Swimming lessons at 22

So I've never been a great swimmer. I had swimming lessons once (or maybe a couple times - I can't remember) when I was little. I know all of the strokes (at least the basic idea), and I can swim relatively fast, but there has always just been one problem - I hate having my face under the water. I've never liked swimming underwater - even with goggles on. Water always got in my eyes and messed with my contacts and I was never very good at keeping water out of my nose. I'm one of those people who always has to plug their nose when they jump in the pool or go underwater. Also, I think having my face in the water just makes me feel claustrophobic. So as a result, whenever I swim I keep my head above the water (unless I'm jumping in with my nose plugged). I do the freestyle while holding my face out of the water the whole time. It actually takes a lot more energy and makes it a lot harder, but it has always worked fine for me. During a semester at BYU I even regularly swam a mile in the lap pool this way. The other day though, Chad and I went to swim laps at our gym. We bought goggles and I decided I was going to try to do the freestyle the right way so that I could swim further without using so much energy. I hated it as soon as I started. I didn't like my face under water and I constantly felt like I was gasping for air even if I turned my head to breathe every two strokes or so. Plus, I kept getting water in my nose and it burned. I was going to just go back to my way, but then I decided to let Chad teach me because I could tell it took a whole lot less energy to swim the freestlye the right way instead of constantly holding my head and face out of the water. So Chad started teaching me how to not get water in my nose when I went under and how to breathe the right way. I am definitely getting better and it is getting easier. There was a little girl in the lane next to us who asked if I was getting swimming lessons - kind of embarrassing - I'm 22! lol. Anyway, I'm ready to finally get over my fear of my face in the water and learn the right way, so more "lessons" from Chad to come...