Studying abroad in Spain means that I am learning how to live the Barcelona nightlife and the first thing I learned is that it is crazy. I find clubs (or discotecas, as they call them here) to be somewhat reminiscent of frat parties, but there are a few very distinct differences.
- The nightlife scene begins at 2am. I think this is just a Spain thing, but going out at 11pm is way too early here. It makes sense because they eat dinner so late in Spain, and they need time after dinner to get ready (and digest their food), so people start heading to the bars around 1am and get to the clubs around 3am. I think this is why they all need siestas during the day.
- I’m sure you’re now wondering when the clubs close… the answer is around 6am. It’s not unusual for people to stay out until 6am and get home around 7, then sleep all day. This is very difficult for me to get used to, especially considering frat parties and bars back home typically close around 2am.
- American music. I haven’t heard a single Spanish song at a club since I’ve arrived in Barcelona. The music is exactly the same as you would hear at a frat party. People sing along, and I am pretty sure they have no idea what the lyrics mean, but the music is catchy and easy to dance to so they like it.
- Exclusivity. Getting into clubs without having to pay isn’t as easy as you would think. Club promoters are all over the place offering to put you on the “list” at the entrance of clubs. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t work.
- Logistics. At parties at home, I usually know/recognize a good amount of people there. If I get lost from my friends, I can typically find someone else I know or text them to meet them at a specific spot. If I feel like going home, I can just walk back to my dorm. This is not the case in Barcelona. It is so easy to lose people in enormous, crowded clubs, and not everyone has cellular data here so you can’t just text them to meet up. You are at risk of being pick-pocketed and getting home means finding a cab or figuring out the metro. Everything is way more complicated and dangerous, which makes me miss college parties back home.
In the end, I’ve found that frat parties really are just clubs that are much more convenient. This is the first of probably many realizations I’ve have as I go into my last few semesters of college that I should enjoy college while I can, because the real world (and the real world nightlife) is not as glamorous as it may seem.
