Ersten Wochenende in Deutschland (cont.)

So when I left off last time, Zhao and I had just reached the neighborhood of Ehrenfeld. After getting off the tram we met Martin who was also a bit early. We walked around Ehrenfeld for a while, waiting for the others. After about half and hour the others arrived and we stood by the stairs to the underground tram stop talking for a while before Rosa, the German girl in charge of the international student club, signaled for us to leave. We broke into groups of 5 to simplify the ordering process and walked into a small pub a few streets from the tram stop.

Our large group of about 30 students flooded the small pub and the owners quickly set up a table for us in the back. My group elected to remain at the bar front however, away from our eagerly chatting classmates, in order to get the full effect. I sat with the other Americans, a Belgian named Jeremy, and a Russian named Marina, both of whom had become fast friends with the Minnesotans. We talked amiably amongst ourselves and ordered one beer apiece. Once we had finished we stepped outside to wait for the other international students and our German buddies.

Jeremy, James, and Chris with their crepes

When everyone else had finally finished their drinks, we walked a short distance to a small square to wait once more. This was quickly becoming the theme of the night. It was clear that the German students hadn't laid out a solid plan and that there were way too many students for them to handle efficiently. After a time we walked to our second bar of the evening. This one was more modern than the last and the sign proclaimed it was modeled after an American bar. This was not quite true and it resembled something more Eastern with small potted plants, tiny leather seats, and a dim red under-glow. The whole group sat in a back room this time and I sipped another beer.

Before too long the German students were again hurrying us from the bar. I left with the Czech students. We walked about for what seemed like a long time. During our journey I bumped into some of the exchange students from Spain and Portugal. They had arrived late (which was their norm I guess) and were by this time very, very drunk. Several of them were very personable even in their slightly altered state. The others were eager to speak with an American, though I soon learned that it was because they enjoyed bashing everything from our football (soccer) teams, to our perceived lack of culture. I was careful to keep my answers as neutral as possible so as not to excite them even more and slipped away at the next possible opportunity.

After what seemed like an hour we stopped in front of a Beirgarten (beer garden) and the group ambled inside. We were sadly disappointed however as the garden and the accompanying building were seemly empty. I ventured inside the small building, past two very butch women and looked through an open door at a dance floor. It was full of middle-aged women. I soon realized that it was a lesbian party. My fellow gentlemen expressed some level of disgust but I gave them hard looks and reminded the Americans that they should at least be used to it since we live in Minneapolis. They changed the subject.

We soon left the Beirgarten and by this point we were quickly loosing faith in our German guides. They assured us that they knew where they were going now and headed off in the direction of a club that had just opened 3 days ago. When we arrived we stood outside for a long time so that everyone who was drinking could finish before we entered. As I was standing with a group of students, talking, laughing, and occasionally singing with Antoine my French friend, a giant of a man came up and clasped my shoulder. He was dressed all in black and I knew immediately that he was a bouncer for the club. He looked me in the eyes and said something in German. I couldn't hear him and asked if he spoke English. He shook his head, put his finger to his lips and said "F**king Polizei!". I barely contained a laugh and told him in German that we would be more quiet. He nodded, smiled, and departed.

Not long after that our large group entered the club. It cost 7 Euros to enter and the place was packed when we got in. It was dark and looked very similar to many American clubs. After exploring for 5 minutes we entered a small, packed room that was stifling and hot. The music was bumping however! We listened with amusement to a weird German hip hop/techno/polka mix. By now I was in my element! I love clubs and was always ready for an excuse to dance. Chris and I taught some of the other international students some American dances like the Dougie and the Cat Daddy. I was surprised by how stiff many of them were. Europeans were supposed to be good dancers right? Many of them looked to the Americans however and were soon imitating us on the dance floor. The rest of the night may have been a bit frustrating but this was worth it!

Me and Lorraine from Brazil!

Our group on the small dance floor

A view of the larger dance floor

Me and Pinar (pronounced Pi-nash) from Turkey

It was around 3 in the morning when I finally decided it was time to go home. The other Americans and Jeremy had left 20 minutes earlier and by this point I was soaked in sweat, dehydrated, and absolutely weary from dancing. I left with two girls from Hungary and when we arrived at the tram station we found just about everyone else also waiting. The tram arrived 30 minutes later. Even at 3 in the morning the tram was so packed I couldn't find a seat. When I did take one two German girls stumbled in, looking bone-tired. I asked them in German if they would like to sit and they looked at me like I was the most amazing thing they'd ever seen. They blurted an affirmative and both of them crashed into the seat as soon as I had vacated it. One of the boys they were with repeated the German phrase I had used to his friend (my accent must have been pretty bad) and asked where I was from. I told him the United States and he laughed again.

Before too long the crowd began to thin. I switched trams and Neumarkt and rode with a guy named Zolli from Hungary, who got off two stops before I did. By the time my tram arrived at the station I was ready to collapse. I walked the 5 minutes to my apartment and fell into bed, pausing only to undress.