In this memory, I’m five. It’s summer, and at my kindergarten, once a week, our teachers take us to the pool inside the local YMCA in a tiny yellow kindergarten bus.
Wearing a blue flowery swim suit, I follow others onto the poolside. When everybody is there, we are introduced to our teacher who will lead our swimming lesson. She is someone I don’t know, but kind-looking. She divides us into groups of six. Each group is to hold onto a large floating board together, travel to the other side of the pool, and then come back.
As I sit and wait for my turn, I watch my friends slowly move through the water. There are different noises echoing in the misty room, and from where I am, I cannot hear any sound they must be making. Suddenly, it feels as if they have gone into another world.
When my turn comes, I eagerly go into the water and hold onto the floating boat. As it starts moving, I think to myself that now I’m the one who is entering the other world. How amazing is that!
The weekly swimming session becomes a magical time that I will always remember.