Introduction
I was born frum, to non-frum parents. Not exactly a comfortable situation, but I made the best of it, although I did struggle mightily against being made to wear jeans! Ha, I won, I get to wear skirts all the time now!
Eventually I grew up, went to college, and fell head over heels in love... with Shabbat and orthodoxy. It was like coming home... well, that's why they call it Ba'alat Teshuva, right?
Met a nice guy, first generation frum (second generation ba'al teshuvah? you know, frum parents, non-observant grandparents) eventually convinced him there was a future for us, and we got engaged.
Then I met up with the first real snag with my becoming observant, besides the parents not being thrilled: Going to mikvah. Oh, I always knew I'd go, at least once, before I got married. That info was ingrained in me somehow, perhaps by my grandmother, who helped raise me. And since I was now an Observant, Orthodox Jewess, it would be more than just that one time, if I wanted to stay married!
There was just one small problem.
I was afraid of the water.