Teaching in the Nude :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

So there I was, standing in the locker room. There were eight four-year olds (boys and girls) the two teachers (both women, around the age of twenty five) and me. It was a Wednesday, which means it is a swim day. As everyone around me began shedding his or her clothes, I felt my heart skip a beat as I wondered where I was going to change. "Um, do I just take off my clothes and change right in front of the children?" I asked, sheepishly. "Well, unless you plan to swim in your clothes, I think it would be a good idea to take off your clothes!" was the Danish response. They were not used to my cultural views on nudity; but I was. Well, seeing as I did not want the children to think I was strange, I took a deep breath and stripped down. Standing there naked, for the first five minutes was the hardest thing I had ever done - or so I thought. Here in Sweden, when changing in the locker room, it is proper etiquette to wander around in the nude. One's towel does not serve any other purpose besides drying one off - it is not a cover for one's nude body. This was a big step for me. It is the American way to use your towel as a shield from exposing your naked behind to others. Well, not here. So, I proceeded into the shower chamber (naked) along with my naked class of children and the two naked teachers. The shower chamber consisted of a long corridor of waterspouts - there was no place to hide! I had to grin and bare it, literally! After our six to ten-minute communal nude shower, we finally put our bathing suits on and went swimming. I thought I had accomplished a great feat! I, the modest American, stood naked in front of the whole class and the teachers. Yay for me!! But, to my surprise, I was mistaken. After our swim, we entered the naked chamber once again. Our bathing suits and towels were hung up, and the naked party began! We all showered again (the Danes are really clean people!), and as I grabbed my towel and began to dry off, I received strange looks. "Am I not supposed to be getting dressed yet?