Mew was extremely excited to participate in the swimming class: she urged me all the time for its enrolment and whenever she went to bath, she would put on her swimming suit and pretend to be a swirling fish in our tiny bath, and make the bathroom's floor look like the aftermath of a flood! Talking about the enrolment of the swimming class, I could have never been able to imagine such a thing here in a developed country: the flyer stated clearly that the enrolment would start from 5pm on Monday 13 September at the quartier's swimming pool but learning from my own experience last year when I came 15 minutes late and no spot left, I decided to go there 1 hour in advance, i.e. at 4pm. Oh my God, upon arriving there, I could not believe in my eyes: a line of about 20 persons had been established in front of the door. I doubted my chance to get a spot for Mew in the class of her level, but then queued in the line anyway with a dim hope. Later, the line became longer and longer and behind me there were about hundred of parents (I was told later that the line was even around a few more blocks). No sign of door opening at 5pm as stated. We waited and waited and more parents came and got shocked at what they were seeing. Until 5.45pm the door finally opened and the enrolment started. Yet the line moved with the turtle's pace and I could only stepped on the threshold at 6.20pm. Luckily, at my turn, there was just one spot available in the class I wanted to enrol Mew. Such a relief! Happy with that, I did not mind waiting outside of the payment room for about 25 more minutes (yet I could not understand why the payment took so long for the people in front of me???). At 6.50pm, I stepped out of the building, with the lucky enrolment slip in hand, and felt so pity for a hundred of parents behind me who then still queued impatiently outside. Coming back home, I told my hubbie that it was just a swimming course and a hundred of parents had to line up for at least 3 hours to get a spot for their children (and a lot would have to come home after long hours of queuing without any success!). It reminded me of the fact that in our native country, in order to have a chance to get a spot for their children in a good public kindergarten or a good public primary school (for future first graders), families often had to queue in front of the school's gate since midnight or even earlier! But that could be understood as it was a competition for a good place of formal education. Here, it was simply a swimming course!!!
I did not go with Mew this morning to her first swimming lesson but according to her Daddy and herself, everything was very fine and Mew did not cry or were not scared at all even though she had to separate from her Daddy before following her teacher to jump into the pool. At this level, kids are required to be at ease in the water with the help of floats and no parents' presence in the water is allowed. I hope that we could have some pictures at her upcoming lessons.
I post here the photos of Mew in her Karate's uniform: she does not really like kungfu (thinking that it is just for boys) but we persuade her to continue with this wonderful teacher to improve her physical fitness as well as to equip herself with necessary self-defense skills that are extremely important for girls today.
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