Being a young and growing writer, I like to try out various styles and narratives. One day I decided to turn my first experience at a college party into a story from the point of view of someone that had no idea what commonly happened at one. I tried to imagine what it would be like coming from a completely different culture where college house parties weren't commonly held. I want to make it clear that everyone I went out with that night was given a fake name to protect their identity. This is what I came up with:
Before we left for the night Joe, one of my guides, brought out some clear liquid. Him and Bob, a friend of his, were quickly drinking it out of very small glasses. Steph (a seemingly platonic friend) tried to keep up but took a lot longer. After each drink they had disgusted looks on their face like they didn't like the taste but continued drinking it. Our small group left and ran into another group of natives that we recognized from the village and we combined groups. As our group kept walking, we found a temple that had celebrations going on inside, but decided not to enter as two temple guardians looked very menacing so we moved on. Eventually the nectar started to have more of an effect on Steph and Bob so we walked in pairs of two, one slow and one to guide. At this point Joe seemed to be significantly less affected by the nectar than the other two. I helped Steph and Joe helped Bob. After walking almost all the way back to the village we came across another temple.
This one was a lot more welcoming. The front gate was opened for us and we were greeted upon entry. When I stepped in it was so hot and humid that my glasses fogged up. While cleaning them I realize it's very loud, the temple owners were playing music at a very high volume. Most of the females weren't wearing much clothing even though every single male is fully clothed; for example one of the women, I'll call her Betty, isn't wearing a shirt, and others aren't covering much of their skin either.
Four men were standing around a table and toss small white balls into red cups. Whenever one of them makes it the person standing next to them, who I assume is there teammate, got very excited and they smack their hands together. Then guys across the table looked very displeased as they move the cup with a ball to the side of the table. One of them dips a ball in whatever liquid (it's clear, maybe nectar) is in the cup. I ask one of the natives, whom I will call Jerry, what the purpose of the ritual is, and he says “It's for good luck.” I turned my attention to the main sanctuary and noticed that the natives were wiggling which was meant to attract members of the opposite sex. Betty and Jerry leave the main gathering space and escape to a private room.
The population of the celebration seemed to be fifty percent males and fifty percent females. Most all of the rooms are packed with natives. Bob approaches a female and begins talking. She eventually leaves at which point he goes to Joe and they start talking, I assume about her. I hear from Joe that the nectar of the gods is placed on a table and people walk up to take on the challenge of withstanding its power. Some achieve it being able to continue on with the celebration, and others are lying on the floor, they have failed the challenged and became overpowered by the nectar's powers. All of the natives seemed to be very touchy, mostly hanging their arms around each other's neck. This was done in pairs but bigger groups also seemed to do it. Bob pulls me over and puts his arm around my neck and to blend in I put mine around Steph.
The natives form big circles where they talk and consume the nectar. A lot of the natives get in weird stances, contorting their bodies to unusual positions and make symbols with their fingers and hands as they look at a rectangle that flashes with light. I see a different pair of one man and one woman go upstairs and, like Betty and Jerry, do not come back for the remainder of my stay. After seeing multiple couples do this I have come to the conclusion that the nectar amplifies amorous feelings. By the end of the celebration most to all of the red cups are smashed and on the floor. I don't know if this is symbolic and part of a/the ritual or just slovenly behavior. Most of the nectar has been drank. Even though the plan was to go multiple temples my guides didn't want to leave the one we attended so we stayed and I observed the interactions between natives and the influence of the nectar on individuals and the overall populous.
My guides and I didn't make it back to our village until rough two thirty in the morning and then didn't make it to our hut for another hour. Like my new friends, I did not get a lot of sleep that night but I found out later in the morning it was all part of the experience. As thrilling as the whole experience was, I don't think I'll be "going out" as the natives called it for quite sometime.
Note: This was adapted from a paper I wrote last year for my cultural anthropology class.
