A couple weekends ago we took an overnight train to Bangalore for the Karnataka Christadelphian Youth weekend. When we got onto the train we all felt a little bit uneasy about the coming night sleep, but it turned out to be just fine. However, the way we woke up was a little bit unsettling. Prabhu Kiran, one of the two Shunem boys that came with us, tapped each of us on the back saying, akka anna, we just missed our stop! We got off at the next stop and had no idea where to go. Luckily we weren’t too far off, so our ride soon showed up with two motorbikes for the seven of us plus luggage and a guitar. Seeing the impossibility we hired a couple of autos and crammed everyone and their stuff in.
When we arrived at the mission flat we all settled in for an early morning nap, until Joanie Parker finished cooking the best breakfast we had tasted since our arrival in India, scrabbled eggs and fried potatoes.
Walking around Bangalore was really interesting; the culture is much more westernized than Hyderabad. We saw a McDonalds, Subway, KFC, Au Bon Pain, and a Pizza Hut. I was able to have my first serving of espresso since we arrived in India at Au Bon Pain; wonderful. It was still India, though, as evidenced by the cow we saw napping on the sidewalk.
Probably the most exciting part for me (Colton) started when one of my guitar strings broke a few minutes before I needed to play it. Emily asked around if there was a music store nearby, and it turned out there was a little guitar shop a couple kilometers away. Guna (one of the fellows from Bangalore) asked if I needed a helmet. “I guess that would be safer” I said. And off we went on his motorcycle. I have to say that riding on a motorcycle in India is one of the most thrilling things I have ever done. Crashing seems like a probability all the time. Several minutes later the guitar had a new string.
Packing dinner for the train ride home brings us to the title of the post. While Emily was making sandwiches she was talking to Praveen, another Shunem boy. As I walked past Emily asked “Do you want a Praveen and jam sandwich?” Now Emily calls him Praveen and jam.
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