Swimming Classes

After much thought and debating and convincing from the Mr., I finally decided to get over my inhibition of the swim-wear and decided to join swimming lessons. So, with great enthu I went to shop for a swim wear on Monday (classes were to begin on Tue) and was so disappointed to find just a couple of itsy-bitsy bikins. With much great effort(and patience from the Mr.) and spending close to an hour at two shops, I managed to find something that decently covers me up – why in the world can’t they have swim shorts for women also ???? Beats me!

Of all the days, it was only on Tuesday that the Mr. had to come late. After a hurried bite of the Pori that I made, we rushed off to the class at 8:30 PM. Driving in pitch black darkness and in pelting rain, we managed to find the Community center. While the Mr. filled out the forms, I stumbled around trying to find the changing room and was flustered not knowing where to put my stuff and landed near the pool –a towel wrapped around my waist, my winter jacket on me – looking like an absolute idiot. I was glad that all the people enrolled in the class were elderly people and no lechers (And moreover as the Mr. rightly puts it – if there were to ogle they would at all those beautiful American instructors and not us Indian ladies).

I was just about to relax and not let my obsession with my attire work on me, when this other Indian Lady (lets call her J from now on) had to remark – I wonder how you could bring yourself to wear this! And that was it – all the confidence I had went down the pool – she herself was drabbed in an athletic track suit as if she was assuming that we would be sprinting in the pool lanes and not swimming.

And as luck would be, I was not exactly like a fish in water – in fact I was the exact opposite. I could not even get myself to dunk completely into the pool, which was only 4ft deep. After much struggling with trying to float, I gave up and ended up struggling for breath. So much for my wish to be able to swim in 8 classes, I will be glad if I can atleast float at the end of this entire ordeal.

The Mr. was a great support in all this – calmly listening to all my frustrations and urging me to tryin breathing out - inside water, and holding my hands while I tried to float. He even enrolled in the class just to be with me (he swims quite well already). All the way back home, he was there giving me gyan on how to calm myself and boosting me up to think of how I struggled on my first day of driving and how I driving casually with only one hand on the steering wheel today (2 months since that disastorous first day). Oh! What would I do without this sweet angel husband of mine!

Today is the 2nd class – ppl wish me all the luck – I should atleast be able to float holding onto the pool wall.

Comments

Anonymous said…
As someone I respect highly put it: "What do you have to be ashamed of in yourself?" -- I'd extend that to my body - which is thin, and all that, but heck, it's mine, and I'll be dead before I am ashamed of it :)

Think of this as another of the things that you have to overcome - i know, it can be difficult, but le tthe oglers go to hell, and so too old women in tracksuits.

"The Mr. was a great support in all this – calmly listening to all my frustrations and urging me to try out breathing inside water." -- breathing under water has been known to be dangerous ;)

Good luck.
Vidhya Rajesh said…
$$ Carthik - Thanks for the encouragement :)
Whoops! that was a big blunder ... Am changing my blog this minute, lest somebody should get some ideas about the Mr. :))
So, how have you been ??
Anonymous said…
hey vidhya..

Good luck on your swimming classes... learn well. I will get my swimming classes from you :D)
Anonymous said…
Hey Vidhya...

Good luck with your swimming classes. I am pretty sure you will be swimming on your own very soon.. Learn well ok.. I plan on getting my swimming classes from you... :D)
Hip Grandma said…
Good luck to you!My Bhabi learnt to swim at the age of 45 after both her sons left home.One to work and the other to do his Masters.She also wore a track suit.You'll learn faster.
Vidhya Rajesh said…
$$ Hip Grandma - Thanks so much for the encouragement... I hope you did not feel offended by that comment on Track suit - well I was miffed by J's comment on my attire that is all!
I hope i learn at the end of the 8 classes - it will boost my morale a lot :)
Anonymous said…
I'm doing pretty good, Vidhya... good luck with your swimming lessons. I find it amusing that some US universities need one to pass a swimming test before they give you a degree. That's the kind of motivation I'll need to learn swimming ;)
Vidhya Rajesh said…
$$ Carthik - I would say that is a nice thing that they impose it on kids - otherwise one would never learn it. Here in Troy , they have to pass a couple of levels to finish High school!!
Wish they had done so back in India also :)

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