Back in the pool

I'm back in the water! Yahoo! I'm settling into my new home for the next four months--Birmingham, England. I've bought my 1-year membership to the University of Birmingham pool ($160US) because it was the best option. And now I have no excuse other than my very demanding studies (ha ha ha). So, I hope to be in the pool at least 3x a week! Today I went to check it out. I just did a quick 500m to stretch out after 6 months!! Luckily they do have a fast lane at this pool. And most of the swimmers in the fast lane belong there. However, even though they could have 6 lanes, they only have 3--annoying, but I guess it accommodates more people. I'm not sure why, but they swim clockwise, not counter-clockwise in the fast lane. It was messing up my flip turns! Not to mention the fact that you have to push off the wall diagonally anyway to get to the other side of the lane cause it's so frickin' big. And the pool smelled like men's cologne. What's up with that? I hope it's not a new type of chlorine. I'm so judgemental! I should just be happy with having access to a pool after such a long time. And I am! But it isn't the big 8-lane pool with super huge bright windows and heated floors that I was used to in Japan! Oh well...it's a pool with water! I'm in again! Hurray!