Unease

Dear Friends:

It´s odd being held as a potentially suspect person. It makes you uneasy. It´s a strange feeling for me -- someone who is generally open and friendly and rarely suspicious of others (because I´ve never had to be) -- to be in an environment where people are cautious and careful of one another. Making contact with this human rights group is an interesting, if unsettling, experience. Was introduced to the head of the juridical unit today and he too was impenetrable and suspicious, though not unfriendly (odd combination, hard to explain). Body language, eye contact, choice of words. It´s strange to be so obviously "evaluated" on that level. I can only imagine what it must have been like/be like in less open and free societies, where every single interaction is suspect. This is absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things, but I´m getting a taste and find it unsettling.

I go back tomorrow morning.

On other fronts, met a girl from Oxford at their office today of the undergrad/internship variety. She seemed a bit lost and I got the impression they thought she was harmless.

BT