Carpe Diem.

Americans go “balls to the wall.” Spaniards do to, but in a different way. In the U.S. there is a lot more binge drinking due to the legal age being 21. America is a lot stricter; when an underage person gets the chance to drink, well, they go crazy. However, in Spain and a lot of other countries around the world, the drinking age is 18.

A night in Spain usually starts after dinner which is around 10:30 or 11 or a group will go out during dinner to get tapas. Tapas are a very traditional here in Spain. If you don’t have any prior knowledge on the Spanish culture, a tapa is an appetizer or a snack that many people eat while they are at a place drinking. The tapas will get someone fuller while they are drinking; therefore it takes a lot longer to get completely intoxicated. It probably won’t be until about 4 am that a Spaniard could be at that level but usually their not; they “feel good.”

A lot of the young people here start off by going to a grocery store or a mini mart to buy beer or liquor plus some mixers. Since the custom in Spain is you never have visitors over at your house, people stand in the streets in big groups and mix their drinks while mingling with each other. After a little bit of mingling is done, the Spanish head out to some bars. The bars don’t usually get full until about 12:30.

This past weekend I finally had the time to go experience the city’s nightlife scene. My night didn’t start with the tapas but they will one of these days. We started off at this bar called Big Ben. Big Ben is on a street called Calle Betis. This street has bars along it that several people tend to go to. Big Ben, I’ve found out, is a bar that a lot of the students like to go to because it has cheap drinks. Their happy hour is basically just starting when we arrive at 11 or 12. After Big Ben we went to Long Island. Now, Long Island is interesting because, 1. It had a pringle chips dispenser and 2. They had a shot for every state of the United States (Texas isn’t too great I’ve heard).  I definitely got some entertainment at Long Island due to some of my fellow classmates’ American behavior. It’s okay we still love you. Finally, it was time to go the discoteca (club). If you know me, you know that I love dancing!

Discotecas in Spain don’t usually get packed until around 3 AM. By that time, Americans are usually on their way home. This is when the party is just getting started in Spain. Buddha was three levels. The first level was a really chill area where people could just sit around and talk amongst themselves. The second level was where a lot of the older crowd danced. The third level (where my P.I.C. Ali and I were the whole night) was where la gente joven (the young people) danced. Dancing in America and dancing in Spain are A LOT different; Spaniards just sway their body back and forth and Americans, well if you’ve been to club in the U.S., you should already know how it goes. The music the DJ played was a mix of house music, hip-hop, and some Latino American music. The reason I say Latino American music is because reggeton is not a part of the Spanish musical culture. Anyways, I have to say I had a very good time. Normally, since you don’t get to the club until around 3 AM that means you stay later. Well we didn’t leave until 5 AM. That is considered early for Spaniards and late for Americans. Needless to say, it was a very good night.

Carpe Diem. Vale?

Love,
Caroline (The one who almost met her future husband but he doesn't like girls. Sorry about my bad luck.)