I joined a local that had just been established the previous spring. There were only 7 sisters and 6 PNMs, so all the PNMs got to meet and have pretty long conversations with all the sisters, and vice versa, just during rush parties. When we got our bids, we were also handed a list of 5 sisters to rank in order of how much we wanted each of them for our big sister. (The new member educator was excluded because of her position, and only 5 bids were extended so one other sister volunteered to not have a little.) Well, there was one girl I really clicked with, I ranked her first, and she became my big.
So we actually were paired up right from the start of the pledge period. The "paddle" she gave me is still sitting on the corner of my desk, with a big ol' AEPhi ribbon on it
My little is another story. She was kind of quiet, and I was one of the few people who was able to draw her out during rush - I think she felt more at ease with me than with some of my other sisters. We served on Panhel together for a year (she as secretary, I as AEPhi's rep). Sadly, she deaffiliated later
