Finally 21!

[nachtjaeger]

21??? Ah, yes. I have fond memories of those days. Hazy memories, to be sure, with large gaps in them, but fond nonetheless.

[Billie Bonce]

Congratulations! Enjoy it, man!

I remember how stuuuuupid I was when I was 21. Oh, we had really great time then!

[jack c]

I'm 55, with an almost 21-year-old son. My wise guy line is enjoy 21 - they all go downhill from there. Not entirely true - but 21 is special for anyone. I turned 21 at a college dinner dance, and the band announced it. Guys were lining up drinks with the idea that "21 years, 21 drinks." Needless to say, I didn't make that target - not too responsible to have tried. You're only young once, and you have already addressed the "don't drink and drive" issue. Have fun and be safe. I enjoy your posts.

[undergrain1]

I didn't make a big fuss about any of my milestone birthdays - 16, 18, 21, 30, 40, 50. I've got too much to look forward to! And I don't recall my family making much of a fuss about them either. Day after my 16th - I went and got my learner's permit to take driver ed. 18th - did my homework, ate dinner, watched TV, went to bed. 21st - did my college homework, ate dinner, watched TV, went to bed. 30th - came home from work, made dinner, ate dinner, watched TV, worked on computer, went to bed. 40th - came home from work, kissed my wife of nine months, helped make dinner, watched TV, went to bed with my wife. 50th - slept all morning from night shift schedule, made dinner with wife's help, ate dinner, wife went to bed and I went to overnight recreatin'.

To those who are inclined to make it a big event, do it wisely, don't overdo it, save some fun for every other day, too, because the unbirthdays are just as important as the birthdays.

[Duncan Edwards]

That got me trying to remember if there was anything significant about my 21st birthday. That was substantially more than 21 years ago but I do recall that my girlfriend cooked for me. It must have made an impression because I married her five years later.

Take notice of women who feed you.

[Billie Bonce]

I try to remember my 21st birthday. I can't. It's in Summer, and I remember that Summer very well, it was really great... But I don't remember my birthday.

But the age of 21 actually means nothing special in this part of the world, and meant nothing special 30 years ago. At those times a person above 21 could be elected to all state authorities, except, if I'm not mistaken, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

[Mynock]

I try to remember my 21st birthday. I can't. It's in Summer, and I remember that Summer very well, it was really great... But I don't remember my birthday.

But the age of 21 actually means nothing special in this part of the world, and meant nothing special 30 years ago. At those times a person above 21 could be elected to all state authorities, except, if I'm not mistaken, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Just in case you're wondering, that's the age in most States in the US where you are legally allowed to drink, hence, all the jokes about "hazy" memories.

[Billie Bonce]

Just in case you're wondering, that's the age in most States in the US where you are legally allowed to drink, hence, all the jokes about "hazy" memories.

I knew about drinking, but I think there are some other things, too, I just don't know them. Sometimes I see something like "you must be above 21 to enter" on adult sites in the Internet, that surprises me a lot.

In my part of the world we get passports in 16, graduate from school in 16-17, girls are allowed to marry in 17, all the rest (including the right to get a driver license) comes in 18. Responsibility for certain types of crime depends on age, and it changes gradually in 14, 16, 18. Officially, alcohol drinks (including beer) and tobacco should be sold only to persons above 18, but in reality teenagers have no problems with buying those. And not only here. My daughter traveled for many countries with her dance ensemble and she brought us brandy from Greece as a souvenir when she was only 14, so there's no surprise that next year she brought us a bottle of wine from Italy (only one - the second one they drank on the road, little winos ).

[Mynock]

It's pretty much the same over here. Different ages for different things, but 21 is pretty much the age where you're considered an adult (that might vary from state to state I'm not exactly sure). The passport thing is an interesting difference, they actually make you get one?

[Billie Bonce]

It's pretty much the same over here. Different ages for different things, but 21 is pretty much the age where you're considered an adult (that might vary from state to state I'm not exactly sure).

Nah, you didn't notice the main difference. 18 is the age when you're considered an adult here. Full rights and full responsibilities.

The passport thing is an interesting difference, they actually make you get one?

Passport is the main document that a person has here. Basically, it's the only document that a person must have, the only one necessary recent addition is the certificate of personal identification number (if we don't count for various diploma and other documents that certify the level of education, skills, etc.) In passport there are special pages for seals that certify registration (place of residence), marital status, children, etc. If a policeman finds you suspicious he may ask you to show documents, i.e. the passport. In general, if a person can't show the passport, the policeman can arrest them for "identification of personality" for up to 72 hours (usually - until the person's relatives bring the passport to the police station).

You can't do many things without passport. Say, without passport it's usually impossible to check into hotel (except for small private ones), you can't get a legal job (can get illegal one, for sure), you can't buy a ticket for a flight and can't board a plane (for several years the same rule was for intercity trains), can't open an account in a bank, and in many cases you also have to show your passport to pay by a plastic card (credit or else). You must have passport to apply for college or university study admission. In Russia, additionally, you can't buy a cell phone without a passport, as well as you can't purchase a prepaid cell phone services.

If you haven't got the passport in time (during 1 month after you turned 16), you may be fined. If you haven't done it for 1 year, you'll be fined for sure.