FNGs no more!

Matt and I also went through our very own island initiation. WOW what an event! It started early in the week when our new friends, Angie and Tyce, inviting us to participate in something called a Hash Race. We agreed with the caveat that neither of us are runners and we would need to find childcare. Angie offered to let our kids stay with her kids and their nanny Leoni. So with no more excuses, we agreed. Later Tyce informed Matt that he was going to help him set the route and would be participating in the role of Hare. Details of this role unfolded slowly throughout the week, which was good because if he had known the details up front (including the punishment for getting caught by the harriers) I am not sure he would have agreed. Matt and Tyce spent hours during the week scouting the path (aka hacking a trail through the dense jungle with Machetes, fighting off bees and spiders, wrestling with darkness and mud). The last of these scouting exhibitions was the morning of the race at 6:15 am. When I got home from breakfast with the kids I found Matt asleep on the couch. When I asked him how his morning was he responded, "spiders…wet...mud…very tired." Finally the afternoon of the big race had come. As I had gone out the night before with some girls from the clinic and was feeling less then energetic on four hours of sleep (and yes, perhaps a bit too much tequila) I was admittedly worried about how I would do with the big event. However, Sylviah and the boys were easily settled in with Leoni (who is now my new heroine because she managed to distract Poppy all night with very few tears while simultaneously assuring that 5 little boys stayed safe and happy) and Matt, Angie, Tyce and I hit the road for the race. We signed in, the group was gathered (many with beers in hand) and the Hares were off (they get a 10 minute head start). Meanwhile myself and the three other FNGs were explained the instructions for the race. I was more than confused and happy to have so many veterans close by. The next hour was unbelieveable and pretty much unexplainable. If you want to learn about the details of the Saipan Hash House Harriers you can check out their website. The trail that Matt and Tyce set was awesome. More jungle than road. They lead us past amazing bamboo stands, a beautiful church (although running around and over graves was a little disturbing), up and through this awesome cave that was filled with these little birds called flitlets that use echolocation like a bat) and ended very near Angie's house overlooking Lau Lau Bay. Although I was not in the first group that was only aboout 5 minutes behind the hares (Matt successfully escaped having his shorts stolen) I did come in about sixth or seventh (not too bad for my first hash). I ran across a large E that Matt had made out of trail flour and had strewn many flowers across my own personal finish line which I cartwheeled across. Awww! The finish line was also complete with two trucks, one filled with assorted beverages and the other filled with fire wood. Later in the evening there were many songs, honors and traditions, and general carousing. Matt and Tyce were greatly honored for setting a truley bitchin' trail that only left senior wiener and his son alone in the jungle after dark. The top photo is of their part of the ceremony where they got to tell "tales from the trails." They even brought one of the huge paper wasp nests that they chopped down for show and tell. Matt volunteered publicly to be a Hare again so I think he had a fun time after all.