An American, a Pakastani, an Armenian, two Indians, a Nigerian and an Iraqi walk into a …

Bowling alley! Tonight, half of my MBA cohort got together for a bit of bowling and camaraderie. I had to take the bus all the way north to the American style mall and entertainment complex however, it was worth it. I serve as my cohort’s student representative on the business school’s curriculum review board. We have a meeting on 30 January and I thought it was an excellent opportunity to get to know my cohort better as well as share in a little bowling fun.

It was interesting for me as this was the first bowling alley I have been in for some time. My dear friend Arshak treated us to bowling in Armenia at Play City. However, this bowling alley was much bigger, much louder and much busier. My nerves had a hard time taking in all of the sensory stimuli. As the night progressed, I was able to become calmer. This was the first major uncomfortable culture shock I have had since leaving Armenia. It was obvious my cohort friends were experiencing similar uncomfortableness so we took it slow and eased into the bowling.

I am happy to report I lost by a pin to Khaldun from Iraq. Actually, I did not try to win as he won with an 82 and I was in second with 81. In the tenth frame, I could have beaten him but something told me I should not be so aggressive and take a serving a humble pie. The first ball hit the gutter and the second ball thankfully only knocked down 7 pins. Khaldun was quite happy to have won and I am happy to have had him win. Of course, in my younger days I would have talked trash the whole time, beat him and then gloated that I beat him. If I was doing this with my buddies from university, they would give it back as much as they got but I knew the cultural barrier had to be handled gently. I think I made the right decision. Most people who have interacted with me during a competition would not have recognized my calm, happy-go-lucky persona. This might have to be something I keep around for a while.

After bowling, I rode the bus an hour to get home. However, I had to pass through the city centre and I realised that everyone was out having a good time. I had a few hours to kill before I had to return down town to the bus station to pick up Terra. She spent the day in London at a conference with her classmates.

A few hours after getting back from bowling, at 1:30 am, I set off for the walk to meet Terra and walk her home. No husband in his right mind would let his wife walk home alone at such a late hour. However, my ten minute trip would prove not be what I expected.

First, I must explain that where Terra and I live is right next to the University of Bristol campus. There is a very high student population in all driections that attend both Terra’s university and there are many that attend my university. During the day, the streets are lined with people in suits as there are numerous offices and governmental buildings around but after 8 pm, the neighbourhood transforms. Shwarma and kebab stands get set up on the corners and big black doors that are not open during the day open to reveal stairs that descend into large underground clubs. There are 12 night clubs alone with in a 300 meter walk of our apartment. By 11 PM most nights, the line of 19 year old co-eds in miniskirts stretches down the street. By 1 am, if you are up, you can hear the boys emerge from the clubs and begin to sing their way home. Thankfully, we are not affect too much by this rowdiness.

To make a long story short, at 1:35 am, 10 feet in front of me, I watch a very drunk young woman trip on the curb and fall head first onto the paver stones making the sound of a coconut being broken open. I was sure that I would find her unconscious and bleeding but when I knelt down, she was stunned but not bleeding or unconscious. I did a quick check to ensure she was OK. Thanks to my rugby training for the ability to assess trauma quickly. I had to reach Terra so I ensured she was seated against the wall and I left her to continue on to get Terra. I figured if she was still there in ten minutes when I would be back with Terra, we could help her more. The police were not too far away and there were a lot of other co-eds so I assumed she would pick her drunk self up and move on in short order.

No sooner do I get 50 meters down the road does another young woman do the same exact thing but this time she fell over a knee wall landing on grass. She was laughing and obviously beyond drunk. Again, this girl was alone which boggled my mind. I pulled her up and set her on the wall. Asked her if she was OK and seeing that she was laughing like a hyaena on crack continued on my way to find Terra.

A few minutes later after a short run, I met Terra and her girlfriend Wing, from Hong Kong at the bus station. We walked Wing back to her dorm. This was due to the training we received in Armenia and it obviously baffled Wing a bit. On the way passed a few young men who were trying to pick up a young guy, maybe 19, that was so drunk he was like a cooked spaghetti noodle. The ambulance was there and they were trying to get him moving but it was obvious the young man was in bad shape.

All of this got me thinking about my time in college. Lord knows I had a good time however I would not say to this level of drunkenness. I was most concerned about the young women as they were very drunk and alone. You just have to hope that there are enough police and bouncers hanging around that it makes the bad guys stay away.

If you are looking for a place to come and party with the co-eds, our neighbourhood is a great one! It really is amazing how it changes from a professional neighbourhood with people in business suits looking important to a teenage party a few hours after the suits go home. Thankfully, we are just far enough away to not be bothered too much.