weightlessness

Today I went to the swimming pool. I don't actually know how to swim that well and I don't actually LIKE to swim that much (I don't like getting water in my face) BUT I LOVE not feeling like I weigh over 60kilos (I'm not going to translate that to pounds because it makes me sad)
I joined a gym at a local apartment complex (my friend who lives there told them I lived there too...hehe) and they have a pool. I try to go every other day and William taught me a few things about swimming and bought me a kick board.

So off I waddle to the pool today to kick back and forth in the pool.
Now just so you know. Swimming is the most recommended exercise for pregnant women. (Yoga is a fad lately that is also suggested but I like the weightlessness of swimming. And it's nice on those aching joints)
I always get interesting looks when I go to the pool. First of all as far as I can tell I'm one of the only, if not THE only, white person that to go that gym. Secondly, definitely the ONLY pregnant woman that goes to the gym. (Remember that Pregnant women in China do nothing but sit at home all day, they don't even do house work much less
work out) The older Chinese women usually stare at me in the locker room and tell me I'm making the baby cold.
Today was particularly interesting though because when I got there they said that everyone who wanted to swim had to have a doctor take their blood pressure and get their eyes checked (no I don't know the words for blood pressure... I had to call a friend to translate for me). So, after I figured out what they wanted me to do, I sit down at the doctor's table to get my blood pressure taken and he starts freaking out because I'm pregnant. He asks me how many months I am and I tell him 7months and he gets all excited and tries to tell me that I can't swim. I smile and tell him yes I can because my doctor told me to swim everyday. He is very shocked at this and continues to speak very fast Chinese... I'm not sure what he said(not that it matters because in cases like this it's best to pretend that you don't understand even if you do)... but I'm pretty sure he wasn't happy with me swimming. I smiled and told him "yes I can"

I let him take my blood pressure, which was normal despite having walked the mile and half to the gym in the heat, and he wasn't happy that it was normal. He then walked me over to the life guard and yelled at them in Chinese about me swimming. The life guard looked at me sheepishly and said "be careful" in English. (I think he was supposed to translate more than that.. but he didn't hehe).
Then the doctor walked me back to the receptionist and told her again that I was too pregnant to swim. I pretended to ignore him and started walking to the locker room so he told her to go with me and help me. She held my arm till I got into the pool.

So that was my adventure at the pool today. I plan on going back more often now... just to freak them out. :o)