I’ve been socially active in April because I joined a multi-day beach and island hopping trip with strangers, enrolled myself in a swimming class, personally met with old friends, volunteered for a mangrove tree-planting event, and bonded with my family at a local beach resort. Also this month, I finally bought an inverter aircon for my nephew’s room which was a long overdue decision. I hope I won’t regret this.
On Swimming
My past swimming lessons were a bit traumatic for me because the instructor was too strict which was not conducive to learning so I did not finish it, nor gain any confidence to continue swimming. My coach now is more patient with me and does not hesitate to correct my form. I am still learning freestyle and it is challenging for me who always ran out of breath and who is a slow learner. The science of swimming is fascinating because I am proven wrong with my assumption that the legs propel us forward. The power lies in how we use our arms and position our bodies to gain traction and reach the end. I have to remind myself to keep my head in a neutral position, pull the water towards my chest using one arm while maintaining the other forward and afloat, elevate my arm at a 90-degree angle before plunging the hand gently back to the front and letting my other arm do the same, and oftentimes forgetting myself to inhale from my mouth and exhale from my nose. I hope that I will continue to have the motivation to practice what I learn.
On Reading
I got to finish two books this month – Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa and The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen.
Sweet Bean Paste is a poignant story of an unlikely friendship with an ex-convict man, who is solely running a dorayaki snack stand, an elderly woman, who wants to work with him, and a high school girl who is a frequent customer. Tokue’, the elderly woman, will make you cry because her dream is simple but society does not forget the past and that past has left her trapped.
The Sympathizer is a book I chose because I saw a trailer for its upcoming series and I found it interesting. I got an ebook copy from a library and it was an enjoyable and excruciating read for me. It is narrated in the first person by an unnamed man who is a spy. The story started with the spy fleeing Vietnam and seeking refugee in The United States. He continues to narrate his experience adapting to a new life while maintaining his spy activities. There were excruciating moments for me that includes the death of his friend’s family, his first kill, and his experience as a war prisoner. I’m just impressed with how this book manages to insert comedy into a topic that is not funny at all.
That’s my April so far and I look forward to my next update for May 2023!
Libro Pinas 