I am finally certain that I am Greek. Went clubbing last night and for the first time ever I was ready to go out on time; my hair was straight, I had a full face of makeup, my nails were painted, I was wearing jewellery, I had my shoes on and was sipping on a glass of vino waiting for the girls to pick me up. Lets view the same scenario in South Africa: girls are hooting for the umpteenth time, I'm trying to finish doing my hair, no time for makeup so just slap on some eyeliner and mascara, screw it no time to put any jewellery on, girls hoot again, I run to the door with my shoes in my hands and smudge my nailpolish. Whats the difference? The south african girls arranged to fetch me at 8:30pm but they are 15 minutes early, the greek girls arranged to fetch me at 11:30pm and they are 15 minutes late!!! I'm definitely greek.
Its Choleva's birthday (thats her surname, but there are so many Katerina's in the social circle that they get distinguished by their surname) and we are at Delano Club in Glyfada. It's a summer club, has no roof and overlooks the sea, really nice couches and fancy bars. In order to sit on the couches you need to book a table (which means pay for a bottle of alcohol that the people around the table will share, yes athens alcohol prices), if you dont book and buy a bottle you aint sitting. Four girls and a bottle of Amaretto, this is going to be a good night! One of the girls assumes the role of fancy barlady..... rubs a slice of lemon around the top of the glass, swirls it in some sugar, pops the lemon in the glass, adds a few ice cubes, pours a generous amount of Amaretto but then dilutes it with way too much lemon juice (which tastes more like lemonade and is the first sign that we are not going to get out of hand). I teach the first glass a quick lesson and am about to pour myself another one when more ice cubes and lemon juice fill my glass... two drops of already diluted Amaretto, more ice cubes and lemon juice just aint gonna cut it, let me get drunk girls!!!
So we're sitting on the couches drinking Oros when the remixed 80's music starts (very big in greece... almost as big as big in japaaaaaan), the crowd goes wild, the girls jump up to dance (around the table cause there is no dancefloor), hold on, i'm way too sober to 'want somebody to daaaaaance' *sung in my best Whitney voice*. this is the kind of music they play at Tight Beaver at 5am to get people to go home, but of course when you have had enough to drink you just loooooooove the song thats playing and you're loving all the free space on the dancefloor to show off your new old moves, the only way to get you to stop is to suggest breakfast at bimbo's. This kind of music sober is really not the same, oh and lets not forget the chorus (the only part the crowd knows) is sung with a heavy greek accent * i tzust wunt sumbudy too dans*
I spot some familiar faces in the crowd.. .the couple that needs to get a room (the Helleniko Hotel is rumoured to be just the place), the skinny girls that definitely dont throw bimbos down their throats at any time of the day or night, the ugly girl who has demolished her eyebrows in the hope that it will make her beautiful (yes i kept staring at her eyebrows), the boy who thinks he is the shit (fists up under his chin, elbows pushed out, bopping up and down and lifting his knees high, with each bop he pushes his chest and hips out, yeah i know you've seen him all over fourways too). No talent in the crowd tonight (thinking I might have to lower the standards or I'll never fulfill Liezl's 10 rule), at least in SA we could drink the boys pretty
A lot of boys are wearing shirts with rhinetones (yes i know sparkly shirts are for girls), slightly disturbing to see the boys with sparkles jumping around singing Brother Louis Louis Louis (if i was drunk i would be in heaven, a haze of sparkles and cheesy music!)
No one mingles with people they dont know, each group sits around their table the whole night. Long live dancefloors and cheap alcohol in SA where you squeeze your way through the crowd, get smooched along the way by some random hottie and make a new best friend forever in the bathroom (the girls here dont go in groups, everyone goes alone, i know!!!!!)
All in all a good night, would have been the best night ever if we had enough alcohol in our systems to looooove every song, dance with our hands over our heads all night, stumble out the club while the sun rises, munch on greasy food from bimbo's, our voices croakey from all the singing. erm i sound like an alcoholic
