We took Beau to his 1st swim class last Saturday. In Russia. In January. It was 3 degrees F outside.
The class started and everyone rather silently got in the pool. There was some sing-song Russian music playing overhead. The class was taught in Russian, and there weren't any other Americans, which I suppose added to our quietness and nervousness. Didn't really matter, because "swimming" for Beau at this point is more about watching/imitating than it is instruction/technique. Still, it would have been nice to talk with some of the other parents while we got ready and waited...maybe next time. There isn't a start or end date to these classes, just drop-in week to week, so it will be interesting if we see any of the same people.
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| Oh, Russian winter!! |
It's hard to put into words how the class went and what the vibe felt like. My photos really don't represent the feeling properly. Scott and I were both nervous; it was a new activity with Beau, at a place we'd never seen and no one we knew had been either. Definitely outside our comfort zone with lots of unknowns.
Scott was primarily concerned about poop in the pool. I was worried about crying. Miraculously, both our fears were unfounded (see happy photos below!).
We arrived and walked in to a teeny entryway for coats and boots. This room was maybe the size of a medium "powder room" and was freezing. It quickly became PACKED full of coats, bags and shoes as everyone arrived.
Three or four steps up and we entered another small room, the "lobby," where there was a front desk, a small sofa and some toys/books. This room was warmer, with carpeting, and it was here where everyone paced around in tiny circles waiting for class to start. Off to one side and down a few steps there were 2 doors leading to postage stamp sized locker rooms. Through a glass door and up a few more steps we could see the pool, which was about the size of an extra large hot tub. The room with the pool was super warm and humid, as one would expect of an indoor swimming pool.
Pretty much everyone came in pairs with their one baby because this was an all hands on deck operation! There were several Dads, which made me happy. On the other hand, one Dad kept dangling his son by the arm like a monkey(!!), while the mom calmly took off the kid's clothes. I watched in horror as the child just hung there, swaying slightly, and thought that surely the poor baby's arm was going to rip right out of its socket. I wish I'd snapped a pic but I was too stunned. Instead, I got this one:
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| Father and son in matching tropical prints. |
The class started and everyone rather silently got in the pool. There was some sing-song Russian music playing overhead. The class was taught in Russian, and there weren't any other Americans, which I suppose added to our quietness and nervousness. Didn't really matter, because "swimming" for Beau at this point is more about watching/imitating than it is instruction/technique. Still, it would have been nice to talk with some of the other parents while we got ready and waited...maybe next time. There isn't a start or end date to these classes, just drop-in week to week, so it will be interesting if we see any of the same people.
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| Baby pile-up! |
The teacher was cute, energetic and used lots of hand gestures. She had a little fake babydoll that she used to demo all the 'moves.' And the parents eventually started singing along with the music as they waded around in a big circle holding the babies. Pretty cute.
That part felt like it could have been anywhere. By the time the class ended, the mood was lighter and there was a little more chatter.
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| Two happy peas in the (pool-)pod. I think we've found our regular Saturday morning activity! |
At the end the music stopped, everyone exited the pool and began the complex process of drying and redressing themselves and their babies. As we left the different "zones" (pool, lobby, coat room) the temperature got cooler and cooler, until we were back outside in the frigid Moscow air.
