Caution - Beware of Pool!
Tuesday, October 7th, 2008Swimming Safety.
Koreans have had a long affair with swimming. Korea is a peninsular country surrounded by water so naturally, Koreans have been swimming for recreation for some time. However, danger lurks in those calming waters…but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s set the stage.
In America, typically we teach our children to do three things as soon as possible: feed themselves, ride a bike, and swim. Don’t get me wrong - we don’t throw kids in the pool and hope they resurface eventually. Traditionally though, whenever a family goes swimming the toddler goes in the pool while the adult teaches the child how to swim. Little by little, once the child gains confidence, we typically encourage him or her to swim relatively unassisted until the child can swim all by themselves. Same process with tying shoes, learning how to dress themselves, ride a bike, etc.
All in all, Americans view swimming much like driving a car - everyone knows how to do it so it’s not a big deal. None of us can swim like Michael Phelps but we can float safely and certainly feel quite confident in a pool whether we are using proper form or not.
Well, I’m not sure what exactly where the breakdown happens in Korea, but I notice the vast majority of people terrified of swimming. Like unnecessarily terrified. 8-year-olds practically screaming because of the “lazy river” water current, 11-year-olds complaining about the (not even) 3.5 foot depth, and children of all ages clutching to the closest older relative so as to not drown in the kiddie pool. Not to mention that all the while they are covered from head to toe in safety apparel like innertubes, wingies, lifevests, and bathing caps.
Oh and bathing caps are not optional. Moving on.
The wavepool is where I get emotional. We all know the wave pool, right? It’s a simulated beach with a large motor that forces water to rise and fall producing waves. Most waterparks have them to varying size and strength. I visited the lovely 대명리조트 in 부안 this summer and was greeted with a brand new facility, top-class service, and an attached waterpark that was nothing short of stunning. The wave pool here was decent enough and I couldn’t wait to tackle the cool waters only to find out that I had to wear a lifevest to go swimming.
Have we not gone over this before? I can swim. Everyone I know can swim. It’s not a talent - it’s a learned skill. Alas, if I wanted to cool down appropriately, I had to don a seemingly 25-pound lifevest. Mind you, it is quite difficult to swim in a lifevest. I’m pretty sure they are designed for floating as I felt very encumbered. I got tired after five minutes of flailing my arms and had to take a rest. Fear not! Mandatory rests on the hour every hour are commonplace and as soon as the lifeguards’ whistles blew, the entire pool emptied in less than a minute.
Speaking of the lifeguards, they take their responsibilities quite seriously. Two of them serviced a pool area about the size of a kindergarten classroom and were not only pacing back and forth, they were giving out suggestions (rather commands) to the swimmers so they could stay safe. It’s commendable, if not a little out of place.
The point being is that artificial pools are littered with ill-equipped swimmers who are over-protected and over-dressed with safety.
What really surprises me is the ocean and how people treated the water there. The waves were dangerously violent as I was knocked down several times and the salinity of the water was eye-burningly-high. What was missing? All forms of safety. No bathing caps, no lifevests, no floaties - just a bunch of people having fun when really - it was quite dangerous if you ask me. I left that beach with a headache, sores, and a killer bruise on my leg.
Perhaps it’s like 정은 said in Advanced Audio Blog #17 about how Koreans have misconceptions about swimming. In her case, she was convinced that women that swim would develop broader shoulders. Is this one of many reasons why Koreans don’t bother to learn it? Maybe I have it wrong - maybe Koreans don’t have a long history with swimming.
I know that I don’t have particularly pleasant memories about learning to swim (as myself and my brothers love to bring up to my parents the story of the borderline abusive swim teacher and how no one believed us that she was pure evil) But even with my tragic initial experience with swimming, I can say that I am an accomplished swimmer. But who cares? Apparently Koreans do.
Oh well.
Thoughts?
Posted by Matthew in How Koreans Do It |
October 7th, 2008 at 6:24 am
Spending the first year of my life living on a yacht and the following years with a life that heavily revolved around the beach and the swimming pool, I honestly cannot wrap my head around the concept of people who can’t swim. For me, being able to at least float if nothing else is as simple and natural as breathing!
I can imagine a lifevest was quite a mood killer for a wave pool D:
October 7th, 2008 at 7:06 am
I’m just wondering if Korean society had a view that the ocean is a thing to be grateful for (primarily for being a major food source) but feared (people can drown; lots of scary creatures, etc).
In Bali, for example, many people still have this view. The gods live in the mountains, humans live in “middle earth”, and demons and other malevolent forces come from the direction of the seas. This is not to say that the ocean itself is inherently evil - on the contrary, some of the most powerful types of holy water must be made with sea water. It’s just that people regard the ocean with a certain amount of awe mixed with fear. And most people are reluctant to amuse themselves light-heartedly (i.e. swim) in the presence of an awesome natural force such as the ocean. Therefore, there aren’t a lot of strong swimmers in Bali.
October 7th, 2008 at 7:14 am
In Norway, learning how to swim is mandatory. It’s on the school curriculum. I’ve never been overly fond of swimming. If I had to wear a life vest to go swimming, I’d never do it. For some reason, I completely panic with them on. I think it’s claustrophobic in water without them on. And you should be really careful by the ocean - I almost drowned once.
October 7th, 2008 at 8:06 am
Well, I didn’t drown but I did lose my glasses in the beach scene above about five minutes after the photo was taken. Thankfully, I found them with my feet on the bottom of the beach floor soon after. Even better, I got LASIK a month after
Woah, Ed - you completely make sense. I had never thought of it that way before. I can speak for myself in that swimming is out of pleasure and not out of reverence of any sort - while singing is something that can be done in a playful way but also in a somber, respectful way. Perhaps I am being culturally insensitive to Koreans - assuming that they do think of water as a powerful entity.
Hmm…
October 7th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Unfortunately, due to that view (not only in Bali, but all throughout insular Southeast Asia), one often hears of large groups of people drowning when inter-island ferries either capsize or sink. And they always say that more people would have survived these incidents if they had only learned how to swim.
But it’s a difficult proposition to get across because many of these people are absolutely TERRIFIED of getting in the water (without the aid of a boat) in the first place.
October 7th, 2008 at 11:10 am
very interesting.. i honestly don’t remember a time when i didn’t know how to swim. i grew up in minnesota which is called “the land of 10,000 lakes” for a reason! during the summer we would go swimming just about every day, and i remember even as a really young child (like 5 or 6) swimming out to the diving platform, which was usually in at least 10-12 feet of water, without any adult supervision. we would also get out of the boat in the middle of the lake and swim sometimes. swimming lessons start with infants and toddlers.. and swimming was required as part of p.e. in school.
i saw a korean wave pool on “we got married” and they all had to wear life vests as well. i don’t think i’ll be going to a water park if i go to korea - i just don’t think i could swim with a life vest.. not to mention, i don’t really like water parks.. hahaha..
October 7th, 2008 at 11:37 am
I can swim, but not very well. And I prefer to swim in the ocean (growing up in San Diego and all) - even though I did get stung by a stingray once more than ten years ago. That was anything BUT fun - I thought it was a hypodermic needle, but the lifeguard on duty said that it was a stingray. I had to spend pretty much the rest of the afternoon with my hurt leg in a bucket of really hot water.
October 7th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Very interesting! Reading what you wrote, Matthew, I was asking myself “hmm, when did I learn to swim?” and funny enough, the only experience I can recall in relation to swimming education is the 2 or 3 visits to the swimming pool when I was in elementary school - but no one was teaching - we were just playing in the water that wasn’t deep enough for us to drown in. And that’s it. Haha.
I had to register at a local gym to learn proper swimming.
On the other hand, however, my father was born and raised in the countryside where there were a lot of valleys in the mountains, so he’s naturally an excellent swimmer and so are all m fathers friends. But other than people who are naturally in an environment like that, I guess Korean people are generally less ready to swim.
October 7th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
And there are plenty of Americans who can’t swim.
It basically boils down to the issue of “accessibility” - it’s one thing if you have parents or other adults who can swim and help you develop your skill. It’s something completely different if your parents can’t swim and are reluctant to even get into the water. Also, swimming lessons are often simply out of reach (financially and/or logistically) for those who need it most.
October 8th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
I didn’t go to any water parks when I was in Korea, or even swimming pools, so I don’t have any firsthand accounts of what Matthew was talking about. But, it’s an interesting thing to be told about… Another great blog, Matthew!
And I couldn’t imagine going into a wave pool with a life vest on. An amusement park near Toronto seems to be obsessed with avoiding being sued (well, who isn’t these days…), but even they don’t demand swimmers wear life vests. Yes, the wave pool is surrounded by a veritable phalanx of lifeguards, but that’s just prudent, as the pool does get very deep in places.
I remember listening to/reading the audio blog you referenced, Matthew, and needing to re-read the part where 정은 says that she’s heard that women who swim get broader shoulders. I’d never heard that before, and I thought I had misunderstood her…
October 9th, 2008 at 2:10 am
I have a definite fear of water/drowning. I never learned how to swim, and I can not tread water at all. I sink and panic. Water is not my friend.
And it still seems a bit overkill to have two lifeguards at a “kiddie” pool only 3.5′ deep. Lol.
November 30th, 2008 at 6:05 am
I remember going to water park in South Korea when I was little. It was a kindergarten field trip. I wasn’t petrified at all. I loved being in the water. I was in a kiddie pool and it was indeed very shallow and crowded! I remember diving head first into that pool… it was a miracle that I didn’t get concussion because I remember hitting the floor really hard. Same thing when a dead big branch hit my head directly from above, still didn’t get concussion. Same thing when I try to fly like Superman and accidently hit my head on the door frame. I must have a really thick head.
After I moved to California, I was 8 when my grandpa first taught me how to swim, my grandma was petrified because she thought I would drown. Even more petrified when I didn’t have my life jacket on. I thought it was funny.
November 30th, 2008 at 8:17 am
Wow everyone, these are some awesome responses. I think I smiled at each and everyone’s story
I’m loving it!
Wouldn’t an indoor heated pool be just perfect on a day like today?