Ok guys...
I'm from Sweden so I'll tell you what it's like here. All the ladies are tall blondes with huge breasts and only wear polarbearskins that end just below their ass. They are all nymphomaniacs and I have to fight them off with a stick...
No seriously, when I have had foreign friends visit me in Sweden they all went on and on about how hot the Swedish ladies are and they would never see so many HB10's back home... well beaty is in the eye of the beholder.
I tend to go for the foreign girls rather often, I seldom find the blondes very attractive. Girls from the middle east are usually my cup of tea. Yeah I know, you get images of hairy women wrapped in black cloth so you can only see their eyes - this is not always the case - think arabian nights, theese chicks are hot! So what I am saying is the grass is always greener on the other side, what is rare and different is what you usually want.
I'm not talking rare and different as in 200 pounds overweight girls who can grow a moustache... but you know what I mean. If I generally see blondes all day and ocassionally see a really hot darkhaired Iranian girl, well I WANT her.
Anyways I think discussing cultural differences and how girls behave in other countries can be interesting on a purely academic level. When it comes to pickups and DJ'ing the main rules are the same, the pillars on wich sucessfull DJ'ing rests...
Above all - be confident - do not act confident - BE CONFIDENT!
Work on this before you work on anything else. When you get this part everything else is EASY.
It doesn't really matter if you generally ask a girl for their number where you live or not. Worrying about stuff like that is like worrying about what tie to wear to work before you even got the job! When you get the job things will come naturally.
Work on being confident and comfortable with who you are and all else will come naturally - you will laugh about worrying about if you should ask a girl for her number or go about it some other way - theese are small small issues in the big picture...
Anyways, my tip to you Mr.Bean - is clubbing really your scene if you are 40 years old? I'm not saying it isn't as I only been to Holland once and didn't think to much about the average clubbing age - all I can say is that if you go clubbing in Sweden when you are 40 years old it's easy to come across as desperate. If you think you can pull it off - that's great go for it - but ask yourself if there isn't other ways to meet women that would suit you better?
I say get involved in stuff you have been thinking about during your long term relationship that you never got to do. I'm thinking evening classes in something that interests you - and something where you would meet girls.
I for one always wanted to learn how to dance but none of my buddys wanted to join me. I enlisted alone to some evening classes in couple dances (you were not required to bring a partner) and soon made friends with lots of girls and dated one of them.
Enjoy your new won freedom, see it as an oppurtunity to do all the stuff you wanted but didn't get a chance, go out and meet people (women)!
I bet you there is a million places to meet women you didn't even think about. Start studying again, enlist yourself to some university with evening classes. Do your homework at the library instead of home alone. Instead of renting a movie and watching it alone at home call a friend and go to the cinema - go out to some crowded relaxed place to eat afterwards. If you are reading a good book stop reading it at home, go to a favourite café and read it. If you are into any kind of sport be sure to make new friends while practcing it - if you play golf ask the two ladies in front of you if you could join them and make it a threesome (yeah they actually call it that!). If you play tennis be a little early to the court you booked, then ask the ladies playing before you if they would like to make it a 2on2 game as you and your friend are tired of playing each other all the time... Whenever you go to stores be sure to speak to the people who work there (even guys) - ask for help and be polite. Practice your people skills and make new friends EVERYWHERE.
What I am trying to say is there is a million ways to meet women and most of them are fun even if you don't meet someone. The clubbing thing is alot of pressure as it's often obvious why a single guy your age is out clubbing - also the approach is harder as it's obvious what your objective is.
Now again, if you feel like clubbing go ahead and do it, don't let me stop you. It's the general idea, do stuff you like and meet new people in the process. Become friends with men aswell, become a part of their social circle, they have women friends =)
You are a free man and a world of infinite oppourtunities is at your feet - embrace the situation and be sure to make the most of your life.
/Hanuman * out!