El Kapital

Last night my friends and I headed into Madrid for the night to go to a club, El Kapital.  Disclaimer: When students go into Madrid to go to the "discotecas" it usually is an all night deal and don't return until the next morning.  True story.  My host mom was saying that this club is famous and many "estudiantes americanos" like to go to this club.  Go figure.  It's a 7 story club with multiple dance floors and bars everywhere.  I have never seen anything like it, but that's probably because I don't normally go to clubs or bars.

When we got to Madrid we wondered around and waited for the club to get a little busier.  We went to McDonald's mainly because it was open, and four of us split an Oreo McFlurry.  In the words of my friend Nina, "Doesn't this place just smell like home?"  Yes, indeed it did.

I was extremely nervous because I was told that they had a pretty strict dress code to get in.  Seeing as my wardrobe consists of plain t-shirts and cardigans, I was struggling to come up with something club appropriate.  I asked my host sister probably 8 times about an outfit, and I could tell she was not pleased with my selection of clothes.  I guess J. Crew isn't her thing?  But once we finally got into the club, I noticed that I was a bit underdressed in my flats, dark skinnies, and tank top.  Shoot.  Next time I'll know.

But for the first hour, we just explored the club because it seemed to never end!  I spent most of the night dancing with my group of friends, and we protected each other from the creepy Spanish men that would come our way.  We danced to Lady GaGa (yes she is big in Spain too) and some Spanish music too and it was a really fun night.  I had a card for a free drink, and I ordered a Coca-Cola and felt semi-lame but that's what I really wanted.  Around 4:00 A.M., I had to switch into "mom" mode (that's what my friends call me), and I had to gather up some of the not so sober people and make sure that they had all their purses, shoes, and coat check tickets.  I felt like a mom.

We finally left the club at 6:00 A.M. and got pastries at the café across the street.  They were delicious.  Then we got back on the train and headed home.  I got to my house at around 8:30, and the strange thing was I wasn't really that tired.  However, I have learned another important lesson that should be common sense: Never wear new shoes to an all night dance party, even if they match your outfit perfectly.