The first message from Africa arrived this morning.  Linda Baldwin (Team Leader) wrote the following:

Hi...short email as we are off for a tour of Ibaden today.  Everyone is

doing very well.  Chris's (Chris Carlson-Dakes, sponsored by Madison Horizons)luggage finally showed up yesterday.  Thank God. But he's been a good sport.  Lori (Lori Beierle, Fitchburg/Verona Rotary) has had incredible experiences

and the Drs at the hospital were quite taken with her I understand. (Lori works for Health Department in Hospital Emergency Preparedness) Nicholas (Nick Miller, Madison East Rotary) has gone

native (Nick works for the Nature Conservancy) and Jess (Jess Artz, Wisconsin Rapids Rotary) is in love with her host and his family.  I am having a great time with our GSE coordinator DGN Samson and his family.  Our NY

friends are good to travel with and we all seem to be assimilating well. (There is a second GSE team, from Long Island, New York, with which our team is traveling). Too much beer and partying for some, but they have jumped in with both feet.

Our Ibaden hosts have been wonderful and our group doesn't want to leave,

but we will tomorrow. Off to Oshobgo.  Thanks for all your help and

preparation.  While we didn't know what we were in for, we did feel

prepared.

I'm having a little trouble with the heat, but hopefully I'll get better.  

This may be the last place I find airconditioning until Abuja.  We're off to Oshogbo today...send

forth party was a hoot last night.

Best,  Linda (Linda Baldwin, Madison Downtown Rotary)