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Round 2: Philanthropy Day
I was so anxious to get my invitations back for philanthropy day. I was really hoping to see A Christmas Story, Elf, and The Polar Express, but at the same time I knew I would be thrilled just to get a full schedule of 8. My rho gammas began to hand out schedules. Mine looked like this:
The Polar Express
The Grinch
Christmas Vacation
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Miracle on 34th Street
Elf
The Santa Claus
At first I was thrilled; I had a full schedule! But after taking a closer look I realized that I didn’t get invited back to A Christmas Story, and that definitely shocked me. I thought I had my best conversations there, and I felt like I had really connected with everyone I talked to. Oh well, I had only been there for a matter of minutes and I had plenty of great houses on my schedule.
The Polar Express: I loved this house during round 1 and I was so excited to be going back! I was picked up at the door and immediately taken to the living room to watch a short video about their sorority. It was super cute and really well done. After the video, I chatted with the girl who picked me up at the door. She was nice and we talked about our hometowns. Time was up before I knew it and I left feeling slightly conflicted. I had loved this house so much during round 1, but my connections during round 2 just weren’t as great. I also found it quite odd that they didn’t really mention their philanthropy at all. I decided I wanted to come back to give them another chance.
The Grinch: I was excited to return to this house too. Just walking in the door it was obvious that this house is so passionate about their philanthropy! I was paired with a girl who walked me through different displays of their philanthropy events each year. These girls are so involved and obviously very proud of the work they do for their philanthropy. I really clicked with the girl I was talking to too, and she had a personal connection to their philanthropy which made it all the more special. For the second part of my visit we watched a short video about their philanthropy, which was incredibly moving. I left this house having thoroughly enjoyed my time there, and hoping to return!
Christmas Vacation: This house was similar to The Grinch in that I was paired with a girl who showed me around various displays of their philanthropy events. The events looked super fun, however the girl I was talking with was obviously very shy and our conversation was kind of flat. I was paired with another girl to watch their video, and it was so loud in the room that I couldn’t hear the video or the girl! I left this house with the same feelings as round 1, that I wouldn’t be devastated to not return, but that I wouldn’t mind going back either.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: This house was obviously very passionate about their philanthropy too! I talked to two girls at this house, one was extremely talkative, going on and on about their various philanthropies, which are all great, but I barely got a word in! I was bumped to a girl who was exactly the opposite, she didn’t say much, and just asked me if I had any questions. I got awkward once I ran out of questions. My experience during round 2 left me questioning if I wanted to return to this house.
A Charlie Brown Christmas: I was excited to return to get a better feel for this house. I hit it off immediately with the girl I was paired with. We talked about philanthropy but we also talked about movies and mutual friends we had. I remember laughing a lot at this house. Before it was time to go, the president came over to us and chatted with us a bit. She seemed like a total sweetheart. I loved this house during round 2 and I left really wanting to return.
Miracle on 34th Street: These girls were also super passionate about their philanthropy! We watched a short video here and then I chatted with two girls. They both were really sweet and there was never a lull in the conversation. The party was over before I knew it and I left wanting to return.
Elf: We watched a short video at this house as well. After the movie I chatted with the girl who picked me up at the door. We were from the same hometown, but she had gone to a different high school, so we talked a lot about that. We also talked about their philanthropy, which she was super involved with! It was obvious that all of the girls in this house were really involved. It honestly intimidated me. She was so sweet and I left definitely wanting to return.
The Santa Claus: Here I was picked up by a girl from my hometown. It was such a relief to see a familiar face, I felt like I could let my guard down just a little bit. We had a good time catching up, and she talked a little bit about their philanthropy events, which sounded really cool. I was passed off to another girl I really hit it off with. We chatted briefly, then some girls got up and shared how their philanthropy had affected them, which was really touching. I left definitely wanting to return.
I was exhausted by the time we went in to rank. I had loved so many of the houses, but I would say at this point my top three were Elf, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and The Santa Claus, in no particular order. I also had a pretty clear bottom two in my mind. Here is how I ranked:
1.The Polar Express
1.The Grinch
1.A Charlie Brown Christmas
1.Miracle on 34th Street
1.Elf
1.The Santa Claus
2.Christmas Vacation
3.Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Roommates favorites were the same, but the order was now a little different. She loved A Christmas Story, The Santa Claus, and Elf during round 2. Stay tuned for round 3!
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