I went to high school in rural-ish Canterbury – Lincoln, to be exact. We didn’t really have a whole lot of parties, and the ones that were thrown were either crammed into cookie-cutter suburban houses, held in someone’s shed or, if things were really fancy, hosted by a local community hall. I actually became the delegated host for my friend group, and had some pretty successful get-togethers. The stories from those days are probably best left in the past, but the point is I’ve always been a party girl at heart.
I honestly always hated living out of the main thoroughfare that was Christchurch. Given it was a nearly half-hour drive to get into the city centre, I’d had next to no experience with town or bars, even though I’d turned 18 halfway through year 13. When I came to university, I quickly came to grips with what real party culture might look like.
Living in halls, town time disrupted any attempt of hosting a party, much to my disappointment. Big Warden wouldn’t have it, moving everyone out at 10pm sharp. Instead, you had to be lucky enough to be friends with revered second-years if you ever wanted to get to an actual function. While the freshers were stuck partying at the clubs, everyone else was making the real party happen. Town to them was a nightcap, while the fresher saw it as an end-goal. Chess and checkers.
Once I was out of halls, I was like a bat out of hell, which definitely sucked for my three med-student flatmates. To this day, I love a good party – and my definition of a party is wide. I love small parties (pres, flat bondings, bottomless brunches) and big parties (flat balls, housewarmings, 21st festivities). I love being on aux, mixing 3-week-old juice with even older wine, talking to randoms and manifesting Project X level turnouts. I do not discriminate when it comes to a party.
That’s why I’m proud of this issue. If you turn to the centrefold, you’ll see a party board game made by myself and my two third-year flatmates, Grace and Emmie. Bring it to your next party. I also made our dear readers a house/dance playlist, genres that were our favourite for pres at our flat. Listen to it at your next party.
Remember to stay off the roof, be mindful of overcrowding, have zero tolerance for weird behaviour and look after your mates. A good party is a safe party <3
