Simple Pleasures

I didn't realise it was that hard to leave the house for just 3 hours without habibi and binti. It was Sunday and habibi could babysit binti, whilst I prepare myself to go swimming! Yes swimming!

The ladies committee at the mosque have organised this event and Alhamdulillah, it is a successful one! I couldn't go last week becase we had guests in the house and the pool wouldn't admit those who comes late, and I was a bit dissapointed because I could not help be in those numbers of muslim women who turned up, because that would ultimately affect the decision as to whether the Ladies' weekly swimming session will be continued or not. Also, I'm in the last month of pregnancy (still???) and soon I'll miss out on the indoor swimming sessions until they come back again (hopefully) in the next Winter.

Sometime late last year, I heard about a similar session for Ladies' at the indoor pool near me. Very excited, I packed and changed and brought Binti with me with 2 other Moroccan friends. At the gate, we were told that NO children are allowed. Ooi, it's Wednesday afternoon, who can I leave her to? It was only a 2 hours session but poor Binti had to wait outside whilst the 'ladies' go swimming. My kind friends rotate shifts to take care of Binti so that I could waddle. The dissapointment did not end there, after entering the pool, I realised the life guard is a Man (nobody said it was for Muslim ladies kan?), although I'm covered in a head to feet swimmng gear, I find his presence intrusive. Oh that's not all, the swimming pool can actually be seen by every person as it is separated from the entrance by a see-through glass. In the pool, I decided to swim by the edge of the Olympic size pool, simply because I have had leg cramps and wouldn't risk getting cramps in the middle of the deep pool...but I was told off by ladies that if I can swim, I shouldn't be swimming at the edge and that I should swim in the centre lane! I tried explaining about my leg cramps, but it didn't work..this is Germany...who am i kidding.. how can i even TRY to change things here!

Oh wait, ada lagi! When I was going for shower, I realise that it is a pretty common sight to have naked women (and men I assume) walking around in the changing/shower area. That I can take, having been a member of Clark Hatch Fitness before and quite used to seeing some 'pompan mat sallehs' from the hotel liberally walking around without their towels. But individual shower rooms have NO doors? The men's shower is also just next door, well....there isnt' really anything that separates the two of them except a few walls and a sign.

But yesterday, everything was organised differently. When I reached the sports centre, many other hijabis were already waiting in line to get in. There were also photographers from the newspapers and students doing surveys on the event. Children voices were everywhere, and they seemed as excited as their mothers and sisters. It was chaos. It was like being outside of stiff, prim and systematic Germany for 2 whole hours! But it was great. Seeing happy smiling faces everywhere is really refreshing than seeing glum-looking-old-german-hags who keep watching your every move and your rather different swimming gears.

With my potruding belly, I float easily in the olympic size pool yesterday, for once, forgetting how heavy I have become. As I have not swam for a long time, I decided to go for 'frog stlye' slow and easy. Everytime I dip my head in for a few seconds, I could easily notice the silence of the deep water, but as soon as I come up for air and intervals, I could hear chatters and laughters - like this... Quiet 1,2,3 secons..then Breathe go up ..Noise- Haleiuezafhuvzuzfewzfwezvggerkgurwv in various languages, then Quiet 1,2,3 seconds, and Noise again... It was amusing. Most ladies did not even cross the 1.35m mark, which is the swimmers' mark. They were all merely soaking at edge of the pool, but the looks on their faces, are priceless.

After 1.5 hours of swimming, me and Houda, my moroccan buddy got up to change. How delighted I am to find a door(!!!) at the individual shower rooms! I can't believe how having a door has become a luxury! Subhanallah.

But I paid a price for going out when I realised my appointed baby sitter did not put my Binti to her much-needed afternoon nap! She only slept when I came home and with the new time change, I know both of us wouldn't be getting any sleep that night. Macam nak cekik2 orang tua tu...why oh why must he disrupt our flow of the norm? Should I go next week and risk having a bad monday morning???? I think I will lah.. kalau belum beranak ...heheh..

p.s : My gynae told me my date of due is back again to April, and not March as she earlier thought. So she basically buat I penat lah cuci baju baby, pasang katil baby, cadar, preparing his car seat, prams etc!!!