When I was in Australia this year, I went to the swimming pool on a Saturday morning to do my laps. “There won’t be much space,” my friend informed me, at which I scoffed. Sure, for the hour or so after opening it can be pretty crowded, but then it’s pretty much clear sailing… or clear swimming as it were.
But she was right. The pool was PACKED. I struggled to park.
In Austria, if I take my kid to the pool early on a Saturday morning, there might be a child or two around. I mean, there’s always some kid that wakes up at 5am. As the day wears on it gets busier. But only a couple are wearing hats, and a handful with swim shirts.
I mean, I know the UV hits different in Australia, but still, it’s crazy to see. Every mother accompanying a small child at the local pool here is wearing a bikini and sunglasses. I am wearing a bucket hat and a UV top. I look exactly like an Australian in the wrong place.
So, I will try to teach my child to swim like an Aussie. Even if that puts him at risk at looking like an Australian in the wrong place. Hopefully someone will teach him how to ski to rectify that just a little.
an aussie in austria 