will stay the same. The supervisor and admin assistant was out today, so the staff wasn't sure where I would end up. It also meant that I didn't have a lot to do today. I had to fill out some paperwork for my background check and something with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I also did some reading and exploring of their intranet. Oh, and I got my email set up. Not sure when they started my account, but I had something like 250 unread messages. I promptly deleted all of the ones prior to today, but I am a little scared of the volume of email that we get.

There are about 12 people in the division (Victims Participation and Reparations Section (VPRS)). You can find more info at: http://www.icc-cpi.int/Menus/ICC/Structure+of+the+Court/Victims/

Everyone was very nice. They are from ALL over the world, so that is pretty cool. Everyone speaks English and many of them speak French (both of the official languages of the court). After today, I think I need to work on French. They kind of switch back and forth a lot. Apparently a lot of the meetings are in both.

I left a little early (yes, on the first day) so I could run some errands and get to bed early. The stores close very early here during the week and because it was a holiday, many stores were not even open.

Let me tell you about my bed. It is above the kitchen & has a ladder up to it. It is surrounded by walls on 3 sides and doesn't have a lot of clearance to even sit up. So, it really freaked me out. I felt very closed-in. And, the scary pillow was also a down pillow, which I am apparently allergic to. After my nose was completely stuffed up and I decided there was no way I could sleep up there, I moved to the couch. Tips for desperate times: a half-slip can double as a pillow case. And, in a pinch, a towel is a good cover.

I think I slept about 4 hours last night. That's 7 hours in 2 days. I require 8-9 hours per night. I'm hoping for a better night sleep tonight.

After I left the ICC via train (only option left), I went to look for a bike. I found one at the second store I visited. It is pink and purple (NICE!) and quite used. They fixed it up for me, made adjustments, and it seems to work fine. The chain lock is another story. It worked a couple of time, then when I got home, I couldn't get it to lock, so I just brought it inside. I'll figure out the lock another day or take it back).

I rode my new (old) bike home without a map and in a skirt. Loads of fun. I stopped off at a department store (one of the few stores open) and picked up sheets and a new pillow. Quite a challenge to ride the bike carrying a pillow. I managed to get my tire stuck on a train track at one point and fell off the bike in very slow motion (so I escaped without injury). Not sure what everyone was saying about me, but I just stated "I'm okay" and went on my way.

I have now pulled the mattress off of the scary loft and put it on the floor. And, I bought a fan. Hopefully I will have a really good night's sleep.

Well, I think those were the main events of my day. It's about my bedtime (8:20). Hopefully tomorrow I'll have a better idea about what I will be doing.

Au revior,
Michelle (that's my name in French, too)