Now that’s team building!

One of the big differences between England and Iceland is the way that they see their bodies. The way that they teach their children about ‘The birds and the bees’ is the opposite to how English people do it…if at all. Everyone will know who has ever come to Iceland and gone swimming that all body parts hang out whilst getting changed. No one takes any notice of their nakedness nor anybody else’s! Now in England, no one gets naked. Ever. If you don’t get changed in the dressing room then you do magical things with a towel to make sure no one can see anything.

I have been swimming quite a bit in Iceland and at first I did the whole towel thing and got nasty looks from people as if say…Tut! Foreigner! And then one day I decided that I was going to go for it. To turn my back on the English shyness and say “Hello Icelandic Nakedness!” This is what happened…

I got into the changing room at my local swimming baths and sat there pretended to rummage around in my bag to put off the thing I had promised myself I would do. Finally, I built up the courage and stripped. I thought: This isn’t so bad! What is all the fuss about…? Then I walked around the corner into the shower area I was greeted by three of my nude colleagues. Standing as close as one person could get to another having a shower, talking, and inviting me into the conversation with big smiles. I didn’t know what to do or where to look. So, I kept my head down and spoke when spoken too. Quickly I got out of the shower and put on my swimming costume. Thankful I was clothed; I walked outside into the pool.

I almost died of embarrassment.