Norweigian Flag Day

Norwegian Flag Day
When we arrived in Apia for training there was talk all around about a bunch of us participating in a 10K. I have never been a runner in the US and since school has been in session, have slacked off in my attempt to be one. (I do go running sometimes in my village but sometimes there are two week breaks between runs.) It is difficult to run in Samoa because it is so hot here all the time! The best time I think to go is right when the sun is rising. (less chance of dog attacks, and strangers talking to you) the problem with that is recently the sun has been rising closer to 6:30 AM, and with so many things to do daily, it is hard to find time to add running into the busy morning schedule.
Monday morning I decided to put on my sneakers and give a run a try. As soon as I put on my sneakers I remembered exactly why I haven’t been running in awhile. I still have a nasty blister on my ankle from about 2 weeks ago on my last run. This blister refuses to get better. (It might be because of the klutz issue and I end up hitting the back of my ankle against everything, which opens and extends the cut there.
I walked out of the hotel and ran on the seawall for a few minutes until I could not bear the pain anymore. I walked a little, trying to limp on my ankle, but that did not seem to help. I tried running again, hoping that my brain would forget about the pain, it however did not. After a run/walk for about 15 minutes I found myself back at our hotel.
When I arrived, most of my running buddies were getting ready to start their run. I really had the urge to join them, so I switched my sneakers for Jandals, (No that is not spelled incorrectly, that actually is how sandals are spelled, at least the cheapest kind that everyone in Samoa wears!) and went out to join them.
There are several factors that show how much you have assimilated to the culture here. One of them is the ability to run in Jandals. When I first arrived here, I refused to wear them as they were not as comfortable as my awesome American sandals I brought from home. But after a few months, my shoes I brought began to ware, and Jandals were the best option. In the beginning I tried playing sports with Jandals on. Those attempts ended quickly as I found it much easier to run barefoot than in those shoes. The Samoans saw no problem with running in Jandals as it is what they are used to.
Being that I have not really attempted to exercise in Jandels, my expectations were not high. I surprisingly was able to keep up with a few of them for a got portion. (I consider 8 minutes a good portion.)
After the two short exercise spurts, I went back into Peace Corps training mode, where I got ready for class, and spent a good portion of the day learning in training.
Later in the evening I decided to go for my Hash event to see what it was all about. Hashers are a group of runners who get together weekly to do a 3-4K and spend the evening together sharing dinner. Because of it being Norwegian Flag Day, we were told to dress in red white and blue for the occasion.
I bandaged up my ankle and we headed up to the mountains for the event. It was a beautiful area to be in. On the drive Paul, another PCV, pointed out the moss covering the trees. It apparently is a moss that can only grow in places of very high oxygen. (Another volunteer mentioned that we would be running in a “runners paradise” because of this.)
We met at someone’s house (a house that gave me flashbacks to Fairbanks) and had a quick description of the run. (“We will be passing cows and by the cows watch out as there is a hole, do not fall in like I did” Also reminded to look for the paper markers to guide us.) And off everyone went. I decided because of my blister problems I probably wouldn’t be running, maybe jogging or walking….however the blister decided to take control of my plans and hurt even worse than in the morning. I decided, to take off my shoe on my right foot and do the route walking with one shoe on, one shoe off. The trail was very rocky, but surprisingly my feet held up pretty nicely.
When we got back to the house everyone immediately welcomed us in and we had some great chats. Some of the people there were Australian volunteers, others were Samoans, others were volunteers from other parts of the world, and some were just Palagis that decided to move to Samoa. Later in the evening, one of the Hashers sang the Norwegian National Anthem in honor of their Flag Day. We then feasted on Norwegian reindeer meatballs and Norwegian Stew.
It was truly an amazing time. I hope my blister decides to finally get better so I can join them in an actual run next week.