When I saw the drawing/invention of the flotation device (below photo), I thought of QQ and his son swimming together and the frustration QQ feels by JL inability to let go of the aid of the flotation device. I must admit that if I was not forced (or threaten) by my swimming instructor (a high school kid), I would probably never let go of the floating board, the noodle and the life vest either. I could swim the entire length of the pool as long as I could see where the instructor was. That is my security blanket knowing that she would save me if I got a "charlie horse" and started sinking. Most of the time I swim with my eyes closed and since I could not see without glasses and I don't wear contact lenses while swimming, I could only identify my instructor by where I last saw her. One time she wanted me to follow her around the pool, since I was unable to see her face, at the turn around the corner, I got mixed up and followed someone else! 
"I wish our boat was built this way when we left Viet Nam" I commented to my husband when we saw Leonardo's invention of the double hull system. The method was designed to prevent boat from sinking when the outer hull were breached. Leonardo invented the system to be used in maritime warfare. In recent legislation, this system has been widely promoted as a solution to the problem of oil spills by replacing all single hull oil tankers with double hull vessels.
If only our boat from Viet Nam was built with double hulls, we could have sailed all the way from My Tho, to South China Sea, crossed the Pacific Ocean and arrived safely in California, without having to make a 7-month stop in the refugee camp!
When I saw the drawing/invention of the flotation device (below photo), I thought of QQ and his son swimming together and the frustration QQ feels by JL inability to let go of the aid of the flotation device. I must admit that if I was not forced (or threaten) by my swimming instructor (a high school kid), I would probably never let go of the floating board, the noodle and the life vest either. I could swim the entire length of the pool as long as I could see where the instructor was. That is my security blanket knowing that she would save me if I got a "charlie horse" and started sinking. Most of the time I swim with my eyes closed and since I could not see without glasses and I don't wear contact lenses while swimming, I could only identify my instructor by where I last saw her. One time she wanted me to follow her around the pool, since I was unable to see her face, at the turn around the corner, I got mixed up and followed someone else! 
"I wish our boat was built this way when we left Viet Nam" I commented to my husband when we saw Leonardo's invention of the double hull system. The method was designed to prevent boat from sinking when the outer hull were breached. Leonardo invented the system to be used in maritime warfare. In recent legislation, this system has been widely promoted as a solution to the problem of oil spills by replacing all single hull oil tankers with double hull vessels. 
If only our boat from Viet Nam was built with double hulls, we could have sailed all the way from My Tho, to South China Sea, crossed the Pacific Ocean and arrived safely in California, without having to make a 7-month stop in the refugee camp!
2 comments:
JL does not need a flotation device. He needs goggles and swims badly without them. He is a better swimmer than me in all aspects but without his goggles he is lesser of a swimmer. Unfortunately for me, he still can beat me though at swim races, goggles or not.
My mistake - you did write that JL could not let go of the goggles. I guess he is a better swimmer than his Big Anutie too - haa haa.
TOTA
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