Man Time

So, I have recently been participating in the men's fellowship at my church. This is a new thing that hasn't been done before in the community, nor is it very common in other places. Apparently after most Indian men (and women) get married, they rarely get together with friends for a guys (or girls) night out. Obviously, this is an attempt to foster better community and relationships specifically among the men of the church. Our pastor and one of the EMI staff have brainstormed some fun stuff for the guys to do together. As I mentioned in the previous blog, last week we had dinner and some air hocky in the bazaar. This week however, we drove a short way into the surrounding hills, climbed up to the peak and grilled. It wasn't tailgate-style like you would in the US however. First we had to collect our own firewood, which we did by literaly tearing branches off of the surrounding trees with our bare hands; some still with the leaves on. After starting the fire, we took a small metal grate, laid it over the coals and threw some chicken on it. More like five or six chickens, and some potatoes and veggies. And chai, of course. They used a soysauce-and-coke marinade, that actually tasted great. (A brief apology to the IV guys, but we didn't have beef (it is India...) although I found a summer sausage in the cabinet, so maybe later?) One of the best parts of the night was when we ran out of firewood. A few guys and myself went out into the surrounding forest (it was dark, but the moon was really bright) and found an old stump, which we actually tore out of the ground with our hands, feet, and a small rock substituted as an ax. I was in charge of bringing the dessert, and would you believe it, I found a place that actually sells a decent cheesecake. That is one item that is really hard to find in India (especially cheap) and also hard to make as cream cheese doesn't exist here. So, we got to enjoy a little taste of home as well. Definitely a good night.