So a few nights ago, I had an interesting experience: I found myself in a nightclub, in Barcelona, with nearly all fellow American students.
Let me take a step back to explain how this came to be:
Apparently there is a Spanish nightclub promoter who has, over the past few years, promoted parties exclusively (or nearly exclusively) to American college study abroad students. His name has passed through the lips of Kappas at Syracuse, art history majors at NYU, and rowers at Harvard. And so the kids in my program got wind of him and his big party that he was throwing for all of the Americans this past Thursday. Now, in general I intend to stay away from these kinds of things because I can hang out with a bunch of American college kids at home–in Spain, I’d prefer to meet locals at their watering holes or elsewhere. But this party intrigued me and I thought it’d be fun, and I figured it was a way for us to transition over our “culture shock” (which the directors of our program have mentioned about five thousand times) by spending a night listening to American music and speaking English. And the promise of an open bar didn’t hurt either.
So my friends and I arrived at Broadbar, the site of the party and within literally 10 seconds, I’d already ran into a guy I knew from Chicago…and then an hour later I ran into someone I’d gone to Sunday school with. These run-ins were happening all over the place and not just to me! It was a little surreal and funny at the same time. Several times I saw the bartender chuckling (not in an arrogant, smug European way but just sort of as an indication of amusement) at the ridiculousness ensuing.
*
After leaving the party, I went with a friend of mine in my program and her friend to another club. Both girls, C and P, originally hail from Sweden; C goes to my college in the states and is now spending her junior year abroad in Barcelona and her friend, P, is currently in her second year of studies here. The second club– I believe it was called the Sutton Club— was quite different. At 3 am it had a huge line (or rather a huge, disorganized cluster) of people waiting to get in, and, as you’d expect to be the case in Spain, it was all Spaniards. Now, for those who know me, I am often the aggressive girl who goes up to the bouncer to try to cut the line when I go out with my friends, so it was nice for a change to completely and passively follow the two Swedish girls. P was meeting a friend, “Pepe,” and after she name-dropped him to the bouncer, the door guy let us cut everyone immediately (and this after he would not let a single person in prior). I began to wonder who this mysterious and well-connected friend was…
Shortly after meeting P’s friend in the VIP area (I couldn’t help but appreciate the irony of 1 American and 2 Swedish students sauntering up to a VIP area that under different circumstances, we’d have no business being in), I began to adjust to my surroundings: gone were the spitting rhymes and heavy bass of Kanye and Lil’ Wayne and instead the electro/house music of Tiesto and David Guetta reigned supreme.
I was finally in Spain.
P.S. For those who are curious, more on the mysterious Pepe later.
hi abby – love your blog – it is very well-written and has me on the edge of my seat – to hear more about the mysterious Pepe.
(This kind of blogging in a way harkens back to serial writing in the age of Dickens!) I’m so glad you had tea at the Orangerie – it is one
of the most sublime places in London for tea, and I am very happy that you just happened to go there. I think this portends good things for the rest of your journey.
Love, Aunt b
PS – what classes are you taking by the way?
Sounds fun, but Americans abroad need to be careful!
This is the MOST fun!! Both parties sounded so fun..totally different and totally awesome. I’m so glad you are having a great time already. I definitely want to hear more about the mysterious Pepe!! I love your pictures. Keep adding pix. I know a photographer who uses this blog site for her photog biz, and its almost all pix and much less copy, so you certainly can add as many pix as you want. I love your writing style. Big kisses to you!