Stop Genocide Now
Bahai and Oure Cassoni are surreal places. As we ride full speed on our Toyotas across the desert, seeing rebels racing next to us, it seems like I am in a movie. The harshness of the environment quickly dissolves any illusion. I was thirsty every minute I was out there, even though I always had […]
The airport is quiet and calm when we enter. I’m worried about our weight, and also Bouba, who will be taking tomorrow’s flight with one of our bags. Two bags pass through and the other three, plus our two backpacks sit in the corner. A friendly face approaches, Jim! Our pilot from i-ACT4 has helped […]
From the Paris to N’Djamena flight, I could start to feel a different, more relaxed vibe for the capital of Chad. The plane was full, as usual, but this time it was a very diverse crowd, with children, women, and even two Mexicans (me not included). When we hit the ground, the more-relaxed-vibe was confirmed. […]
Frustrated, but a sugar-free Red Bull would sure help me feel better. I did not get around to writing a journal for Day 2, so I’ll include some thoughts from yesterday in this one for Day 3. I think that the word that comes up the most yesterday from all of our team is “frustration” […]
Today is a hard day for me. We spent most of the day in the lobby of Le Meridien; waiting for our fixer, waiting for permits, waiting for the video to upload, lots of waiting. As a result, my jet lag has h it me harder than I have ever felt before. Usually there is […]
8 June 2008 N’Djamena The flight in to N’Djamena was not a good start to our arrival in Chad. We made it to Chad airspace and very close to N’D, but then had to circle around before landing because of bad weather. This going round and round went on for almost two hours. Except for […]
The phones begin to ring, again, finally. Since last night around 10pm there has been no one who could reach us. We received several emails from people letting us know they were trying to get through to us. “Cent sept, 107!” First in French; then again in English.“Here, we are here.” “Telephone.” News from the […]
Only the screen of my computer and the small emergency fixture above the African statue light the dining room. I can hear familiar voices and urgent news in French passing through the crowd. We have all gathered here after the attack and are waiting to be evacuated from N’Djamena. A plane flies close to the […]
That stray shelling was a little close for comfort. The hotel, and my heart, shook for a moment, the longest moment I have felt in a while. We hold up on the first floor of the Le Meridien waiting to hear word from the French military or the US Embassy who is closer to the […]