The World Factbook
It's finally sinking in that I'll be away for a month. I'm taking my overstuffed bags to leave on a very long trip to Lagos, Nigeria.
I'll be traveling throughout southwestern Nigeria with a Rotary Group Student Exchange Team from Madison and Wisconsin Rapids (Jess Artz, Lori Beierle, Chris Carlson-Dakes and Nick Miller), along with a group from Long Island. I try to imagine the looks we'll get as our group of five Wisconsinites gets off the plane, bleary-eyed after 24 hours of travel.
We've been watching the news regarding the presidential elections in Nigeria, hopeful that no post-election violence will mar our trip. While observers say this election wasn't the best, it appears that those who are protesting are doing so through democratic channels. For once, it wasn't the U.S. who caused this political upheaval; it was Nigerians democratically transferring power from one government to another for the first time. This will make for hours of conversation with our Rotarian hosts.
Watch for further updates when we can find a reliable computer.
Note: Linda Baldwin will be sending comments occassionaly from her trip to Nigeria. More information about the exchange program is in the Feb. 23, 2007 issue [PDF] of The Rotarian, the newsletter for the Rotary Club of Madison, Wisconsin.
