Saturday, April 14, 2012

Night at the Theater

I decided to treat myself to a night at the theater to see a production of Swan Lake.

While I was getting ready to go, my roommates kept asking with strained looks on their faces, "So you're really going alone?" Yes, I really went alone to the ballet. Never mind the fact that I only have a handful of friends in Barcelona (and even less when I consider who would want to accompany me to a ballet), I wanted to go alone. I think there is something fabulous in the idea of walking downtown by yourself, taking in the night air and city lights by yourself, and then finding your seat in the theater by yourself. After all, that's one of the important experiences while living abroad, isn't it? To learn to live alone. To experience things on your own. If I didn't do the things I wanted to do simply because I didn't have a friend to hold my hand, then I would sit at home almost every night in one of the greatest cities in the world. This shouldn't be something you're afraid of. It shouldn't hold you back.

So yes, I found my seat in the theater and sat alone (without a smartphone to distract me, I might add) and waited for the curtain call. I didn't feel lonely or pathetic. I felt independent and accomplished.

And the show went on just the same, with a plus one or not.


In the end, the performance was....mediocre, to be honest. But hey, it was still fun to spend a night out on the town, alone.

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