Campus confessions: The day I went to a strip club with a fake ID

There are many stories I've seen in movies that I never thought could happen so close to home.

When I arrived on campus, my parents made it a point to pray for me, especially that I wouldn't stray from their teachings. 

They emphasised avoiding bad influences, especially drugs. I remember my mother praying that God would keep me away from bad company. 

I tried my best to obey her prayers, although it wasn't always easy. I'm not very religious and only attended the Christian Union (CU) services on campus when I felt like it.  

At university, I quickly became part of a "three musketeers" group of friends in our class. 

My two friends and I did almost everything together. We went clubbing, we went on trips and of course we studied, we were basically inseparable.  

In our third year, one of my friends had a crazy idea: to go to an exotic dance club. At first we debated whether it was a good idea, but eventually we all agreed to go. 

The only challenge? None of us were yet 24 years old, the minimum age for entry.

Luckily, we all "knew someone who knew someone" and managed to get IDs with the required age. We even decided to share a taxi so we'd look more respectable to the bouncers.  

We went armed with enough savings just in case the place turned out to be expensive - and it was.

A single beer cost double the normal price, and that was if you were feeling generous.  

The show on stage was decent and some of the women approached us to chat. But their conversations were all the same, and they quickly lost interest when it became clear we weren't buying lap dances. 

It was exciting for the first few minutes, but soon reality set in. Unlike in the movies, there's nothing exciting about it unless you have money. The environment felt cold and transactional.  

We didn't have enough money to act like high rollers, so we just sat and watched. It became increasingly uncomfortable, especially as we were trying to stay within our budget. 

After finishing our beers, we left after about three hours and went to our usual club where we felt more comfortable.  

Looking back, I realised that 90 per cent of the reason we went was because it seemed like something "guys" should do. We wanted to tell a story, but honestly, it's not a place I'd recommend for mates.  

As narrated by Emmanuel*