First, let me tell you about willpower and how I found out that it can make me try out things I'm scared of doing. The photo below is a screen capture from last month, when I first made an attempt to swim. It's not the real thing--meaning, I fake-swam for about 5 seconds. But before this, I didn't know I'll be able to do it on my own. This was actually the first time I opened my eyes underwater without goggles or a snorkeling mask. My only motivation was the underwater camera rolling in front of me. Sure, you can call it vanity, but it was a good motivation.

Fast forward to when my friends were already trying to teach me how to do it properly and without the camera, I could no longer do it. I freaked out every time they pulled me to the deeper part of the sea. Consequently, I choked on a lot of seawater, got feet and leg cramps, and cried in frustration until I decided to stop the craziness.

As I mentioned on my recent Facebook post, my parents didn't really want to teach me how to swim, even if we live in a city surrounded by pretty white sand beaches. They were afraid that I might drown. The same thing applied to riding a bicycle. I had to learn it from other people during that high school trip to Baguio, away from parent supervision. (Imagine the level of convincing I had to do before they let me study college in Metro Manila! I love them for believing I can survive on my own.)

So hello there, I'm Jennever, 26 years old and a Palaweña who can't swim. Will anyone care to teach me please?