Every week we have a swimming lesson, which lasts for two hours. It not only gives us a chance to get away from the depressing ambience in the classroom and relax, but also enables us to learn a life-saving skill. We all look forward to it.

In the swimming lesson last week, the coach had us practise on our own. To protect us against the risk of drowning, he handed out a lifebuoy to each of us and gave us very careful instructions to follow. After warming up, we jumped in and started to splash in water.

About 20 minutes later, something terrible happened. The boy in front of me accidentally kicked off my lifebuoy. His kick was so powerful that my lifebuoy ended up five metres away. It was way beyond my reach. I got into a panic. I had not completely mastered the skill. If I had no lifebuoy on, I was sure I would get drowned. I started to kick my legs and flail about my arms desperately. To my disbelief, I did not sink. Instead, I found myself staying up in water. “I can swim!” I said to myself in ecstasy. While I was frantically struggling in the pool, unfortunately, a lot of pool water did find its way into my mouth, down my throat, and into my stomach. Meanwhile, I could not help coughing and choking. After a while, to my greatest relief, I reached my lifebuoy and held on to it.

I would like to warn my readers to hold on to a lifebuoy if they cannot swim or are not confident about their skills. It is a fact that every year drowning accidents are not unusual. My experience that day in the swimming lesson still gives me goose pimples whenever the scene plays out mentally.