initiated: 12-5

After spending day 1 of the winter olympics at the International Olympics Museum (because apparently the international headquarters of the olympics are in Lausanne??-I'm beginning to lose track of "international headquarters" here), we found a pizza place with a pizza on the menu called the "Lady Gaga". Obviously we had to go. We split a 'family sized' pizza among the 4 of us for 50 CHF in total. Switzerland is a funny country. at most restaurants, beer is cheaper than coke, or at least the same price, but a pizza that would be no more than $20 in the US costs near $50.

After, we met another student with her host brother who just HAD to take us to club Mica that night. Lausanne has a huge university so it's know for its nightlife. Clubs aren't really my "scene," if you will, but we figured its the experience everyone needs to have at least once whilst in Europe. So around 12:30 am we ventured to Mica, waited in line (wearing jeans and coats, we looked a little out of place compared to the other girls we saw. I just don't get it, it was at MOST 20 degrees out.), paid 15 CHF cover (but with a free drink ticket (worth it??...as a beer cost you 10 CHF anyhow) and entered the abyss of strobe lights and fog machines. The host brother, a 19 year old equivalent of a high school senior, was CRAZY, and somehow, everyone in the club knew every word to ever generic American pop song, yet they didn't speak a word of english. We meant to leave for the 2:10 train home but since we didn't get in till after 1:00 and paid the cover, we figured it wasn't worth it. Earl, among others, speak of the 12-5 crowd: trains stop running around 1 or 2 and don't start up again until 5, so most 'normal' young kids stay out until 5 am and catch the first train home...By this point, we decided to do as the locals do and experience the life of a 12-5er. Exhausting and yet another affirmation that deep down, I'm really an 80 year-old grandma. We caught the first train home, a cab (for $40 total-6 people) to Yens, and an unusually long walk up to our beacon on the hill. Longest and most entertaining night thus far.