From 18 to 21!

Amsterdam, Netherlands

 In the United States the legal drinking age is 21 but in most countries in Europe the drinking age has been known to be as young as 16 years old. I remember when I found out that I was going to be able to drink legally in France. I was so excited I honestly felt like a child going to Disneyland for the first time. Just the thought of being able to sit at a bar was amazing to me. To be honest this is why I was the most excited...I know I probably should have been more excited to be studying out in Europe or just for the fact that I was going to be in Europe.

 I have noticed that people in the states make a big deal out of drinking. Why is it that we only make a big deal here?! Everywhere else in the world people are so chill about drinking. While I was abroad I spoke to many people and I remember being at a bar with a bunch of my International friends drinking. One of them told me " Why is it that every time you Americans drink it's only to get shit faced?" -Salam Ismail At the time I didn't understand what he meant, but after living there I realized that what he had said was kind of true. 

When students drink in the states we usually have one and one purpose only and that is to get drunk. But you see in other countries people are not trying to get drunk like we do. We just don't drink for the same reasons. I personally drink to be social and of course to get drunk. I want to share a couple of my personal experiences while I was abroad. 

Aix-en-Provence, France

I remember the very first night in Europe so clearly... every single student in the study abroad program went out for drinks (most of them were under the age of 21). I remember entering the bar and being to excited. I was actually a little nervous too I think it was because I was also scared of somehow getting in trouble? At the time I was only 18  and the following week I was going to turn 19. 

Porto, Portugal

There were a couple things I quickly realized. The first one was the fact that they didn't even bother to check my ID and the second was that the drinks were so expensive. It was a whole different world. I really enjoyed the ambiance and the vibe. That was totally my scene. 

 I started drinking at the beach, friend’s house, bars, restaurants and even at parks. In Europe you don't get tickets for drinking in public. You can literally be walking down the street drinking a beer or you can even go to the public parks and drink without getting in trouble. I remember we went to a carnival and we were literally in the middle of the street sitting down drinking in front of the police men and instead of them telling us to put it away they would make jokes like "Hey are you going to share". This is definitely different to what we are used to in the states. 

 

Porto, Portugal 

I am really happy that I got to experience going out to bars and clubs and being able to drink out in Europe. It was definitely a whole other world. I had lots of fun and if I could do it again I would. It was an experience that I will truly never forget.