Lot's Wife Edition 1 2016

CREATIVE
“All I ate the
first day was a
banana, which
I threw up. We
tripped on acid
for five days
in a row.”
People dealt with their nausea and
headaches by continuing to drink as soon as they
crawled out of bed. They dealt with their sleep
deprivation by passing out in the afternoon or by
snorting various substances up their noses in the
early evening. They dealt with their dehydration
and lack of proper appetite by simply accepting
the fact that their health would need to be
overlooked till the event was over.
On the morning of 1st of January it poured
with rain. In fact, about two hours after the
clock struck midnight, it rained for about five
days straight. At some point that day, we needed
to pack up our stuff and carry it up a towering
hill to the car. The longer we left it, the more
difficult it was going to be to get out. We’d had an
amazing New Years Eve, but when I woke up and
realised our dismal fate, I wished I had woken up
anywhere else.
“I’m lying in a pool of water!” Nia yelled
from her tent as the sun rose. Tears ran down
various cheeks as we hauled our wet belongings
up the steep, muddy hill to the car park. Heavy
breathing, painful moaning and the occasional
tactical vomit ensued. The car could barely move
in the swampy ruins and most people simply left
their tents at the campsite amongst the various
wet remnants.
When we eventually arrived back home,
we looked like we had been dragged through a
war zone. The precarious festival culture is not
limited simply to Northern Bass as it is only New
Zealand’s second-most notorious music festival,
while it sits in the shadow of the infamous fiveday
Rhythm and Vines. Recalling her experience
there, a friend of mine Shams says that she
started drinking at 8am. “All I ate the first day
was a banana, which I threw up. We tripped
on acid for five days in a row,” she mentions.
“I accidentally did two tabs on the first night
because I thought I had spat one out, but later I
realized it was in my mouth the whole time and
I was too fucked up to realize that initially. So I
ended up doing two and having an insane trip.”
After destroying ourselves to such an
extent, it begs the question, why do we opt for
this rather than having a normal, one-night
party in the safety of our hometown? Going
to a music festival can be like leaving reality
behind for several days. The clock stops and all
responsibilities are put on hold. Most people
simply let their phone die as contact with the
outside world fades away rapidly. The culture
that surrounds it is intriguing and captivating.
Moreover, going to a New Years festival in a
country like New Zealand or Australia has almost
become a rite of passage for students.
My festival experience taught me some
important things:
1. Hangovers only hurt when you refrain
from drinking the following day.
2. Attending a music festival for more
than three days means you’ll inevitably
destroy your body. The best thing to do is
to not think about it and just embrace the
experience.
3. We made it out alive, and that’s an
achievement itself.
Surviving Northern Bass together brought
us significantly closer. Despite my sore legs, my
sunburnt face, my damaged liver and my empty
wallet, I’m glad I went and gave it go. I’m glad
I did it because if I didn’t, I would be spending
the rest of my university years living with a deep
curiosity and unsatisfied intrigue into what
this disturbingly appealing deal with the devil
actually involves.
Lot’s Wife | 53