Party

Last night we went to a party at a student WG in Neugablonz, near William’s school. Don’t ask me why it was on a Thursday.

We got there a bit early, and were able to check out the apartment. Seven people live there, and it is huge. There are like 3 living rooms. I loved the feel and the atmosphere of this WG that has likely existed for decades. It reminded me that ours still looks like an office and my roommates don’t talk to me. But I also wouldn’t have wanted to deal with parties like this: it wasn’t even close to winding down when we left at 11pm on a school night.

Many people at the party were incredibly friendly. They were happy to see William, even though none of his lunch table was there. Two of the girls there spoke good English, and they talked to me quite a bit. One of them spent the entire night talking to me, asking me about myself, and translating the games for me.

First we played Presidents. It was fun to watch William try to teach people. Presidents is a very simple game, and they even have a version in Germany, but for some reason it really confuses new players, regardless of the country. Next was a simple but hard drinking game (no worries, it was just with wine and beer). It involved counting, and thankfully I can count in German, and rules would be added throughout the game to make it difficult.

There was also a brief stint of a fairly tame Truth or Dare. But apparently here they spin a bottle to select the next person. I hadn’t heard what the game was when the first spin landed on me. I learned over to William and asked, “Is she going to kiss me now?” I suppose I should have known that wouldn’t have happened at a party for students at a school that is only about 10% male.

What amazed me is how comfortable I was. I didn’t feel any cultural barriers. We were called over right away to sit with some people and invited to talk and play games. The girl who talked to me all night made me feel included and not confused. The rest was instinctive of any party: the flow of the drinking game, the reactions throughout Presidents, etc. At one point, people started bouncing around a balloon. With no words said, everyone knew you could not let the balloon touch the ground.

It struck me at one point how similar this was to a party in America, but that this one was legal, while the one in America would not be (except for William and I, being old).

When it was time to leave, a few people acted genuinely disappointed. I got 3 hugs good bye, a William was hugged, too. I’ve been to American parties where I didn’t feel so included and comfortable. Like people wanted me there, and I was invited to hang out again.

I’m tired today, but it was a wonderful night and I am so glad we went.

On an unrelated note, we got the big computer up and running today. So excited to have all my files back.