Taking a Dip to Cool Off

When the day is very warm, around 80°F (27°C) and very dry, the best part of the day is swimming in the afternoon. The children run to the pool leaving behind a path of their clothes as they strip off each article of clothing right down to their underwear. Myself, I am a little less daring or should I say more self conscious, so I head to my room first to change into my bathing suit before I make the run to the pool. I have spent some time teaching the children how to dive and some elementary swimming strokes. I’m trying to get the children away from having to “dog paddle” everywhere around the pool. There are three kids Ahbe, Ahtit, and Gong-gwan that have become excellent swimmers, not to say that they are the best, but they have really excelled. I have come to believe that the real reason they have improved so much is that these three spend the most amount of time in the water. For more than half the children the water is cold because it does not stay hot long enough for them to heat the pool during the day, and most of the children are thin-skinned. Besides me, the other male volunteer, Lawson, who is also a University of Oregon student, and the owner of the school, Richard Haugland, all find the pool a great place to cool off and also a place to see the children laughing and playing. Haugland says that by March, one of the hottest months of the year, the water will be warmer for the children to go swimming, and there are hopes that the kiddy pool will be a fun place for the younger 3 and 4 year old children who are not yet ready for the big pool. I am always excited to be swimming and think of this as a time to get reenergized.