Field Trip!

This past Saturday, we had a field trip to a monestary and le Lac Rose (Pink Lake).  I woke up too early so there was no breakfast set-up yet.  I ate my last balance bar on the walk to WARC.  Little did I know, I was about to receive a yoghurt and three pastries on the bus.  Ah well.  I got some extra protein.  The ride there was about an hour and a half.  And very bumpy.  For the first time in three weeks, I left Dakar.  Though we were far the heart of rural Senegal or anything, the contrast from city life was clear.  We passed wild baobab clusters, crumbling concrete walls, and buildings held up by sticks.  The roads soon turned to nearly-impossible-to-drive-on-let-alone-navigate red clay stretches, and we reached the monestary.  

Though the buildings were plain and gently worn-down, the grounds were fantastic.  It's the greenest part of Senegal I have seen yet.  The monks grew many plants and even had their own water tower for the dry season.  All the gardens were equipped with homemade irrigation systems.  There were little rows of grapefruit and kumquat trees.

From the grapefruits in particular, the monks bottle their own juices.  They also produce various wines with the help of some village woman, the most interesting of these wines being pineapple.  (I wish I would've been allowed to bring a bottle back to the states.)  They have a building that contains a pasturizing machine, a filling and stamping room, and a large refrigderator to hold all the fresh juice.

Around noon, we visited the chapel and attended mass.  The decorations inside the church were simple but beautiful African depicitons of the Holy Family.  The music was played by the monks with traditional instruments. It was unlike any other Catholic service I've attended, even had it been in English.  We then had lunch.  And wow, it was pretty incredible.  First, we each got a pre-sectioned grapefruit half.  Then salad and chicken and beans and french bread (of course) and rice and yassa and manadrins.  Except, I made it my goal to have an all fruit and veggie lunch.  Given my options, I succeeded.  I did have some bread afterwards, but that was like my dessert.  Overall, the monestary was the most peaceful and tranquil experience yet in Senegal.  Plus, we each left with a bag of fresh, tasty grapefruits.  These will make a nice, healthy substitute to my daily lunches!

We all hopped back on the bus to go to le Lac Rose (Pink Lake).  Too bad the driver had no idea where we were going.  We got a little lost on the twisty roads of rural Senegal, but hey, we got there eventually.  The lake was pink from some distance.  But up close, it looked grossly yellow.  Mémé later informed me that at particular times of day and year, the water color changes.  Everything was also sickly covered in salt.  Then we saw some camels and ran up the sand dunes barefoot.  It was quite nice.  On the bus ride home, nearly everyone fell alseep.  I was next to the window, and it was indefinitely uncomfortable.  The rest of the day was spent with the family, hanging around the house.  Each day, each experience, I begin to feel more comfortable with my life here.