"In Which There Is Great Success;" or, "We WIN at this game!"

You know the feeling you get when everything just seems to be going right? It's pretty darn great, in my opinion, especially when the situation in question could so easily go the other way. Situations that involve drinking and dancing are a few such situations, and I have to say, this Saturday was one of the best nights out I have had in my short little life. Everything just worked out, and by the end of the evening no one was upset, drunk, sore-footed, dissatisfied or otherwise unhappy. Three cheers all round!

The University of Edinburgh is, I am discovering, quite large. 28,000 students, or thereabouts, so I suppose I should not be surprised by the fact that there are four separate student unions (four!). One, as previously mentioned, is a castle, complete with towers, winding wooden spiral staircases and FIVE BARS. Five. It is also, I am told, the oldest purpose-built student union in the world (hence the ancient look of the thing I suppose)! Two of the others I have not visited yet, and the last is a student night club. The concept of such a thing just blows my mind. All you Mac people, take a moment and try to imagine an honest-to-goodness nightclub, with multiple bars, lounges and dance floors, on our campus. ... Yep. The thought makes me laugh! Imagining Mac kids going to it is even more laughable. :D Apparently, likely because they spend all week long partying here, Saturday nights are actually kind of dead nights in this city (weird, I know) and one of the only places to go dancing is "The Big Cheese" hosted by Potterrow Student center. Cheesy music, tons of University students, cheap drinks, etc. I didn't have really high expectations, I admit (I mean, that sounds a bit like a Kagin dance, doesn't it? Minus the drinks of course...) but it ended up being a really good time.

Alice and I were planning on going, having heard about "The Big Cheese" from one of her flatmates, and simply by chance I happened to overhear one of my own flatmates talking about going as well, which was BRILLIANT because she knew the way to work the system~ get there early when admission is free, get a wristband, leave for an hour, then go back by 10:30 when there are actually people dancing.  Such a good plan. Turns out, it was a good idea to get there before it opened, as there were several hundred people in line by the time they opened the doors (no joke) (once again, Mac kids... mind. Blown.) We went back to the flat after getting our wristbands, and because it is literally around the corner (think the distance from the dorms to Olin Rice, perhaps) we didn't need to check coats and were able to miss that massive line as well. Go us!

The music was so ridiculous. Words simply fail me - I cannot express the silliness that went on. So instead, here is a little taste... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK2tWVj6lXw&ob=av2el  (BAAHAHA) There was also NSync, and Backstreet boys, and Michael Jackson, as well as rather a lot of music with which I am (thankfully) not familiar enough to remember. Ridiculous dancing ensued, as it tends to, and all of us enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. When eventually Alice and I took a break to rest our aching feet (crazy heels will do that to you :P ) and were trying not to stare too obviously at all the attractive men (dear lord there are so many and they are SO pretty to look at!) we were approached by a few of the aforementioned individuals. Important differences between these guys and the boys we had interacted with at other dance clubs: they were not (16 masquerading as) 18, nor were they overtly trying to get into our pants ("pants" hahaha), nor indeed were they obviously drunk. Older, cute, funny and interested in talking to us, and apparently in buying us drinks as well: so many good things about this situation. When eventually the fellow I was speaking with (Ewan, from ...Dundee? ~ huzzah!) indicated that he wanted to go back to the dance floor, it was not to get down despite the more modern,  non-cheesy club music, but to be silly and to have fun. Eventually the other fellow, Ben (from Aberdeen I think) and Alice and I just ended up talking for a decent 30~40 minutes, about Edinburgh, facebook, studying, drinks (OH MY GOD Crabbies Ginger Beer might just be the tastiest beverage, alcoholic or otherwise, that I have ever had in my life! Recipe for instant alcoholism. Oy Veh.) and life in general. By the time we all had traded numbers, sworn not to facebook each other too soon (since it eats our lives, and we must FIGHT IT) and gone our separate ways, I was comfortably sober, and totally blissed out.

Many of my classes are full of international students, and many of the international students are American, so I really haven't gotten to spend much time with many Scots yet. The other Scots we encountered previously at clubs were not the sort one does anything more than dance with (and sometimes not even that...) so it was absolutely great to meet someone who was not a party-crazy first year, but was a real, intelligent, conversing person and not just a sweaty male body.

Some of said sweaty male bodies have exhibited some unsettling opinions and rather vehement displeasure at (mild, gentle) rejection that has made me and several friends wonder whether American girls are considered easy here. I asked the fellow we were chatting with about this (indication of how decent a conversation it was, and how nice a guy he was) and he gave a very diplomatic answer. He said that we were the first American girls he had met at University (I was shocked, I feel like we are all OVER the place) but that in general, he felt that local girls do not approach guys with a sense of openness or a willingness to 'give a lad a chance,' but are more likely to walk away within a minute or two if they are not impressed. International students, he thought, were more likely to be curious and open to new experiences, and willing to chat with people who approach them. I don't know whether openness translates to easiness in the minds of horny freshman boys (likely) or whether guys are just a little pushier here once they have made a move (possible) or whether my friends' and my experiences have been isolated instances (also possible) but it was interesting to think about. I liked that he said international students too, rather than making it about Americans and American culture.

Sorry for the massive post my darlings, but there it is: I had a wonderful night, with silly music, amazing beverages, fun dancing, and lovely company. Cheers!