I have always enjoyed swimming. I go to the pool regularly and feel very free. I jump into the pool thinking that I'm better than everyone else in the pool. I feel like I'm the queen of the pool. But then another girl comes. I can sense the challenge between us; I fling down the gauntlet and we race. While swimming, I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks and the sweat coming out of my face underwater. I move my arms like a turbine trying to reach the end of the wall without stopping, but I realize that I can't make it so I just stop in the middle of the race and let the other girl beat me. Why did I lose? I realized it was because I didn't have much time to warm up or I wasn't ready to compete. She was. This race was a valuable lesson and more important that a victory. I learned that you must prepare properly before competing. It's a mistake I'll never make again.
Learning a language is hard, especially French. I take French at school and though I struggle through most of it, I feel in the end I have actually gained a lot. On many of the quizzes and tests that I take, I never seem to get a high grade so that I feel confident about myself. On quizzes I usually get 44 out of 50 or 45 out of 50. I think that I can do better than that. I think about how I struggle through French and how hard the language is for me, but I love the culture. Unfortunately, my grade never ends up to be what I expect it to be. Although I don't do as well as I hope in French, French has helped my other languages, like English.
Swimming competitively and taking French are two experiences that teach me many new things.