It is 5 weeks since I have began learning swimming with Mary Donahue. I have no access to a pool to practice what I learn during the class. So, part of my living room carpet area is dedicated for my scissor kicks and mock freestyle swimming! My son has also left me a snorkel so I can practice and accompany him on a future offshore trip to see marine life!

While I reflect back on each class I notice that there is a really good structure to Mary’s teaching methodology.  It is hard to get the kind of success …

You must be wondering what Soldier, Monkey and Airplane has to do with swimming! I wondered too!

Well, this is the unorthodox way to propel forwards when floating on the back!  Think of standing like a soldier, arms straight like in attention. Then run your hands along the body, with fingers up to the armpit to look like a monkey. Then extend the arms across like an airplane. Lo and behold, I found myself gliding through the water and moving backward! What a wonderful feeling it is! While looking up at the grey sky, I repeated the instructions “soldier, monkey, airplane, …

I intend to do a Triathlon. But there is a small problem… I am afraid of water and cannot swim!

I finally got some recommendations and joined the De Anza College for PE 26A, the novice swimming class. Yesterday was the first day of  the Spring semester class. The class started at 10AM with a large number of nervous students sitting on the bleachers for the instructor to start the class. It was a little cold.  Mary Donahue spent more than an hour on the class formalities, getting signatures, tour of the locker rooms, giving us details of her expectations of …