Buying a Swimsuit in Thailand

When I found out we might be swimming on our staff retreat last week, I asked P'Phon where I could get a swimsuit.  She offered to take me to the mall, so we went to a sports store.  The mall looked and felt just like an American mall.  P'Phon planned on taking her kids swimming after we bought my swimsuit, so I planned on going with them.

Well in case you're reading this and don't actually ever see me, I typically shop in the petite section.  I happen to be the shortest person in my entire family (relatives included).

But here in Asia, I wear a large and possibly an XL.  Picking up the "Small" swimsuit was like picking up an XXS in the Juniors department at one of the malls in America.

Humbling.

I tried on several swimsuits (I was getting ambitious even with the mediums I tried on) and found a very colorful one that fits well and I actually love how cheery the print is.  Swimsuits here are not like in America... They're very modest.  The girls typically wear skirts (mine's about halfway between my knees and hips), and my swimsuit happens to have a tank-top like top.  I actually really like it.

Well.  I pick out my swimsuit & find P'Phon, and she says, "KT you need a swim cap."  Whaaaa??  You mean I'm gonna stuff all my BIG hair inside a spandex cap?  And I mean BIG.  I didn't know my hair even got so big, or so curly.  Seriously, my hair has never been this curly in my life.  I'm finally adjusting to the change & learning to appreciate the humidity that comes with living in a beautiful, tropical climate.  I'll have to get a pic, you just won't even believe.  I feel so..."Dallas."  I kind of like it.  *kindof*  I'm sure I'll get used it.

or I'll just shave my head.

But anyway, swim caps are required to swim at the university pool where P'Phon & P'Oy go swimming.  This is the pool:

It's. gorgeous.  Please notice the platforms in the first picture.   

Then think about what those platforms are for. 

Then remember little kt who gets water in her nose just about every time she goes underwater.  

Annnnd...here we go: 

P'Phon picks out a cap for me to match my swimsuit and says, "Ok now you need goggles." 

"Oh no, I don't ever open my eyes underwater, I'll be fine." 

"But you swim without getting water in your eyes?  and look it is a nose plug." 

"Well, I usually just swim leisurely at home.  Do you not?" 

"OH NO! P'Phon (she doesn't say 'me,' it's precious and iloveit) swims for exercise, want to lose pounds."  

Oh, well then, I can do that.  (the pic above was taken about 5 days before we went shopping.  obviously something hadn't registered in my brain yet regarding "going swimming").  "Okay let's pick out some goggles."  I got pink ones, they're s'cute.  Sa Cute.  SQT.  (if you know what that's from, we may be kindred spirits).  

Turns out - when P'Phon & P'Oy "go swimming" they literally "GO SWIMMING," unlike the way I've always "gone swimming," which should rather be called "go lay in the pool and float, and maybe sort-of swim a few backyard-pool laps with a koozie in hand."  We ended up running out of time to GOSWIMMINGINTHEOLYMPICSIZEDPOOL, so to keep the kids from being too disappointed, we let them pick a place for dinner. 

McDonald's it was.  Something got lost in translation & I ended up with a Big Mac instead of a single-patty cheeseburger.  Oh, the travesty [irony].  Replaced swimminginanolympicsizedpool with eatingaBigMac.  hahaha.  

Friday evening, P'Phon & P'Oy picked us up to finally go swimming (Nellie came with us this time).  P'Oy and I ran for a few miles around the university's track before swimming, and then we definitely did swim across the standard Olympic pool.  I made it 3/4 of one lap before getting entirely too much water inside my head, but after a 5-minute break to drain all the pool water out of my nose, I continued to swim and finished 3.5 laps (350 Meters).  Nellie made it much farther than me, and P'Phon swam her full 20 laps.  Wow, I am inspired.  

I'm gonna come home from Thailand in great shape if I keep exercising with these ladies.  And people are gonna be like, "oh my gosh, kt, when did you become such a good swimmer."  And I'm gonna say, "Oh ya know, I just trained in an Olympic-sized pool in Thailand."  

or maybe I'll say, "Ohh, we would just GOSWIMMING in Thailand sometimes on hot days."  And only those who've read this post will know what "go swimming" really means to me now.  :)  

I love my new friends, and I love my new city.  Do you love my new outfit?