David's Diary: Saturday, November 2, 2002
Swimming and Tennis
Allen Swimming
Kevin, Allen, and Jocelyn are all actively involved in sports here in Monastir. Kevin and Allen are taking both swimming and tennis lessons. Jocelyn has joined the Monastir swim team and she is training hard. Her coach really pushes all the members of the swim team and Jocelyn finishes her practice sessions with barely enough energy to ride her bike back to the boat.
It is common for Jocelyn to swim three kilometers in a single training session. Jocelyn is currently working to qualify for the first swim meet of 2003. She has qualified for three events, but she must qualify in four if she is to make the team going to the meet. Given how hard she works, it's likely that we'll be off to Tunis at the start of the New Year to attend the meet.
Jocelyn on the Tennis Court
Every Saturday afternoon, Jocelyn and Kevin, and their friend Charlie from the sailboat Ganymede take two hours of tennis lessons. Not only is it good exercise, we also hope that it might give them the opportunity to make some local friends. Most kids speak Arabic and French, but few, except for one of the instructors, speak English. On Sunday mornings, it is Allen's turn for a two-hour tennis lesson.