Odesa Hash House Harriers
| We have
been meeting people from the ex-pat community at a bi-weekly event called
a ́Hash." We had heard about these before we went to Kosovo but never
ran into any of them there. Most countries have them where there is an
ex-pat community. The British started it a long time ago to ward
of boredom for ex-pats that were posted to assignments the hinterlands.
Or so we're told.
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This is our friend Cassi (Cassandra). She is an American from Kansas and she turned us on to this group of "Hashers!" Funny thing is that Cassi has never been to a Hash with us. Go figure?! |
Basically,
its a run/walk ( about 5 km) kind of thing with beer, food and conversation
at the end. Everyone has to "navigate" a course that is laid-out
in the morning by two people. The course is marked by chalk on the sidewalk
through out the city and you don't know where you will end up for sure.
There are dead-ends and various rules for people to follow. So,
it was a fun way to walk around the city and talk with interesting people,
because except for the runners, we mostly stick together and walk and
talk for about 1 1/2 hours before we reach the beer stash at the end.
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In Odesa,
we have a president who keeps the track of the money (there is a fee for
each hash-about $5) and they purchase the goodies for the end of the hash.
He coordinates the year end dinner and gives the ́state of the hash reportî.
Then there are two "religious leaders" who maintain the
rituals at the Hash and are sure to honor people appropriately; teach
the songs; etc.
Martin, our religious leader from Germany, is speaking. The glasses lined up are for "down-downs." |
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When you are "honored" (for goofy things like: your first Hash, first and last to arrive at the finish line, attending your 5th Hash where you get crowned with your Hash-Name, etc.) you have to do a "down-down." A down-down is chugging a pint of beer from a cup while the other ́hashersî sing the ritual song. If you don't want to drink it or you can't drink it, you can pour the whole beer or the undrunk portion over your head. Some women say its good for their hair. That's mostly from Ukrainians that have joined the ex-pat Hashers Club. Guido, Fuji and Jim at their first Hash, called "new boots" (that is being a rookie). |
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At
our 2nd Hash, a big group of us "came in last" and had
to do down-downs.
Talk about the pour it on your head routine-Juul just couldn't finish hers! |
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