As I’ve been meeting new people who work at the embassy and
getting to know the Mozambican students who frequent the American Culture
Center, I’ve been surprised at how many people recommend going “hashing.” At
first I was confused about what everyone was talking about, but after a little
research I learned that the “Hash House Harriers” is an international social
club that runs and drinks together. There are hash clubs all over the world and
the club in Maputo is alive and thriving. The club is also known by its slogan
that it’s a “drinking club with a running problem.”
The Maputo Hash House Harriers or H3 meets on Saturday at
2:30 on one of the main avenues of embassies in the city. I decided to go and
dragged a similarly introverted roommate with me to experience the weirdness that
I had been warned about. Other colleagues had cautioned me that the hash isn’t
for everyone and that the group can be obnoxious and raunchy at times so I was
a bit apprehensive and didn’t want to go alone.
We showed up at the meet-up spot, paid our 80 meticais (“hash
cash” - about $1.50) and waited for the event to begin. The shenanigans started shortly after with an introduction of the “hares” – the members who were
selected to set out that week’s trail in a secret location using flower and
chalk. The rest of us were the hounds tasked with following the trail and
eventually finding the hare. The hares wore red shirts and the hounds wore
anything from normal running clothes to strange and funny costumes. After
giving directions to the hash location, we carpooled to the site and everyone
started running around looking for the start of the trail. What’s interesting
about hashing is that it’s completely noncompetitive and set up to be social
and inclusive. One way that this is accomplished is by making false trails and
tricks that force the faster runners to run more to investigate while allowing
slower runners to catch up. There are also several check points (some with
beer) along the way to make sure nobody is lost.
Besides the drinking, socializing and exercising, the main
draw of this activity seems to be the goofy rituals and traditions that
everyone follows. For instance, every member has a special hash name that has
to be given to you and is only given after showing commitment to the club.
Names are usually embarrassing and can be inappropriate, which also reflects
the flavor of the sport. During this hash, I ran with “Swiss Pimp” and “Lip
Service” – an intern from the Swiss embassy and one from the Canadian embassy
who quickly got me up to date on all things Hash. Other members included an
extremely diverse mix of nationalities, ages and even families along for the
run or hike (there are separate tracks for each).
After the hash, everyone returned to the “hash house” for
speeches, awards, general banter, initiation, songs and chants which were all
led by the “hashmaster.” Since it was my first time at a hash, I had to answer
some horrifyingly embarrassing questions about myself in front of everyone and
then chug a beer. That part is still giving me nightmares, but the rest of the
evening was fun. To be honest, going hashing was exactly what everyone
predicted: an evening jogging outside of the city with lots of opportunities to
drink and socialize while at the same time being slightly inappropriate and
entertaining. I’ve already looked up hashing clubs in Tokyo and I’m happy to
report that there are several to choose from! I wonder if Sean will be up for it?
Sounds like a blast!
OnOn