V and I spent Chinese New Year lounging by a pool in the Philippines for a long weekend. (It was fabulous, thanks for asking.) While poolside, spotted one of the funniest things ever - a Korean man wearing his reading glasses/spectacles...while swimming laps...underwater!
At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me (excuse the pun). This man is doing the breast stroke and each time he comes up for air I think, "Is he wearing glasses? No, it must be some new cool kind of goggles." As he gets nearer, V goes, "That guy's swimming in his glasses!" I had and still have lots of questions - how did they stay on? did they work underwater? what's his aversion to goggles? - but more than anything I just cracked up! I can understand wearing many things in the pool: Goggles - yes. Sunglasses - maybe. Reading glasses?! Ummm...
And he wasn't alone! We later saw three other people (all Korean) wearing glasses in the pool, all swimming underwater with their reading glasses perched on their noses. Given my recent America Bashing post, I will not lump all Koreans into the "wear glasses while swimming laps" category. But, I will point out that no other nationalities - Chinese, British, Aussie, etc. wore their glasses in the pool.
(Sorry I have no photographic evidence to back up the story. My trusty i-phone was in the hotel room.)
At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me (excuse the pun). This man is doing the breast stroke and each time he comes up for air I think, "Is he wearing glasses? No, it must be some new cool kind of goggles." As he gets nearer, V goes, "That guy's swimming in his glasses!" I had and still have lots of questions - how did they stay on? did they work underwater? what's his aversion to goggles? - but more than anything I just cracked up! I can understand wearing many things in the pool: Goggles - yes. Sunglasses - maybe. Reading glasses?! Ummm...
And he wasn't alone! We later saw three other people (all Korean) wearing glasses in the pool, all swimming underwater with their reading glasses perched on their noses. Given my recent America Bashing post, I will not lump all Koreans into the "wear glasses while swimming laps" category. But, I will point out that no other nationalities - Chinese, British, Aussie, etc. wore their glasses in the pool.
(Sorry I have no photographic evidence to back up the story. My trusty i-phone was in the hotel room.)
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