I didn’t taste alcohol until I was 20.
That statement shouldn’t come as a surprise to you. After all, I’m an American girl. What reason or opportunity would I have had to drink before I turn 21? I can’t think of one.
However, all of that changed when I came to Spain because of two factors. First, the drinking age here is 18, making my underage status a nonissue. And second, alcohol, especially wine, is a hugely prevalent part of European culture, in a different manner than the United States’ stereotypical, getting-wasted-when-the-parents-aren’t-looking attitude.
I had never been interested in drinking before I left the country, and I didn’t plan on drinking in Europe either. However, several conversations with friends who had been abroad encouraged me to shift my mindset.
In Spain, many families serve wine with meals, and one of the most popular traditions is tapas, or a free appetizer you receive when you order a drink. This custom encourages people who go out in the evening to sit, chat, mix some food with their alcohol and spend more time at each bar.
As I began to observe (and participate), I learned that the general attitude toward alcohol here is different. People drink here to have fun with their friends. Getting wasted isn’t the goal.
That’s not to say that drunkenness is completely extinct here. It’s not uncommon to run into a group of guys who have collectively drunk a river, and when members of our group go out, we do our share of indulging once in a while.
As for me, I haven’t gotten wasted. I haven’t blacked out. That was never my goal, and that hasn’t changed. I’ve kept track (of course I have) of the times I’ve edged toward drunk — the grand total is three.
None of those times was a result of an evening of shots and drinking games. Rather, they came about from hours of sharing wine, sangria or tinto de verano (my new favorite — a local drink made of red wine and gas water) with friends, along with a healthy dose of good conversation. And I don’t regret one of those evenings.
I’ve learned plenty while acquainting myself with alcohol here.
I’ve learned that margaritas, mojitos, rum and coke, screwdrivers, sangria and strawberry daiquiris are good.
I’ve learned that beer is gross and that tequila isn’t really drunk for the taste. I’ve learned that wine is something to be enjoyed.
And I’ve learned that trees are a whole lot more interesting after I’ve had a few drinks.
Starting to drink here rather than in the United States was the best decision I could have made regarding alcohol. Now, I don’t plan on drinking in Athens until I turn 21. I don’t plan on ever getting wasted or blacking out. I don’t plan on raising my count of drunken nights much over three.
But sometime next fall, try pointing out a tree branch to me after I’ve had a few glasses of wine, and see what happens.
—Rebecca McKinsey is a sophomore studying journalism and Spanish who is studying abroad in Toledo, Spain. Send her an e-mail at rm279109@ohiou.edu and follow @ThePostCulture.
