Thursdays are the New Fridays

November 13, 2009

In Utrecht, there are parties on most nights of the week, but these are by invitation. Most of the college-age people we have met have belonged to a "year club" for a few years already. These clubs seem like fraternities to me, but such a comparison offends most year club members, who say there is so much more to these organizations than merely drinking. They have weekly dinners, throw huge annual parties, plan trips, and host fun activities for their members, who pay annual dues. Maybe the ones who get offended have the wrong idea of fraternities (I think they also do these things).

In the Netherlands, Thursdays are the big going out nights. The shops, which normally close at 6pm daily, close around 8pm or 9pm instead. The train stations are bustling with people heading to dinner, drinks, and dancing. Since Utrecht is a college town, young people spill into the streets and the city is absolutely buzzing until about 4am. The clubs and bars don't get busy until at least midnight, most close around 3am, but it's not hard to find places that stay open until the last patron is ready to leave (or be escorted out).

Yesterday, I got this text message from Vi: please stay with us don't go back to America! I was also beginning to realize this week that my time here is coming to an end. We decided to celebrate our serendipitous living arrangement on this unusually warm Thursday in November.

After dinner, we shared a bottle of wine, listened to some good music and pedaled our way into the center. Vi showed Suzanne and I a place called Sisters, a chic bar. Afterwards, we went to a bar across the street from our dance haven, Havana. We couldn't wait any longer and headed to Havana before midnight, so it was dead. We didn't really care that we were practically alone on the dance floor because we love to dance together - even at home in the living room.

One of the guys from So You Think You Can Dance was there, and Vi recognized him. Immediately, so did twenty other girls, and all we saw of him for the rest of the night was his 'fro bobbing in the neon lights in a sea of smiling women! Later, I was shocked to meet someone from Cheltenham, PA! Around 3:30am, we retrieved our bikes and rode home in the cool night air, laughing and chatting.

Note on school
Also, we got our grades (they call them "marks") for the first quarter; I did well. Those were my last law school exams ever!! Now, the only thing that stands between me and the law degree is a paper on the application of commercial trusts in civil law jurisdictions. Also, I just spent an enormous amount of money applying to sit for the PA and NJ bar exams in February. Almost a lawyer.

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