My social life at university back in Canada usually includes going to bars and clubs with friends on the weekend. We usually go 1 or two times a week on either Thursday, Friday or Saturday when we have no class or important plans the next day. We will meet as a group around 9pm and find ourselves back home around 2am. It was never really much of an issue for me to get up around 9 or 10am the next day and start studying.
Because I was accustomed to this in Canada, I thought it would take no adjustment in doing the same in France. Poor, naive little me. The youth of Europe take nightlife to an entirely different dimension! Starting preparties at 8pm and not even considering leaving until 11:30, you probably won’t get to the club until past midnight. In Canada bar stop serving alcohol at 2am and close soon afterwards. That law doesn’t seem to exist at all – so you leave when you’ve dance for so long your extremities are falling off.
So you’re out the club or bar and its around 4am. Absolutely nothing is open. After dancing for 4 hours and possibly burning a gajillion calories I would love a cheeseburger (or a croissant….anything really) but you have to wait to raid your fridge at home. Another issue is getting home. Transit in Toronto shuts down for the most part around 1:30am – and since everything is far your have to leave by then or face a very expensive cab. In Strasbourg, nothing is to far – so you walk home in the pleasant night air.
So now I am back at my apartment, and it’s 5am. Full blown adults are probably waking up to make a living – and I am getting into my pajamas (the concept of that alone takes some getting used to). I know I won’t be awake until at least noon – so I’ll have wasted the morning away. My classes have not started yet so for now this pattern is going fine for me, but I just don’t think I have the European Endurance to do it all!