Swimming POOls

As a part of our curricular activities at school, every Thursday we go swimming at a nearby pool. What's really different than in the U.S. is that at pools in Paris, boys are not allowed to go into the pool in swim trunks, and everybody has to wear a swim cap. I find it pretty disgusting myself when I'd be swimming back at home in a pool, and all the sudden, I'd have pieces of someone else's hair on my arms. The only reason I think it's strange that everyone here has to wear a swim cap is because they're meant to keep people's hairs out of the pools, which is considered "a clean thing". It seems to me that pools are the only thing Parisians try to keep clean- not their bodies, they only shower every so often, not their hands, clerks/vendors/waiters touch money, and then your food. They would never think to wash their hands before a meal, and they wear the same clothes many days in a row. So, why is it pools they try to not contaminate with germs and bacteria? In my opinion, they're not doing a very good job. For about the first seven times we were supposed to go swimming with our class, there was a chlorine problem, kids who went poo in the pool, kids who decided to throw up in it, etc. I guess they're trying to make the pool to clean with the chlorine, and when there's too much, they just ask someone to do their business in it to make the pool dirty again. Pretty good method, huh?

Lookin' Good