Jordan, Jill, & Cassidy
In the US we all like to whine and complain about how other countries have a lower drinking age, and the counter argument is always that the culture is different and 18 year olds in other countries can handle that type of responsibility while in the US we can't drink until we are 21 and then we still act like fools. As a college student, I have always HATED this argument. It seems though, that they were right, its a whole different thing here. The entire experience of "going out" is actually so very different that I thought that it deserved a blog. I'm sorry Marita.
Now there are lots of differences (the beer is terrible), but the best, and most obvious to anyone that walks into a club is this – the dancing. Anyone who has seen a rap video in the last ten years has a pretty firm idea of what goes on in clubs in the US, and Moms and Dads can rest assured that that does NOT happen here.
While there is little to no respect for personal space on things like the minibus, you get more personal space than you know what to do with on a dance floor. And the style of dancing? Well, the best way that I have found to describe it is, the way that you dance around your house when you know that no one is coming home for a few hours and your favorite song just came on the radio. Its the type of dancing with the craziest "smooth" moves you can think of, no rhythm, and probably a few nods to Saturday Night Fever.
I kid you not.
It is so awkward, and individual, and just completely random that as a white kid with no rhythm, I have finally found a place where I belong. It's absolutely fantastic. Also, there is no reason to dress up the way that people do in the states, I mean, typically we all change before we go out, but its all things that we might have worn that day anyway had we not happened to select a different outfit.
The entire vibe of bars is a bit different, of course you can find more "american" style clubs where you can't see anything or hear anyone talk or move around, but far more likely you are going to find a pool hall or at my favorite bar, there is a section that I would say feel more like a BBQ than a club.
So in this type of setting, we are getting to meet a lot more people. And since we spend all of our time with each other and at work, we are all dying for some new socialization outlets. Last weekend we talked to people from... Durban, Zimbabwe, Austria, and too many other places to count. In short, like everywhere else we go, the best part is just the casual, random conversations that you have with strangers, who have all taught me more than I could ever learn in class. (again, sorry Marita)
But, some of the things I never learned in class are things like, what its like to talk to a 7 year old on the sidewalk at 2am and have to tell him that you cannot give him any money because you know that his hustler is going to take it from him as soon as you turn around. So we take the good with the bad, everyday is really an experience that I do not believe for a second that I could have anywhere else in the world. (Not that we go out that much, I promise)
