Outlaw Oceans & Farewells
I have completed my internship at the U.S. Institute of Peace. I am both incredibly grateful for the opportunities I've had this summer as well as sad to say farewell to my wonderful colleagues.
My second-to-last Friday was eventful. One of my coworkers invited me to a meeting with New York Times reporter Ian Urbina. Mr. Urbina had written a series called "Outlaw Oceans" for the New York Times, which explores how the rule of law breaks down on the high seas. Mr. Urbina came to speak with my supervisors since they run the International Network to Promote the Rule of Law (INPROL). We listened to his fascinating account of residing on a fishing vessel in remote waters manned by underage Cambodian boys (see the article here) as well as his experience on a ship that chased a renegade trawler (see the article here).
I finalized the memo on freedom of information laws as an anti-corruption tool during my last week. On Friday, my coworkers surprised me with a going-away office party. I appreciate their willingness to take time from their busy schedule to celebrate with me.
As I mentioned in earlier posts, I will continue to research for USIP this fall, so I'm happy that my goodbye last Friday was really a farewell for now. Although this post is short since I'm on the road with family, I'm so grateful for the incredible opportunity I had this summer to work at USIP.