Wet and Wild Welcome Party

Saturday is changeover day. Last week's guests left early in the morning and new guests arrived in the afternoon.

All new guests were told that a welcome party with dinner buffet was planned in the main pool hall. They had no idea what was coming when they were told to shower before they dress in smart casual clothes and leave phones and wallets in their rooms.

We didn't know quite what to expect either. This could be a dry event, but there was a good chance someone might get splashed. I dressed in a tee-shirt, blue jeans and tennis shoes with fresh socks. I took my anorak along, just in case I got cold.

Andy and James chose to wear jeans, tee-shirts and hoodies. They love their hoodies. Giovanni looked great in white jeans with pink polo-shirt and a white hooded jacket made of thin nylon. He obviously expected to get splashed.

Let the party begin

As we entered the pool hall the music was playing and empty inflatable boats were drifting around the pool. Some staff members wore cheap rain gear as fancy dress. Nobody was in the pool and most of the college students were standing around the shallow end of the pool.

The Thai students appeared in smart sports suits, looking elegant on pool side. The other teams were nicely dressed in their college polo shirts or hoodies. None were aware of the mayhem that was planned for them.

We noticed that they've setup a buffet with food and drinks on the far side of the pool. The only way to reach it was via a rope bridge across the pool. Nice idea.

James and Andy crossed the bridge, cheered along by the students. "Fall in! Fall in!" they chanted. After they made it across all dry, I gave it a go. It was very wobbly, I almost lost my balance but came to a halt just above the water.

Next some students struggled across. Suddenly a splash and a big cheer as the first one fell in. He looked great as he came out of the pool in his college hoodie and jogging pants, water draining off as he walked to the buffet with a big smile.

I asked him what it is like to swim in that heavy jogging suit. "Oh, way cool. I really like swimming in these clothes," he replied as he slowly went back into the pool. "They weigh less in the water. You should try it some time." I was sure that would happen soon as part of my job; the staff uniform was a jogging suit.

Another dry student in baggy jeans, brown polo shirt and grey pullover crossed the bridge while Giovanni came towards him from the other side. We all looked on to see how they would handle that without getting wet.

They met in the middle and tried to squeeze past each other, which didn't quite work out. Giovanni lost his grip but somehow managed to get hold of the student.

For a moment they were both suspended very close above the water with Giovanni's white nylon jacket touching the surface. They tried to get up again but in the end the student let go and they both fell into the water. Big cheer from the crowd.

Giovanni looked stunning as he climbed out of the water. His clothes were almost transparent. His nylon jacket was open and he had the hood up over this black hair.

Soon the party was in full swing, literally. People were dangling on the ropes making their way to the buffet. Some succeeded, most fell into the pool. Others didn't bother with the rope bridge at all. They simply entered the pool in their clothes and swam across.

Chilling out on Poolside

I enjoyed my pineapple juice sitting next to the buffet, still in dry clothes. It was great fun watching all these people get wet. Some tried to stay dry, but that was not an option. So far I managed to stay dry for quite some time, but that was about to change.

Three soaking wet guys noticed that I was not wet. They came over and one said with a big smile: "You're way too dry for this party." I agreed and he squeezed some water out of his hoodie all over my jeans. They introduced themselves as Tony, Benny and Karim. "Come join us in the pool!" they said.

Before I could respond they picked me up by my arms and legs and carefully dunked me into the pool. Then they jumped in and gave me a playful hug. What a pleasant and refreshing surprise.

"How do you like the pool party?" I asked.

Karim replied: "It's totally rad. They set the buffet up in a way that we had to get across the pool with all our clothes on. Way cool."

"Do you like swimming in your clothes, then?" I asked. They all grinned and said: "Yes, sure."

"Is it your first time?"

"Yes, it is," answered Karim, "We've never tried this before. But here at this outdoor centre everybody does it."

"It is part of the training for the outdoor adventures later." I explaned.

"Looks like it." said Tony. "We didn't expect the training to start at the first dinner, but we thought something was on when they told us to take a shower before dinner and leave phones and wallets behind."

Benny smiled and said: "It felt kinda weird when we entered the pool with all our clothes on to get to the buffet, but we didn't want to look like geeks in shorts when everyone else was nicely dressed."

"And how does it feel now?" I asked.

"Oh great!" said Benny. "I'm surprised how good my clothes feel in the water. It's a great new experience. I really enjoy it, especially the hoodie. Did you bring your hoodie?"

"It's an anorak actually, over there at the buffet." I replied. "Do you want me to put it on?"

"Yes, of course!" Karim shouted. "Look cool like the others. Go and get your anorak now."

Obediently I climbed out of the pool, put on my anorak, and slowly went back into the pool again. Now that felt much nicer.

"Will they teach us how to swim in clothes and all that?" asked Benny.

"Yes, that's one of the basics you'll learn tomorrow morning. You've got some serious fun heading your way with two or three soakings a day. My name is Felix, one of the team leaders."

Boating Trip

Whilst talking in the pool I noticed that Andy and James were still dry, enjoying their drinks. I swam over to them, climbed out and gave them a big wet hug. Then I asked if they had any plans to get into the pool, suggesting a boat ride. They liked the idea.

They put on their hoodies while I jumped into the pool to fetch a boat. After I tipped the water out and pushed it to the edge, we all got in and paddled into the middle of the pool.

I teased Andy and James by splashing water onto their dry clothes. They splashed back and we enjoyed a great water fight. After that they were fairly soaked and we tipped the boat over.

We swam around the pool and talked to many of the new guests to find out what their expectations were for this week. Many just wanted a lot of wet and wild fun.

Anoraks and Cagoules

Two fo the Thai students, Lee and Nueng, drifted by and took a close look at my anorak. They lifted it up, pulled it down, and felt the fabric.

"Is that easy to swim in?" Nueng asked.

"Yes, easier than a hoodie." I said. "It soaks up much less water, but a fair amount of water can collect in the sleeves and hood. Go over to the drying room and find some to swim in."

They left their hoodies on a chair and soon came back dressed in long adventure cagoules with the hoods up. They picked cagoules without front pocket and open sleeves which collect no water. As they swam back to me, I asked them what they thought.

"You're right. They're quite easy to swim in and feel great. Can we use them for pool training?"

"Yes, of course, I do it all the time. You'll also wear them for most outdoor activities to keep you warm."

They just smiled and splashed each other. Then they gave me a big hug and said: "Thank you for showing us this."

Near the end of the party Giovanni swam over to me and pulled on my anorak's sleeve. "We should go to bed now. Tomorrow is a long day and it starts early." He had a point there, so I waved good-night to our new friends in the pool and followed him to our room.

We were both dripping wet so we headed straight for a long hot shower in our clothes to rinse them. We slowly undressed and put all the clothes up over the bath to dry. Then we cuddled up in bed. I soon found out why Giovanni likes to go to bed early. We had so much fun this evening, I can't possibly tell you here.