Pool Days

Summer vacation is here for the kids and we're making the most of it with frequent pool trips. Even today, they were at the pool with Jack and a friend of his while you-can-guess-who was in her office trying to finish up some work (never, ever finish-able). We can spend pretty much the whole day at the pool, usually bringing our own fruit and snacks that rapidly disappear and having to buy ramen, udong, kimbap, and other types of food at the food stations. Luckily, the food is reasonably-priced so we don't end up spending a lot of money. The pool has some wacky rules like: 1) you must wear a swim cap at all times in the pool or a lifeguard will blow his/her whistle at you very loudly and yell that you have to get out if you don't get a cap on NOW (apparently, not wearing a cap is 'dirty;' ok, but it's alright to pee in the water? and not to mention the slick suntain oil that washes off into the water....); 2) you are required to take a 15 minute break at the end of every hour; the announcer says its 'for health, ' but I think it's so the lifeguards can get regular breaks (although they seem to spend half the breaktime blowing whistles and yelling at the kid who inevitably sticks his/her feet in the water, jumps in on a dare, or dips his/her water gun in the pull to re-supply); 3) you are not allowed to take photos (we got away with it by taking quick shots of the kids, but apparently the rule is in place so creepy guys won't go to take photos of girls in bikinis; also, it makes a safe place for celebrities and models to come and relax--we've seen a few there that Jack and his friends recognized, including one transexual that definitely passed for a woman). I met some British women who were new to the pool while in the bathroom (or, should I say, the 'loo') and they asked, "Why is no one swimming?" I was tempted to make up some fable about a suspected skin fungus or a Han River monster stuck in the pool (maybe they haven't seen the movie), but was nice and told them it was just break time. "Why?" they asked. "It's for health," I responded. It's funny that the excuses we find so lame, we end up using, too, for lack of imagination. They then asked, "Do I have to wear a cap?" I told them yes. "Even if we pretend we don't know the rule and don't know Korean?" Told them it doesn't matter; the lifeguards don't evaluate your linguistic ability, they just use body language to let you know you're breaking the rules. Go on, suck it up girls! This is Seoul. Buy the silly little caps at the overpriced supply store on site. The good thing about the swim hats and goggles is that the kids look so cute all decked up. Dahin does a pretty convincing Esther Williams. Another good thing about going to the pool so often: Dahin has learned to swim--she does a mean breast stroke. So there, expensive YMCA swim lessons! We didn't need you after all. The boys are a little tougher, but we're working on the doggie paddle in the shallow end. Photos of the kids and a friend hamming it up are courtesy of our friend Peter.