The Confessions Of A Hydrophobic

There I was standing in front of a pool.... completely struck by fear of water.  At that moment that pool of water (in which my friends had alrady jumped in) looked like my destiny to me.  As if telling me "jump in girl or I am gonna make your foot slip and  then you will know what I am capable of "

I was cursing myself to have come to this water park.  My friends were shouting at me, I knew I was playing a spoil sport... or may No .... may be because of me they were having a whale of a laughter.

Very nervously, I stepped into the pool and stood there holding the side wall.  This was the first time I had entered a water body so deep.... i mean so deep for me.... actually it was hardly 4 feet (!!)

Soon,  I decided to vanish from there, and go to a kids' pool. Yes, actually I did it ! Now, after achieving some confidence after sliding on "water slide" for small kids for 5-6 times, I was feeling better.  But, oops, my friends had found me ! I was embarressed but I smiled to show I was better now.

And then, came a life time experience.  I was to slide in that long and spiral slide which is covered from top and you end up landing in the pool of water.  After much encouragement and borrowing a swimsuit from my friend (God bless her!) ( I could never think of buying one... you know it now) I held my breath and adjusted myself on the top of the slide with water gushing over my head. I lied down with my arms crossed and zzzzzzzoooooooooooo I was in the tunnel with water dictating the terms.... I must say I was scared...  what if water stops flowing? what if I get stuck here in the narrow small spiral tunnel ???

But surprisingly, nothing bad happened and I was about to land in the pool. But wait, I had not thought about this ! I don't know how to swim or even stand in water ! Stupidly enough, I had not realised all this. I was dumped in water with force, with my face down, my body almost curled up like a ball, my eyes and mouth closed and breath held. I was under the water.  For the first time I heard the water gurgle.  That deep sound of water, as if saying  " follow my orders, you have stepped in my empire now".  You have to go underwater to understand that deep sound which fills up your ears and your brain too ( if u have one).

No, it was no joke, I just could not balance myself.  Somehow I managed to come to the surface of water and waved to the man standing just there, he looked at me ignorantly.  Phew... If I was out of the pool, this man would have been all eyes for me and now he just chooses to ignore me, I was angry.  But, NO, I had no time to be angry, I was drowning. Two more times, I was under the water, only to be pushed up to the surface and getting ignored by this and many more people there.  And lastly, I was noticed by the guard, he pulled me up, as if I was drunk and could not balance myself! I shouted at him, gasping for breath, coughing badly and my head banging with pain.

I was helped by my friend who was surprised how could I manage to drown in 4 feet of water?!  I knew I stood like a sore thumb there. Felt really stupid.  But I decided, I am going to tame water..... I am going to change my destiny...... I am going to learn swimming...... and I am going to write about it in this very blog !  Wish me luck!