A few of the guys I have met here invited me to cigar club. I don’t smoke but figured it would be fun to check out. Plus this meeting was at the US Embassy and I have never been there.
The Embassy grounds are beautiful. After getting through all the security checks, we walked through what could have been any small town in America. They call the houses “hooches,” they are essentially containers. Each container has its own heater/air-conditioning unit and inside there are sleeping quarters, a bathroom, living room and small kitchen area. In front of each container there is a tree, a small patch of grass and some flowers. Walking to the gazebo where the club met was like walking through a small neighborhood. I wish we were allowed to bring camera's inside because those images are unseen in this city. No grass, few trees and no sidewalks.
Cigar club was almost exactly what you would expect; a group of men sitting in lawn chairs smoking cigars and chatting. The only things missing were a grill and a keg. If it wasn’t for the cigar smoke, you could have smelled the testosterone, LOL.
This wasn’t a typical meeting because everyone had been on lockdown due the Peace Jirga. Usually they give out the cigar of the day and provide information on the type of cigar and other misc information. It would have been interesting to learn a little more about cigars. There was no raffle either. But they did pray, which surprised me.
I was embarrassed when we arrived because they introduced me as a nurse and there was some comment about bringing a nurse to cigar club. In general everyone was nice and it was a fun afternoon. The guys I was with are in law enforcement or are attorneys and I enjoyed hearing about their jobs.
If I’m invited back, I’d go again.
