[StealthMode]

Boooo I can't stand seeing a spelling error after my words have already been quoted! Oh well.

Originally Posted by sigmadiva

And, I'm pretty sure I've figured who is who in this story.

LOL Like I said, there will be little mystery in this thread with only 4 orgs.

So, thus began my quest to become an Olivia. To protect the identity of the chapter, I won’t say too much about the ladies except this—they did NOT like me much. I have kind of a goofy, quirky personality that really didn’t mesh with their no-nonsense runnings. I participated in their programs, did service with them but we never really clicked. I knew many of them but liked only a couple and none considered me a friend. I threw my hat into the ring but pretty much knew the answer before we even got there. Honestly, trying to break into that crowd left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. I admired them very much but in terms of friendliness and openness, they scored pretty low—they were more on the “intimidate the hell out of you because we can” train. It left me wondering if I was really meant to be an Olivia after all. The upside was that I made friends with other interests and those friendships lasted throughout college. I decided that, if the opportunity to try for an alumnae chapter presented itself, I would consider it but after 2 years of pursuing to no avail, my dreams of Olivia were tabled. I graduated college with honors, titles, and faux Greek letters (2 honor societies ) but still very much a non-Greek.

I went to graduate school to pursue further education and it was here, in a new state, that I began running into Olivias while I did community service. These members were unlike the members I’d met in college. They were just as dynamic and successful, just as passionate about service, just as politically active, etc. but they were very warm and friendly. I clicked with a few of them and got to know them. In e-mailing back and forth, I learned how WONDERFUL these women were and my love for Olivia was rekindled. Not to sound so fair-weather but it really took bonding with them on a personal level to remind me of all the other things I liked about Olivia. I waited patiently but, in the 2 years I lived in that area, there was never a membership intake. I was so sad to have missed my chance. There were quite a few positives—I joined another honor society, made some friends, and gained an advanced degree. But I still didn’t belong to that community I wanted to be a part of so badly! I moved closer to home to be near my family and (who knew?) IMMEDIATELY fell into working with the local chapter of Olivias. They say often that, if you do community service, you will meet some. Well, that was sure right on target! I met member after member as I fell into my routine of serving in my community (I do this in every place I’ve ever moved, it’s very much a part of who I am). As I got to know more and more of them, I began to LOVE the members. It was different than the ones I’d just moved away from—I felt like I truly belonged. It’s hard to explain but the way I laughed and joked and bonded with these women, it was like I was already one of them. Because I was younger than most of them (I think all of them), some of them affectionately called me “little sister.” Of course, none of them knew I was interested in joining—I didn’t want them to think I was only becoming friends with them for gain because that was so not true. I built relationships with them over a couple of years, attended all of their events, and even volunteered to work a fair few of them just to lend a hand. As months turned to years, I began to wonder if they would ever have an intake…

Then I heard from a member (who was one of only 2 who knew of my interest) that I should express interest formally because, if intake did happen, they would know to notify me. I did as she said but still didn’t hear anything…until an e-mail appeared in my inbox several months later, asking for my address so that I could be sent an invitation to learn more about the sisterhood. Was this it? Was this finally my chance?