Brenda dropped me off at the Airport in Pensacola and had an uneventful flight to ATL.  On the flight to Washington-Dulles I sat beside a large black man (Roland Farrington) from south Florida.  he asked me where I was headed and I responded, "Africa."  He said he was also traveling to Africa.  When I told him I was going work as a nurse in the Bere Adventist Hospital, he asked me if I was an Adventist.  When I told him that I was, he stuck out his hand and said so am I.   He's with a tour group traveling to Ethiopia. 

 

We arrived at Dulles about 11PM and went to baggage to pick up our bags.  One of Roland's bags was missing and another was torn open.  The kind lady at Air Tran found an old piece of luggage to replace the damaged bag.  He still doesn't have the missing bag. 

 

We spent the night in the terminal.  I had brought along a sleeping pad and bag, so I slept on the floor.  Roland slept in a chair along with probably twenty other people.  One of the "other" people was a landscape architect with the state of Texas who was also going to Africa.  He had missed his flight and had to wait 24 hrs for the next flight.  Roland and I had breakfast together and the man from Texas sat near us.  When I told him my son was enrolled at Auburn in horticulture, he started talking college football, the Alabama-Auburn and Texas-Texas Aggie rivalries.  After we had finished our meal, Roland pulled a bottle of vitamins out his bag and took one.  I mentioned that the doctor at Bere had recommended that I bring vitamins, but that I had forgotten to bring any.  He immediately reached in has bag and pulled out another bottle of vitamins and gave them to me.  I tried to pay him for them, but he wouldn't accept payment. After breakfast Roland went to meet with his tour group and I checked my bags with Ethiopian Air.  Have an hour and a half wait before we board. 

Washington-Dulles

Brenda dropped me off at the Airport in Pensacola and had an uneventful flight to ATL.  On the flight to Washington-Dulles I sat beside a large black man (Roland Farrington) from south Florida.  He asked me where I was headed and I responded, "Africa."  He said he was also traveling to Africa.  When I told him I was going work as a nurse in the Bere Adventist Hospital, he asked me if I was an Adventist.  When I told him that I was, he stuck out his hand and said so am I.   He's with a tour group traveling to Ethiopia. 

We arrived at Dulles about 11PM and went to baggage to pick up our bags.  One of Roland's bags was missing and another was torn open.  The kind lady at Air Tran found an old piece of luggage to replace the damaged bag.  He still doesn't have the missing bag. 

We spent the night in the terminal.  I had brought along a sleeping pad and bag, so I slept on the floor.  Roland slept in a chair along with probably twenty other people.  One of the "other" people was a landscape architect with the state of Texas who was also going to Africa.  He had missed his flight and had to wait 24 hrs for the next flight.  Roland and I had breakfast together and the man from Texas sat near us.  When I told him my son was enrolled at Auburn in horticulture, he started talking college football, the Alabama-Auburn and Texas-Texas Aggie rivalries.  After we had finished our meal, Roland pulled a bottle of vitamins out his bag and took one.  I mentioned that the doctor at Bere had recommended that I bring vitamins, but that I had forgotten to bring any.  He immediately reached in has bag and pulled out another bottle of vitamins and gave them to me.  I tried to pay him for them, but he wouldn't accept payment. After breakfast Roland went to meet with his tour group and I checked my bags with Ethiopian Air.  Have an hour and a half wait before we board. 

Washington-Dulles

On the flight up from Atlanta last night I sat by a large black man from south Florida (Roland Farrington).  He asked me where I was headed and I told him, "Africa."  He responded that he was going to Ethiopia and asked me where I was going to in Africa.  When I told him I was going to the Bere Adventist Hospital he asked me if I was a Seventh-day Adventist.  When I said yes he stuck out his hand and said I'm an Adventist too.  We're on the same flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Slept on the floor in the airport last night.  At least I had a sleeping pad and bag.  Many people spent the night sitting in chairs.  Had breakfast with Roland and a man from Texas also headed to Africa.  He had missed his flight yesterday and spent the night in a chair near where I slept.  He's a landscape architect with the state of Texas.  Told him that my son was enrolled at Auburn in horticulture.  He was obviously a college football fan and so we discussed the Auburn-Alabama and Texas-Texas Aggie rivaleries.

Still not packed

Drove to Beaumont, TX today to deliver my powered paraglider.  Sold it on Ebay to help finance the trip.  I'm tired.  Still not packed.  Leaving at 6:45PM tomorrow.

The Day's Approaching

It will not be long and I'll be leaving for Chad, 13 days in fact.  Getting a little nervous.  Received my passport and visa today, so I'll be legal.  I've made a packing list and have begun assembling all travel items.  Will start packing next week.  The plan was to take a small generator with me, but Ethiopian Air will not let me bring it in my checked luggage.  The only electrical power at Bere Adventist Hospital is provided by a generator which is operated only when necessary.  So power to charge my PC and operate my projector will not always be available.  Oh well.