Monday, May 26, 2008

Last April 26-27, 2008, Justin finally had his first dip in the swimming pool. It was Ed’s annual summer outing at ADB, and this time, it was at the Club Balai Isabel Resort at Talisay, Batangas. There were six of us who went: Ed and I, Justin, Manang, my sister Meann, and her husband Orlan. We encouraged them (Meann & Orlan) to go with us because they have a car, which made it easier for Justin to travel all the way from their house at Laguna Bel-Air to the resort.

We were billeted in two rooms, with two beds apiece and each furnished with an aircon, a refrigerator, a kettle, glasses and plates, towels, and soaps and shampoos. We actually had the best place, I think, since the rooms we got were actually located in the villa where the owner of the resort actually resides, and that villa had its own swimming pool to boot aside from the resort’s main pool. So we had the swimming pool all to ourselves as if we were just having our own family outing. The place was also equipped with a barbecue area, and there were fruit-bearing trees everywhere: avocado, chico, Indian mango, kamias. We expected it to be a fun and memorable experience, especially for our youngling, but it turned out to be the complete opposite.

First, Justin was afraid to get in the pool. He had every reason to be because the kiddie pool beside the adult pool in the villa was actually filled with at least three feet of water. So he could not really stand in the pool with his head untouched by the water. He cried every time his dad attempted to carry him to the water. He ended up just wading his feet and sometimes lying on the excess water that flowed out from the two adjoining pools.

Second, the bathrooms only had a shower. Though we had a shower at home, I do not use that on Justin whenever I give him a bath. So the idea of a shower is actually alien to him. He actually went on a crying fit and bumped his head on the bathroom wall from trying to evade the water getting out of the shower. For a few days after the outing, Justin had been afraid to take a bath at home.

Finally, nearly a week after the outing, Justin contracted a fever. He was diagnosed to have throat and ear infections. The ear infections, according to his pediatrician, could have been caused by the “dirty water” from the pool that got into both his ears. He was given antibiotics and ear drops for that, but he ended up having loose bowel movements for one week as a side effect of his antibiotics.

Poor Justin! All we wanted was for him to have fun, but his first swimming experience turned out traumatic. It was memorable all right, but for all the wrong reasons. I could only hope for a better swimming treat for him next year.

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