A new place for female bonding

I spend Thanksgiving in beautiful Arizona, and had a chance to go to a local health club. Wanting to get the most out of my guest membership, I tried to use all the included amenities. Which brings me to the hot tub.

I felt a little like an anthropologist observing a foreign culture. Apparently, it is the norm to experience instant bonding. Seconds ago, we were strangers, but now we are bosom buddies. First there was the woman who was bemoaning her daughter's eyebrows. Apparently she had an unfortunate waxing experience, leaving her with skinny arcs. The mother was especially miffed, since she herself proudly sported a vigorous healthy pair, which she attributed to her Iranian background. She lives in LA, and constantly encounters people who assume she is hispanic, and try to speak Spanish to her. The last time she stopped someone and explained that she doesn't speak Spanish, the woman drew herself up indignantly and proclaimed "how soon we forget where we are from!" The Iranian woman told this story with delight, and as she exited the hot tup she turned around and proudly quoted herself: "I don't know what you are forgetting, but I have not forgotten Iran!".

Which brings us to the second woman. She kept complaining that the hot tub was not hot enough. She likes it really hot so her artificial hips feel better. She had one replaced 2 years ago, and the other one two months ago. When she finally got bored with complaining, she left, however she also paused at the top of the steps, to show off the scars on her hips. I tried to admire them appropriately. By now I was beginning to catch on to the fact that the top of the steps is sort of like a podium.

A few days later I encountered her again when I was drying my hair. She clearly felt that we were old friends, having bonded in the tub, and that she could ask me to clip her toenails for her, since it is hard for her to reach her feet, due to the artificial hips. I paused a moment, since I found the whole thing rather weird, but decided that the best thing to do was to consider it a modern day version of foot washing. So I knelt on the floor in front of her and clipped her toenails.

My favorite hot tub friend was a woman from Korea. She was thrilled to hear that I'm studying to become an English language teacher, perhaps in an Asian country eventually. Her face became animated, and she threw her arms out dramatically as she predicted: "you are going to be so popular!" I inquired why, and she explained that native language English teachers are in demand, and since she has lived in Korea, China and Japan, she felt she could speak for each of those countries. When I mentioned that I realized that I would need to learn a bit of the culture and language before visiting she was delighted, and wanted to give me some pointers right away. I tried saying hello in Korean, and she praised me effusively. Her next lesson was cultural. She warned me that it is important to bow to people, to show respect. And that people will offer me food, and I must eat it. (Luckily I like trying different foods, although delicacies made from insects and some organs do leave me squeamish.) Finally it was time to leave. As she approached the 'podium' she gracefully turned towards me, placed her palms together, and bowed. I staggered up from my seat in the tub, placed my own palms together, and solemnly bowed back.