The making of Masala Tea
I had my first taste of Masala Tea, or Chai, this Sunday. The tea is made of milk, black tea leaves, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. All familiar flavors to me, but not in this combination and cooked this way, which made it a completely new discovery. I have to confess it is quite a new taste for me, not good, not bad.. just different. I reckon that in time I’ll learn to appreciate it. I have a month to improve on the experience, there’s nothing like being on the spot to grow into a new sensation. As I was tasting the tea, one of the hotel staff where I’m staying had the heart to show me the elements that went in the tea. I so much appreciate this small gesture, as I learned something new and I could see that he was happy to share how masala tea is made.
This Sunday was a day of sharing of stories, and not just on tea. We had our official on the ground kickoff meeting for the India 42 group, and the main part of the meeting was about the participants sharing their life stories and what CSC program meant to them. There were many emotional moments as each one of us shows a little bit more into who we are, and being part of this, can only make your heart warm and feel blessed for having this opportunity. Human experience is the greatest one there is.
It’s been interesting to watch our group interact and get to know each other specially as we’ve had an initial, literally, bumpy road on the way from Delhi to Chandigarh. Due to the tensions on the Pakistan and India border on the last week, our flights got cancelled, as Chandigarh is not that far from the Pakistani border. We ended up having a road trip and everyone took it in good spirit in spite of traffic and 6 plus hours in the bus.
We are all full of expectation as Monday starts with the projects getting off the ground and teams meeting their local host organizations as customers. It’s so exiting and exhilarating to be part of this learning experience! Let’s make Tea!
