Leslie Anne,
I'm sorry that you feel the way you do about your sorority. When I first got out of school, I was so burned out from doing DZ stuff that I didn't get involved in an alumnae association right away. It took almost 3 years before I was ready to jump back in. And that was a big jump! Going to that first meeting and not knowing a soul was petrifying. But I stuck with it.
Now, a year and half later, I'm a member of 2 alumnae chapters, am on the advisory board for a local DZ collegiate chapter, am the webmaster for 1 alum chapter, and am the Membership Chairman for the state of GA. It's like having 2 full-time jobs. One that gives me a paycheck every two weeks and one that gives me happiness all the time!
Luckily for me, the alum chapters that I joined are small. One has about 16 members and the other about 30. If we combined the 6 DZ alum chapters in the Atlanta area, we'd probably have a too-large group, much like the one you described. Perhaps you could suggest breaking up into a few different chapters? For example, our chapters are divided by location. We have the Northside chapter for north Atlanta suburb sisters, the Southern Crescent chapter for those down South of the airport, the Atlanta chapter for metro women, etc., etc., etc.
At any rate, I completely understand you feeling out of place with everyone already knowing each other. The best way to get around that is to keep going to the meetings so that the girls will start to recognize you. Also, take baby steps by introducing yourself to just one or two girls each time you go.
Pick someone who looks like they're in the same age range to start out with because you'll probably have more in common with those people. Get their e-mail addresses and send them a note after the meeting, telling them how much you enjoyed getting to know them and asking them to let you know next time they get together. That's how I met a lot of my sisters. It's tough at first, but I really think you'd be happier once you got involved.
Also, I can't stress this part enough, being in an alumnae chapter is completely different from being in a collegiate one. I won't say that one is necessarily more fun than the other, because they both have their good points. BUT there is a significant difference in the lifestyle you lead in the "real world" than in the collegiate world. And alumnae chapters reflect that in the types of gatherings they have and in the types of women involved. Good luck!
