All the volunteers took a trip to Popenguin beach town and it was amazing amazing amazing. We lost ourselves in time, space, cold ocean water, and forgot what planet we were on. All in 1 night! We took an Alham PACKED like those subway cars on which you can't even scratch your head. We rented houses, slept on floors, roofs, mattresses. We brought warm beer into the cold ocean waves and laughed a floated and thought about the other side of the ocean. People washed sheep next to us and male prostitutes did pushups to advertise themselves. Other men played a fascinating game in the sand comparable to checkers but with sticks, stones, and enthusiastic exclamations. We climbed up the hills and sat on old french military structures. We watched the sun set and stars come, and the cun return again.
In the morning we had assembly lines of chopping, mixing, cooking, and washing to create our lunch. That was one of the most remarkable experiences. It made me truly appreciate being with a group of people so different in so many ways-- but who share a certain something that made them leave corners of the US to live in Senegal as peace corps volunteer. I could love these people if for nothing else-- the way they make lunch together like a giant cooperative omelette clock. They whipped out leathermans, cracked jokes, danced, sang, and did their part. Scrumptious.
The only sufferings of the weekend are 63 bug bites on my arms and face alone, a stripe of sunburn, the ocean eating my sunglasses, and 3 people now have left.
Pictures to come....
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