word of the day

Today's word of the day: Patience

We finally made it to Addis Ababa, after a short refueling stop in Khartoum, Sudan.
There were two, small, adorable children kicking the back of Lauren and I's seats much of the way. I finally turned around and gave them each a small beanie baby stuffed animal (which I always have in my backpack for moments like this). Unfortunately, I think they started fighting over who wanted the the purple lizard, and both immediately began to cry. Oh well. I tried.

When we got to the airport, the security officers demanded that I leave my video cameras in their storage area until morning, when I could bring them back a letter from the Ethiopian consulate approving the filming permit. I tried every trick in the book in asking if I could take equipment with me. We spend nearly an hour arguing over options. (At least I thought we were arguing over options. In reality, the ONLY option was for me to leave my equipment there). I even told them I would bake my famous chocolate chip cookies and bring them in the morning. Didn't work.

Tomorrow will be another long day.