Hello from a very wet Calabar. After a long 27 hours of travel we all arrived safely and settled into the Venal Suites hotel in Calabar. Last night we all had dinner together and were final able to put the names and faces together. What a wondeful group of people. We have also been joined by Kevin Thompson (Program Manager for CSC) and a number of DCS representatives.

By 11pm last night, I was ready to fall down - it was time for bed. I was so tired that nothing could keep me away. Unfortunately, some of us were kept awake by the dance club and their very LOUD music. Thankfully this won't happen every night. After a long restful sleep, I was ready for the next day.

We all had breakfast together, spent some time chatting and then headed to the Bay Cafe for lunch. Negotiating the roads is an experience. Besides the potholes and mud everywhere, you have deep calverts, motot cyclists and pedestrians. It amazes me how everyone stays so well put together. We are learning to be very patient and go with the flow. There really is something call "AFRICA TIME". We arrived at our lunch venue just before 1 pm and finally got all the food by 2:30 pm. Lets say that if you weren't hungry when you got there, you were certainly ready for lunch at 2:30!!!

This afternoon we visited the Drill Rehab & Breeding Center. It is a two minute walk from our hotel. The Drill monkey is one of the most endangered primates in Africa. They also take in orphaned Chimpanzees. The newest one is 4 months old. I think we are going to pay the center a few visits while we are here - the baby chimp is too cute!

On our walk back we passed some of the local homes. In amongst the big houses, there are a few ruins, fortresses and ...my favorite....glass embedded in the cement to prevent people from climbing over the wall. We also saw a traditional Nigerian wedding and were invited to take a look. It is so great living in the residential area....you really get the true flavor or Nigeria.

We are off to Ann Oden's (CDC representative in Nigeria) home for dinner tonight. I am told that we will be meeting our partners and having a wonderful introduction to Nigerian hospitality.