Although only a few meetings were scheduled, today still proved to be a very eventful day. More on that later. We started running in Zadar, where we finished yesterday. Time passed quickly and around one 'o clock we were in Biograd Na Moru.

Many children joined us running to the main square. There we were received by the mayor and a full-fledged program was organized for us. We witnessed traditional dancing, marching, singing and a beautiful arrangement by the local orchestra. Then we had a hearty lunch of pasta and proceeded to the elementary school in town, where a large group of children were waiting for us.

Now it is time for a funny or painful story, you be the judge. One part of the presentation we do for the kids involves acting out skits on harmony and disharmony.

We were in the middle of one skit which depicted disharmony: three guys are running and they start fighting who gets to hold the torch. So when Frank wrestled with me to grab the torch I let myself fall to the ground. This always rouses the kids to fits of laughter as they quite seem to like slapstick.

But this time the skit had an unprecedented level of reality to it, for when I fell down I found myself unable to get up. My right shoulder had snapped right out of its socket. There I was lying limp in the middle of a classroom presentation, which went on as if nothing had happened. "I cannot get up. Seriously." I whispered to the guys as they tried to get me back up to my feet. "I think my right shoulder is dislocated." Martin from Austria immediately snapped into action. He ordered Frank to hold me tight, told me to breath in and out, put his right foot on my side, got hold of my arm and yanked at it. Click, it said. Everything fell back into place and I was able to get up again. Relieved I quickly thanked Martin and went on with the presentation. Nobody seemed to have noticed and we finished the presentation in good spirits.

I was just grateful and happy that things had gone really smoothly and my shoulder didn't hurt. I had dislocated it once earlier and then it had been much worse. Still, at the end of the day it had stiffened up considerably and I was unable to use it properly. It got put in a sling and I booked a flight back home, leaving a few days earlier than planned, for running is out of the question in this state. This is life, not always a bed of roses, even on the World Harmony Run. The others ran the remaining distance to Vodice, taking time in between for a quick dip in the sea. In Vodice a huge reception was organized with hundreds of people and children.

The local choir sang our own World Harmony Run song both in English and in Croatian and also performed a few other haunting songs. There were a lot of children performing as well and the atmosphere was both cheerful and serene, the beautiful blue of the Adriatic Sea always in the background.

The city had really gone out of its way to please us, even providing us with a delicious meal and we are very, very grateful to them.

My story ends here. Others will take over and I'll just take it easy for a few days. I wish everyone a great and grand time on the Run and see you all in Amsterdam at the end of the journey!

Abhinabha, The Netherlands

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Team Members:
Martin Leitner (Austria), Hidde Abhinabha Tangerman (The Netherlands), Jana Chochlikova (Slovakia), Tatyana Chochlikova (Slovakia), Frank Foerster (Germany), Predrag Trkulja (Serbia), Petr Machacek (Czech Republic)

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