Swimming Is Harder Than It Looks

It is Sunday. I'm reminded I live in a different country today. The swimming pool I've used for over a year is closed this month. Why? I'm not too sure. Remodeling perhaps? It seemed fine to me. How can I train for a triathlon if the pool is closed? Find another pool. After a week of searching for another pool, asking Korean friends, and Korean church members, finally I found another pool. It is really far away and the monthy pool charge is exorbitant including what it costs to get to and from the pool. I'd have to be ready to pay 200 dollars for 3 weeks of swimming. Um..Nope! The only day available for "free swim" (meaning you can pay a fee for a one day use) is Sunday. So after going to the pool last Saturday only to find out it is only open for "free swim" on Sunday's I decided to return this Sunday. My co-worker and her daughter and I decided to go right after church. We've been talking about swimming all week. We get there, and yep, you guessed it, the pool is closed. Next Sunday it will be open. WHAT???

So we were on our way home feeling really bummed. My co-worker used to swim in a city about 45 minutes away. We kind of joked about going to that pool. I asked if it they know how to get there. They knew where they pool was but were not sure "how" to get there. What mode of transport could we use? Train? Bus? She remembered it was near a bus station, she thought. It was worth the risk and the time. We told the taxi driver we'd changed our minds and that he should take us to the city bus station. We took a bus to this other city and it was near the pool. However,it too was closed when we got there but reopened after lunch. At last, we got to swim. (three hours later) Hey, now I know where another pool is. It just happens to be about an hour away from home, but it exists and it was open today (after lunch. Swimming is harder than it looks! When the pool I usually use opens up I will feel so grateful. I had no idea how good I had it until it wasn't there.