My first Del Playa cultural shock

Bonjour! My name is Rita and I am a Moroccan international student. My first year in UCSB was full of new experiences, culture shocks, and sometimes disappointments. 

On a Friday night of my first quarter in UCSB, I had just moved to the U.S about a week ago and I had met a lot of new people and made some friends. After having dinner in De La Guerra Dining Commons, my friends and I were going to “discover Isla Vista and its parties”--that was our freshmen plan!  

(By the way, that dinner starts at 5:00 pm, back home we get back from high school at 6:30-7:00 pm and have dinner around 10:00 pm or later. It took me few weeks to get used to this or at least try).

“Where are we going tonight? Frat parties?” I had never heard of that before--or yes, I did! Only in American movies. However, I had never imagined myself one day attending one, I did not even know that the greek life is real. I thought it was all invented in the movies. 

But here am I, discovering the Greek life culture and realizing that every single thing about the American college life in the movies was not a myth, but indeed very accurate!  (Is this part of the “American Dream”? Maybe).

We went to Del Playa (or "DP"). We moved from one party to another (because a party might get shut down or because it is just not that good, you have to go to the party next door, and discover DP), and after seeing so many students “having fun” or getting arrested by the police for different reasons, I asked myself “What am I doing here?”.

18 year-olds can technically drink in any other country in the world, but the U.S. In my hometown and the countries where I spend most of my time (France and Spain), going out has a very different meaning. You can go to really nice clubs LEGALLY when you are 18 years old, and you really don’t have to hurt yourself to “have fun”. As far as I’m concerned, people go out to dance, having a good time with their friends or family and meet other people while enjoying few drinks RESPONSIBLY. 

From what I have seen here, "going out" means getting drunk and nothing else (legally or illegally, you know ;) ). And I really think this is unfortunate, going out can be so much better and more fun than what people experience here. 

I personally stopped partying here because I feel like I don’t enjoy it at all, but since I really like dancing on good music and having a good time, I still party over breaks when I’m outside of the U.S.

I also want to share with you the following data related to American college students. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism:

• About 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries.
• About 696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking.
• About 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report experiencing alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape. 

I understand that most of students are partying for the first time during their years in college, and that international students might find it very weird since they have been clubbing legally in their home countries. This is one of the main cultural differences that I have to deal with every weekend and Friday nights when my friends ask me why I don’t want to “go to DP, or the party at Sig-Pi or any other frat” with them, I just want them to understand that I don’t enjoy it at all. 

Therefore, if you have any international friend who is “never down to go party in IV”, please try to understand they are not “lame”, they just don’t like the way people party here, and if you are still going to party without them, please do it RESPONSIBLY (and legally if possible) be safe Gauchos!

SAMHSA.2014NationalSurveyonDrugUseandHealth(NSDUH).Table6.88B--AlcoholUseinthePastMonthamongPersonsAged18to22,byCollege EnrollmentStatusandDemographicCharacteristics:Percentages,2013and2014.Availableat:http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/ les/NSDUH- DetTabs2014/NSDUH-DetTabs2014.htm#tab6-88b 

SAMHSA.2014NationalSurveyonDrugUseandHealth(NSDUH).Table6.89B—BingeAlcoholUseinthePastMonthamongPersonsAged18to22, byCollegeEnrollmentStatusandDemographicCharacteristics:Percentages,2013and2014.Availableat:http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/ les/ NSDUH-DetTabs2014/NSDUH-DetTabs2014.htm#tab6-89b 

 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholismwww.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/CollegeAIM