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CGP Takes a Break, October 21, 2009

The meeting of the CGP (Conseil General Plenier) continues in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The following is a brief account of what happened last weekend.

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Sunday, the 18th of October, the CGP took some time for rest and relaxation. After the morning Eucharist, celebrated at 7:00 a.m. by a Dominican priest-friend from Benin, a 30-seater mini-bus waited outside the house to bring us on a trip to discover the historic city of Grand Bassam, the capital of Ivory Coast during colonial times. The goal of the trip was to visit the museum, housed in the old residence of the Governor, to get a sense of the history of the Ivory Coast through the costumes, masks, dioramas and pictures of the different ethnic groups of the regions of this country.

The visit was extremely interesting. We were able to get a picture of the life of the natives of the Ivory Coast with their animistic religion, social organization, marriage rituals and distinctive costumes. The pictures and portraits from colonial times also gave us a sense of the history of those times.

After the visit to the museum, a well-informed guide led us around the historic colonial quarter. He did a remarkable job, considering that it was very hot and we were pretty crowded in our mini-bus that was really very mini! Nevertheless we could imagine how the city looked like in its days of splendor, beyond the ruins and abandoned buildings that were everywhere. The city was far from abandoned though, with a lot of life in the streets, shops and vendors at every corner, and people walking placidly amid such historical sites.

Once our tour was over we stopped at a market with native handicrafts. For half an hour we tried our hand at bargaining – as is the local custom – and buying a few things to take home. Then we arrived at the ocean. Beautiful! The Atlantic ocean lay before our eyes. It was rather calm so we waded into it, only to be surprised by a rather huge wave that left us pretty soaked. The Sisters of the Provincial Community had gone ahead of us with some Friends of the Assumption and had prepared a banquet for us. It was a wonderful afternoon at the beach.

We returned home rather tired, but so happy. The day ended in silence because we entered into retreat until 3:00 p.m. of the next day. The common sentiment was that we felt genuinely grateful for all that we are discovering and getting to know.

(original from the congregation's website)

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All aboard for a fieldtrip!

Sr. Marie Claire (West Africa) roasting bananas for the group

A wonderful day at the beach