Bravo, Blog 2: Difference on Display


Difference on Display ~ 'The Beauty and the Freak'


Growing up, I was always told 'do not stare, it is not polite.' As it became something I was always taught by my parents because staring is 'rude.' Being about 8-years-old I developed that norm as I still follow it until this day since it is embedded into my brain. Moreover, I used to do swimming competitively all year round, but during one summer, I had encountered someone who did not look like everyone else. He would show up on Saturday meets since his two brothers would swim, just to show support. When I first saw him, he was sitting with his family, but being very young I did not encounter or had seen any like that before. I was waiting for my turn to swim in the chair underneath a tent and he was sitting with his aunt or mom. The boy had a white collar that went around his neck to help him breath, it was almost like a respiratory device. Additionally, his lips her plumped and purple along with his tongue that was swollen. He could speak, but rarely did, however, he was nice and always seemed to mind his own. When I first saw him, I felt curious and questioning to myself why he looked like that or if he was born like that. I never felt anything negative towards him as everyone treated him as everyone else. However, he would always sit near the lifeguard chair where you can barely see him, almost like he was being hidden.

Another encounter is with a girl I used to swim with in a clinic, which would help me with my endurance and technique. When I first saw this girl, she was paralyzed from the waist down and used this walker where she would be up-right and to move, almost like crutches for her arms. Being 10-years-old, I was always wondering how the she would swim without kicking or to even get out of the pool, but let me tell you when her upper body strength was something that amazed me. Me being short and chubby, I could barely get out properly. However, when I was 13-years-old, I fractured my pinkie toe and realize that it was hard to not use your feet to swim at all and all upper body strength to pull yourself through the water. I would swim with her throughout that time in my life, but I asked her at one point, "how do you do it?" as I had the courage to ask her. She looked at me and said "swimming makes me feel free." I was speechless, but I felt very encouraged for how she was dedicated to swimming. I grew up swimming with her until I was 16-years-old, before COVID hit as we live in the same area, when I go to my partner's house, she goes on a walk with her dog or with someone.

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