When I started my study abroad, I had a certain mentality that a lot of other people seem to share. This was my semester to explore, to learn more about the world and myself and, of course, to have fun. One friend put it best in the advice he gave me before I left: be open to everything and have a “yes” mentality.

To prepare, I’d been saving up money for this semester. I even chose to take only three classes and drop most of the responsibilities for my Syracuse extracurriculars so I could have more time to explore the city.

Considering this mentality and the freedom I personally feel as an abroad student, I wasn’t at all surprised when I learned of a study that found that students are more likely to “drink excessively” while abroad.

We’re in a new place with new people. We know that we aren’t going to have another opportunity like this again in our lives. Even if we do come back to this city, we’re going to be older and less willing and able to go out. This semester, we have few responsibilities, a whole new city full of nightlife options to explore and a “yes” mentality.

So when our program-mates ask us if we want to join them at a bar or club, we agree.

It’s worth noting for my mom and any future employers reading this that the drinking age in Hong Kong is 18, so it is perfectly legal for all of us to go out. That being said, there are still problems involved with partying abroad.

The drinking culture in Hong Kong is very different from the U.S. Here, there are a lot of great bars and clubs. Most of them are clustered in two different areas that turn into party central at night.

But the first night we went out in Hong Kong, I noticed that, for the most part, there weren’t many locals surrounding us at the bars and clubs. There seemed to be a lot of ethnicities present, and I heard a bunch of other languages. The people around me were mostly expats and tourists.

The venues themselves are geared towards their clientele. The staff speak English. The signs are in English. They serve Western-style drinks. They host themed evenings and post their events on entirely English Facebook pages. There’s even one restaurant and bar that plays cowboy movies on its TV screens.

Many Hong Kong natives don’t frequent these spots. Most of the Hong Kong college students I’ve spoken with said they don’t drink very much and when they do, they rarely drink to excess.

Considering this, I am not surprised most of the Hong Kong natives I’ve met seem to think that Americans are crazy partiers. I would probably think that too if the majority of the Americans I had been exposed to were college students on their semester abroad.

I’m not writing this to shame college students who want to have a fun Friday night while in a different country. In fact, I think it’s an important part of the experience. We just need to be respectful of locals and conscious of the local customs when we do it.

Claire Moran is a junior broadcast and digital journalism and international relations dual major. Her column appears weekly in Pulp. She can be reached at clmoran@syr.edu.

Published on March 2, 2016 at 8:24 pm