An introvert… clubbing. Something about that sentence almost seems paradoxical.

So 26 and I have yet to go to a “dance club” and for the most part, I am really unbothered by that. Nightclubs are challenging territories for a lot of introverts. Nearly every aspect of the environment puts us outside of our ideal comfort zone. That’s not to say that we can’t still enjoy them. It just requires a little bit more effort to get us there and into the right mindset to enjoy it. It is usually not my cup of tea, but my friends asked me if I wanted to go dancing to Lakaz and as an introvert I am, I more than happily accepted the invitation. I’m not sure why I did because 1) I had to work that day 2) my anxiety when i see a lot of people 3) I usually talked myself out of going because I didn’t think I’d have a good time. I’d been trying to work the nerve to go out to one lately though because I wanted to break out of my comfort zone. I figured if tonight went well, I’d push further past my boundaries next time and approach some girls the next time I go. (Just kidding xD) I’m thinking it was sure curiosity, so nonetheless I pressed on to the night life on the country side of country.

I didn’t get enough sleep that night since I woke up at 3 am, did my morning workout and went to work. It was a pretty lazy day, but I finished at 3 pm went straight home hoping to get some rest before they come to pick me up. Sadly, the van could not come to my place, I had to drive to my friend where the transport will pick us up and leave my car there. My expection going there was that i would get pretty drunk and hoping to dance with someone xD

We were around 15 persons in the van, of that 15, I knew only 3 which were my university friends. We had some tequilla shots. We were quite lucky to have bought the tickets earlier since they were not allowing anyone inside who did not bought ticket via their app. The entry cost Rs250 but since we bought it via the app we paid Rs200 (~$4.48).

There were all walks of life inside. There weren’t a lot of people inside despite there being a long line, but they told me the rooms would fill up quickly in the next few hours. I watched as most of the patrons of the establishment flood to the dance floor to do all sorts of coordinated line dance routines with ease, or were too inebriated to care. However, I was very much sober and did not understand half of what was going on so I just hung back and watched for about 30 minutes with the friend who invited me. Since we could not bring alocohol from the outside, we were forced to buy them at the bar. The drinks prices were no better as I was charged Rs150 for a jägermeister shot. It was almost around midnight and we went to the dance floor. I kept thinking about how much of a dork I must have looked like because I was stiff as fuck and didn’t know how to move. Eventually it got to a point where I told myself, “Why do I care about what all of these other people think? They don’t know me and they’re not focusing on me. Why keep worrying about them when I could be having a good time?” That’s when I realized how much more fun I could be having if I just let go of being scared and self-conscious of others thoughts.

I decided to people watch to get a feel for the social aspect of a nightclub. It was pretty much 40% girls and 60% guys at the club for the rest of the night.Some girls got down and twerked or grinded on guys. Some guys would be more aggressive in how they’d go up to girls by randomly grabbing their hand to go dance, only for the girl to look weirded out and quickly take their hand back. At times, I never felt more alone seeing almost all the girls dancing with their boyfriend(s) while I’m still single complaining about life xD.

We ended the night or should i say the morning at 4hr am where the transport was waiting for us. Since i was still sober, arriving at my friend house, i took my car and drove home.

Conclusion: My first time going to a nightclub, I realized that letting go of expectations and not worrying about what others think is important not only in adapting to a new environment quickly but in enjoying what you’re doing. I wouldn’t have had such a fun time at the club if I was caught up in being worried about what others thought about me. Literally, every single person at the club is there to have a fun time. Ignore those demons in your head. No one goes to a club looking for a critical, terrible time. Everyone is in a party mood so even if you decide to go by yourself, as long as you are smiling and staying positive, you shouldn’t have any problems blending in. Only thing i regret is not getting drunk enough and like my friend said :

should get drunk first before entering the club