|
Day One:
August in Oklahoma is hot: 105 degrees in the shade. The first day of Open Houses started around 9 a.m., way too early for this girl before I discovered the joys of coffee. It was already positively broiling when we lined up with our rush groups. Each group had about 50 girls, and I was glad to see that ‘Jennifer’ from my dorm floor was in my group. The outfit I’d chosen for the first day was a blue and white striped seersucker sundress, which seemed perfect when I bought it off the sale rack – but it was HOT! I was starting to really sweat by the time we got to the first house, which was
Sansa, and the house was gorgeous. The door flew open and a swarm of pretty, preppy girls burst out, yelling and screaming and clapping. I think I took a step or two back – I’d not known about rush songs, and my nerves caused me to start giggling. They were loud! Inside, things were more subdued. I also felt nervous there, but wasn’t sure whether it was the girls or the new experience. They were all very ladylike, and I felt like I had to really mind my P’s and Q’s when talking with them. Let's just say my sense of humor tends to be a bit earthy, and I was worried that I might say something inappropriate! I saw 2 older girls from my high school there, though we didn’t get to talk. I wrote down that the girls were nice, rather quiet, and that I would like to go back to this house.
Bran. I didn’t know a soul here. The house wasn’t as impressive as Sansa’s but the girls were very nice. I really liked their theme, and felt they were more enthusiastic about their philanthropy. In fact, they were more enthusiastic in general than Sansa. I felt more relaxed here, but wasn’t sure I could see myself being a Bran. Instead of mixing and talking with various girls, we all sat down and listened to a few girls talk about the house, and I didn’t feel like I really got to know any of the girls. I wouldn’t mind going back, but I liked Sansa better.
Next was Ygritte. Their house was newer and very pretty. I felt very comfortable here, and actually sighed in relief when talking to several of the girls. They seemed very down-to-earth, with a wide mix of interests. I definitely wanted to go back. I felt like I could be myself at Ygritte.
Shae had a very nice house on the outside, but a little run-down on the inside. I cringe at my 18-year-old self making these surface judgments now, but at the time it seemed important. I knew some of the older girls who had gone to my high school by name, but not well enough to consider friends. These girls just didn’t really make an impression on me, good or bad. The girls were friendly, but I didn’t feel much of anything, other than a desire to get out of the heat. My notes say ‘bland’ and I didn’t think I would mind if I wasn’t invited back.
Next was Daenerys! My friend ‘Stephanie’’s sorority! I just knew it would be awesome. The house was beautiful and I knew lots of girls from my high school there. I was greeted by a girl I knew from high school, “Teresa” and I was so relieved to see someone I knew in this alien sorority recruitment environment that I squealed her name and gave her a big hug. As I was pretty sweaty at this point, I’m sure she was less than thrilled, but she smiled gamely and we talked until the next bump. Next I talked with a girl who was VERY tan – this was the height of the tanning bed craze. She was nice enough, but we didn’t really click. I kept looking around to see my friend ‘Stephanie’, but no dice. I got bumped to another girl I knew from school, and we talked comfortably. I finally got to see ‘Stephanie’ as we were walking out. She gave me a big hug and a smile, and told me she was glad to see me. However, as we left, I felt a little odd. I liked the house, the conversations were good, but I didn’t feel overly welcomed or like the ‘special snowflake’ I was sure I would be at Daenerys. At this point, it started to dawn on me that sorority recruitment was a whole new game, one that I was woefully unprepared for. I still hoped that I would get to go back to Daenerys, but wasn’t sure I felt completely comfortable there.
We walked on to Jon Snow. Very nice house and friendly girls. They seemed more ‘All-American’ and girl-next-door than either Daenerys or Sansa. I talked with a very cute and bubbly girl for the first part of the visit, then got picked up by an Amazon beauty queen type who had not the slightest interest in me. It was obvious. By this time, though, I was exhausted and knew there was just one house to go. I did my best to keep the conversation going, and at one point the cute bubbly girl looked over, rolled her eyes, and gave me a big wink. I left feeling like Jon Snow could be a house where I could feel comfortable, and definitely wanted to go back to learn more.
The last house for the day was Arya. I also knew some girls in this house, but not well. The house itself was a little outdated but the girls were terrific. Much like Ygritte, I felt like I could be completely myself. I spent most of the time with a fantastic girl who shared the same sense of humor as mine, and we really clicked. One of the girls from my high school made it a point to come and say hello, and the second girl I talked to was really pleasant, although we didn’t have a lot in common. She was very earnest about how much she loved Arya, and this made an impression. It was the first time someone had really talked about what their house meant to them, and the first time conversation got below a surface level. Despite my initial impression about their average house, I really enjoyed myself here and very much hoped to go back.
Since this was just the first day of the Open House parties and we still had to visit 4 more the next day, we didn't officially rank the houses. However, my personal preference at this point was:
1. Daenerys Stephanie! Girls from my high school! Gorgeous house! Squeeee!
2. Jon Snow I really liked the bubbly girl with the sense of humor and their pretty house. I really wanted to get to know them better.
3. Ygritte Felt fairly comfortable here and - pretty house! God, I was superficial.
4. Sansa Tent talk had it as a 'top house.' Maybe my feeling uncomfortable was just nerves due to the new experience? I didn't necessarily feel like I could totally be myself, but felt like these kinds of girls would be good to emulate.
5. Arya Though I really liked the girls, I had a hard time getting past their not-so-stylish house. I had the best time here and at Ygritte and looked forward to seeing if I clicked as well with other girls as I had this time.
6. Bran Their presentation was pretty boring compared to the conversations at the other houses. Still, I liked the girls I talked to, and even though it wasn't my favorite, I still felt open to visiting again.
7. Shae It wasn't horrible, but nothing stood out to me as interesting, either. Perhaps I just didn't get to talk to girls I had things in common with, but I wouldn't be sad if I didn't go back to this house.
I definitely had found some houses I felt I could be comfortable with, but decided to wait until the next day to see what the last 4 houses had to offer.
|