[phoenix16]

Preference Round

This morning, my Rho Gamma was smiling when I met her for my list.

I looked down to find:

Cumin
Garlic
Paprika

All three had invited me back! I was thrilled! Now to run around in the snow while all dressed up...

Cumin was beautiful today! The ceremony was gorgeous and I found myself tearing up listening to the sisters talk about their meaningful experiences in the sorority. Some sisters sang a precious song and I was struck by how the rest of the chapter looked. All of the sisters were smiling and several were in tears or singing along. The woman I talked to was older and told me about her love for the chapter. I could tell how much she cared for the chapter and that she had been changed by her time with them. After a long and intense conversation on sisterhood, we laughed about how emotional we were getting and spent the rest of the round talking about movies that we liked. It was a nice break, and I thought our conversations reflected how a true friendship worked. I left overwhelmed by the experience and on the verge of tears.

Garlic was another awkward experience, unfortunately. The ceremony was unusual and I felt out of place participating. I was relieved when it was over, honestly. Then I was "double-rushed," which was disappointing for such an important round. The other PNM did not want to be there, and I tried to engage the sister we were talking to, but it did not go very well. I left knowing I would rank them last.

Paprika was actually a disappointment to me this round. The ceremony itself was beautiful, and I could tell that the sisters loved the sorority. As soon as I started talking to the woman I was paired with, however, I started to get a bad feeling. She did not want to answer any of my questions. When she did, they were in a negative manner about the sorority and she didn't make eye contact with me. I asked her point blank what she liked about the chapter, and she said nothing! Now, I knew that the sisters were not all like this, as the many I knew and the ones I talked to during recruitment were not. I assumed she was tired or sick and that she just wanted the round to be over. At one point, I made eye contact with my best friend across the room, and she gave me a half smile, seeming to understand what was going on. I left upset that pref round had gone poorly, but I still loved this chapter.

When I went to rank, I realized what I predicament I was in. I wanted to be sisters with my best friend and I liked her sisters, but I had better conversations and experiences overall at Cumin during recruitment. I spent some time talking to my Rho Gamma, and she told me that she almost didn't pref her chapter because she had liked the idea of another chapter more. I thought this over and three hours later I came to my conclusion:

I loved Paprika and I knew the women in it were like me. I would be sisters with my best friend. If something happened, I would gladly take a bid from Cumin as it was a great chapter. I would give Garlic a chance, but I wasn't sure if I would stick with them.

My final ranking was:
1. Paprika
2. Cumin
3. Garlic

With my card signed, we went off to Rho Gamma reveal and I settled in for the wait for bid day!!