An Evening In Paris

One of the highlights of my MBA in LBS was the MBAT trip. I should probably explain what the TLA - three-lettered acronym mean: MBA - Masters in Business Administration, LBS - London Business School and MBAT - Masters in Business Administration Tournament. MBAT is a fancy excuse to get drunk disguised as a sports tournament between MBA schools.

But, for people like me who are not much into drinking - it was a great way to explore Paris instead. MBAT's venue was a school near Paris. So, Ranjani (my friend) and I skipped out on all the tournaments. We decided to roam Paris and meet the rest of the crowd at a club in Paris in the evening. During the day, we had a blast - if somebody had seen our GPS location, they would see two dots buzzing past the highlights - Eiffel tower, Champs De Elysees, Notre Dame, Louvre etc.

We reached the club post dinner and decided to celebrate our first trip to a European city ever. We got a free drink coupon and decided to cash those in before hitting the dance floor. We decided to take a shot of vodka - neat. And then we spotted a staircase and decided to explore that. Our friend met us at the top and told us they had fabulous hookah flavours. And I was big on hookah, so I found the apple flavours and took some long swigs of it. It tasted weird, but the flavours were always slightly different. And that's when things got strange.

I had trouble walking, and I could not stand upright. And it did not take my friend long to understand that I had just inhaled a ton of weed mixed with Apple flavour. And that, too, right after a shot of vodka on an empty stomach. For those drinkers out there - you probably know what that means. For me, I felt what it meant.

So, she pointed to a couch at the other end of the room and told me to sit there. And for the first time in my life, I realized how difficult it was to walk straight. I was doing my damn best to get to the couch but could not. And I vaguely remember pushing random people who I think were trying to help me out of my way. I discovered that my drunk personality was the aggressive type. Thankfully Ranjani found another friend of ours who got me to the couch. She handed me a big water bottle and told me to keep drinking. I was way past understanding at that point. Ranjani babysat me until our bus ride back to the school was ready. And as soon I was about to board the bus, I threw up - my claim to fame, throwing up on the streets of Paris. And I slept through the bus ride.

The next day when I woke up, I remembered Ranjani asking me - 'Do you want an apple?' And I remember my brain processing the information at a super slow rate. So slow that I would forget what the second word was and had to start over... Ranjani gave up and just handed me an apple. The ride back from Paris to London on Eurostar was a forgettable experience.

Not sure if it was the fun night we wanted it to be - but it sure did turn out to be a memorable experience. If not for this uneventful party, I would have never known what it's like to throw up and what a hangover feels like. We have been to Paris a million times, but the first trip left an indelible mark on our hearts and the streets of Paris.