As promised, here are photos of our Saturday morning outings to "Nemo" which is located in the local polyclinic around the corner- here's the pool, which is a maximum of 4 ft deep. The man who runs it is very nice, and even offered to take photos of S and I swimming, but since my new, stylish suit hadn't arrived, I thought I would spare you all. These aren't really "classes" since the theory here is that you can't teach kids per se until they are 4. However, the instructor provides individual suggestions, and it seems to work pretty well (especially for $6 an hour versus the swanky "classes" that are $30/hour and you aren't even allowed in the pool area with your child if you're not a "member" of the elite hotel pool organization.) 
We go with our friends, who have a 3 and a 2 year old. We practice bubbles and chase down toys, and do it all in a mix of Russian and English. There is a baby there who is 3 months old, so little G should be starting soon. However, we are delayed in that since neither Aaron nor the baby have their "spravki." This is a requirement of all pools I've ever been to in the former Soviet Union. It is a medical certificate that states that you don't have some terrible communicable disease that you could spread through pool water - like leprosy? I don't know. My only issue with the process is that you do it once - what if you catch some funky disease 6 months later? No protection for the rest of us in the pool.
Oh, and swim caps are necessary - choice of cat or fish - we went with red cat, which I think is quite striking.
We go with our friends, who have a 3 and a 2 year old. We practice bubbles and chase down toys, and do it all in a mix of Russian and English. There is a baby there who is 3 months old, so little G should be starting soon. However, we are delayed in that since neither Aaron nor the baby have their "spravki." This is a requirement of all pools I've ever been to in the former Soviet Union. It is a medical certificate that states that you don't have some terrible communicable disease that you could spread through pool water - like leprosy? I don't know. My only issue with the process is that you do it once - what if you catch some funky disease 6 months later? No protection for the rest of us in the pool.
Oh, and swim caps are necessary - choice of cat or fish - we went with red cat, which I think is quite striking.And here is our fearless swimmer, ready to tackle the pool - swim cap? Check. Strawberry swimsuit? Check. Uncle Ellis and Paul-provided shoes, since the floor has hot-water pipes underneath and is about 1,000 degrees? Check. Interest in going out in the pool beyond the steps? Not as much... There's always next time!
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