By Justice Bufford Abroad writer
Here in Stirling, Scotland, there are a number of different societies and clubs you can get involved in. They tend to have a lot of socials at local pubs in order to facilitate bonding. Early in the semester I went to a pub quiz event hosted by the Christian Union with my flat-mate.
I was chilling in my room, watching anime as I normally do in the middle of the week, in my sweat pants and ready to laze around for the night. It was drizzling and cold outside. Why would I leave my warm room?
Knock knock knock.
I paused the show I was watching and answered my door to find my flat-mate standing outside.
“Do you want to go to a pub quiz with me?”
I wasn’t doing anything, and it would be a crying shame to return home and say all I did was stay inside.
So we walked to the bus stop, 15 minutes away from our flat, in the drizzling rain. We walked through the campus center to get there, pausing for a few minutes so that I could break a 20, as I didn’t want the bus driver to get mad at me for not having exact change.
Fortunately for us, we didn’t have to wait outside long, as the orange double decker university bus arrived shortly after we walked outside.
I followed my flat-mate onto the bus, paid my two pounds for a round-trip fare and we found two seats on the second floor.
The bus trip was short and we arrived near our destination and walked down this decrepit alley where the lively Irish pub was located.
I had been wanting to check out a pub since I got here. I read online that pubs are different from bars. Where bars almost make you feel like you have to drink, pubs are far more relaxed and representative of their “public house” name.
That feeling really came across when I walked in. The organizers of the Christian Union Pub Quiz were kind and set us up with a team. The overall feel of the pub was like a big house with beer. It was loud. People were standing around and laughing.
My flat-mate and I easily integrated into our pub quiz team and got to know the girls more. We even left the pub early with our quiz team and went to McDonald’s of all places to get some desserts. It was a really fun Tuesday evening.
It wasn’t the best night of my life, but I did enjoy myself. I liked that there wasn’t any pressure to drink and that the group of girls I was with didn’t feel the need to go crazy to have fun.
With that said, I have no idea if this is the norm. I was at a Christian Union event, and the attendees were presumably Christian or at least interested in the religion.
So I got to hang out with some really nice people and have a good Tuesday night. I doubt that I’ll make a habit of going to pubs.
I may go back to the Irish one because I want to try toffee sticky pudding, a traditional dessert in Scotland. But other than that, I’m not one to go out all the time. I’m a fan of more close gatherings that are relaxed. And while the pub had that kind of atmosphere, it was clear that people were there to let loose a little bit. Which is fine. It’s just not my cup of tea.
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