Ladies and gentlemen, we have a little swimmer on our hands! It wasn’t looking so good for awhile there. She had a lot of fear about getting into the water and stomped around for days insisting, “I’m NOT going!” By some miracle we got her in the water and although she’s the world’s worst listener, over the course of 12 weeks she’s managed to master the required skills. So much so, in fact, that she has already been bumped to level 2 and will start there when classes resume in January! Here she is proudly displaying her level 2 band.
This is such a relief because swimming is a big deal overseas. Along with soccer, dance, and basketball it’s one of the sports that’s universally offered at international schools. Not to mention that there just tends to be a lot of swimming in expat life, whether it be on vacations or in your apartment complex. I was nervous that if we didn’t get her learning soon that her fear would prevent her from trying it at all.
Now granted, I HATED swimming lessons. In fact, I absolutely dreaded going to them in freezing White Bear Lake with slimy weeds under my feet and fish biting my toes. But am I glad now that I know how to swim?? Most definitely! Swimming is definitely a life skill and Nia needs to learn whether she likes it or not. Fortunately, it seems like her attitude toward it is improving. There has even been talk of wanting to join the swim team!
Here are a few of the things Nia has been working on:
Dunking her head under water
Back Float
Front Float
Jumping into the Deep End of the Pool
We plan to do one more session in the spring here and then will pick it up again when we get to Mumbai. We’ve let her know that swimming lessons will continue to happen until she can swim comfortably without a floatie. She seems accepting of that decision. Let’s just hope she continues to cooperate and get in the water!
I leave you today with another beautiful pic of Lilongwe. Rainy season is just starting and these flame trees are brightening up the roads. I can’t tell you what a delight it is to enjoy them every day. Africa has the most ridiculously beautiful flowering trees. It’s unreal.
Have a great rest of the week all!
