Megan’s abroad in London, England, until Dec. 13.

Thursday marked the 21st anniversary of my birth. If I were in the States, it would mean my first (legal) voyage to Hundo or the Keg. But on the first day of orientation (back when I was still 20), I went to a pub and there were people there younger than me. The drinking age here is technically 18 and, though the country is tightening restrictions a bit, it’s not too difficult to get alcohol as a teenager. Essentially, underage drinking in England happens at a much younger age than it does in the U.S., and the 21st birthday is not a big milestone.

Luckily, there are at least 50 or 60 Americans here at Goldsmiths as visiting students and I’m sure more than a few of them have faced or will face a similar situation. So I teamed up with six or so of my American friends and we headed to Central London. Our destination was a club called On Anon –in Piccadilly Circus, the Times Square of London– where they were having a special student night, so we knew we creepy older people would be minimal. Plus, good drink specials. Overall, I had a great time, and stayed out all night — but I still got home before most of my flatmates.

Drinking is a tremendous part of British culture, and that goes double for university students. Maybe it’s because classes don’t start until Monday, but for now Loring Hall is like Bobb-McCulloch on steroids. It’s extremely rare to see my flatmates sober after 7 p.m., especially because you can buy a pack of Stella or Strongbow (a potent and yummy cider) for a few pounds at the supermarket across the street. Call me a goody two-shoes, but at Northwestern I’m not exactly the hardest partier. I have a few drinks every once in a while, but I’m not the type to stumble down Sheridan every night. It’s different here, though — I mean, I can just walk into the nearest pub for a pint, and it’s no big deal. Even if it’s at noon.

Drinking in England will be a good experience for me, since the British university drinking culture is kind of similar to the over-21 American drinking culture. Sure, people still get smashed (or in their lingo, “pissed”) here, but it doesn’t have to be hidden in a dorm room or shuffled off-campus. When it’s legal for you to get alcohol, it kind of loses that rebellious appeal. I like it that way — the attitude towards alcohol here is that if you’re used to it, you won’t abuse it. And even though that may not be true for my flatmates — or the denizens of the club Thursday night — it’s a good lesson to take in.

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