(Directly to potential Cambridge-MIT Exchange students, but a good lesson for all.)
I’m on the Cambridge-MIT Exchange, and if you are anything like I was, you might have some questions about alcohol and drinking. I had wanted to know if drinking in England is really the center of social life and what might happen if I don’t drink. I’m going to give a biased but honest perspective on those questions by sharing some of my experiences. The story might be different for you, but I think you’ll find this perspective informative and helpful.
First the bias; I don’t drink. In British words, I’m a “teetotaler.” I very much like my socially-dry dorm at MIT, and I was most definitely concerned about the drinking I expected to find abroad.
In the first week, I received a formal invitation to Dean’s Evening Drinks. I wasn’t exactly sure what this entailed, but I just couldn’t imagine an administrator giving out alcohol to undergraduates. Of course I went, and then after a round of introductions the dean asked if we wanted cider. Everyone else said yes.* I was imaging the local apple cider from the orchids that used to grow behind my house as a youngster, so I finally said, “Sure.” Unfortunately the cider was not the cider I expected.
After about half the glass, I stood petrified and slightly nauseous. My whole conception of “normal administrator behavior” had just dissolved and the cafeteria vegetable concoction I had eaten for dinner was not sitting well. As the evening progressed, I turned down the offer of British tea, fearful it might be spiked, and I was rather too embarrassed to accept the later offer of juice as everyone else partook of the stronger array of “old gentlemen’s drinks.”
So yes, I’ve observed that drinking appears to be an integral part of the culture here. But what ultimately happens if you choose not to drink?
A few weeks later, I was invited to the Engineer’s Social Night Out. All of us went out to a local bar and paid our ten pounds to eat meatloaf and have a drink; I took a Coca-Cola. We went upstairs where the tables were assembled into a big T-shape. Having come early, I sat slightly away from center crowd forming and watched. Gradually, more and more of the engineering students came in with their drinks and soon a whole group of students had taken seats near me: all the “Coca-Cola students.” We were a minority, but I guarantee that we proudly enjoyed the evening as much as anyone else.
If I can impart any wisdom from my experiences, I would first say that transitioning on study abroad is less about becoming someone else and more about learning and accepting who you are. You won’t have to drink; you can be yourself. However, in the spirit of study abroad, I admit there is something to be gained for joining in the culture. I simple wish I had started the year with a more open mindset. Cheers to all! Enjoy your time abroad.
*Edit: I’ve since learned that on a typical night for Dean’s Evening Drinks, “a third to a quarter of students do not drink.” Probability happens.
iHouse@MIT 