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Most university students socialize by going to parties they organize among themselves at their homes or in public places like bars or discos). Weekends are always filled with many parties.
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Besides the traditional parties, universities have student groups or organizations around different topics or causes. These are great alternative ways to make friends and socialize.
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Drinking is not acceptable inside universities; normally they do not sell alcohol inside the campuses, but very close by are restaurants and bars where alcohol is sold, so it’s very common to see university students meeting there and drinking in the evenings, after class. In these type of environments outside the campus, drinking is very acceptable and normal.
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Smoking is common and it’s allowed in open places (not inside classrooms or other formal education spaces) inside the campuses and some universities do have specific smoking places.
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Being excessively drunk in public is not appreciated, especially for women. Nevertheless, some people do it. Sober friends collaborate a lot with their “drunk” friends, making them calm down and bringing them home for example, however this happens only between close friends, so you should not always rely on that.
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When it comes to dating, men usually ask women out, and not the other way around. Dating normally starts with the traditional flirting; both, women and men enjoy this game for some time (that can be days or weeks).
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Dating tends to be quite formal, and people may go on several dates before being romantic.
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When you start dating a person, sometimes you keep the relationship on a low profile for some time (also days or weeks), this is just to see how it goes before making it public and having everyone knowing it. That’s fine and normal as long as both partners are cool with that.
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First dates can be going to a restaurant, the movies, going to a disco, to a concert, and so on … nowadays, I think dates are not that structured, and connections just happen without even thinking when and where.
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Colombian society is strongly influenced by the Catholic Church and even if pre-marital sexual relationships happen after some time happen, it’s something that couples do not share openly and that families would rather believe that they do not know.
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Depending on the “rules” of each family and the maturity of the relationship, boyfriends and girlfriends can be very close to their families in law. Many parents care a lot of who their children are dating and want to have a say. However also in many cases the girl or boy knows how to handle the situation and does not let the family be too involved in their own decisions.
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