Short and sweet story..

[awkward1]

We met our Rho chi groups in the evening and I was really excited to start meeting people. After I ate dinner I went back to my room to wait until it was time, and to get ready for the meeting. At the meeting we sat in a circle and our Rho Chi asked us to say our names and where we were from. When my turn came, I gave my name and said I was from Anchorage. Everyone stared at me like I was from outer space. But then when you are from Alaska you get used to that type of response and brace yourself for the questions to follow. " Is it cold there all the time?" "Is it really dark all day?" and so on. I always answer politely knowing that most people will never be able to travel to Alaska and experience it first hand. The girls were friendly though and I left the meeting with a really good feeling about my decision to go way south to college and to rush.

RUSH DAY 1: I dressed in my cutest outfit : a skirt that fell about mid thigh and a cute top and a pair of shoes that I absolutely loved! My roommate and I headed out for the big day, confident and exuberant. And then we exited the building and I was hit by the thickest air ever! The heat and humidity combined to make me feel like I was breathing underwater. I immediately began to sweat profusely....not a good sign. We went to our respective groups and made our way to the first party. I truly could not believe what lay before me when we walked up to the first house, Delta Gamma. The house was beautiful beyond anything I ever imagined. The lawn (actual grass not tundra) was immaculate, the house looked like it belonged in a movie. I looked at the other girls nervously...was I the only person who had never seen anything like this? I noticed giant plywood anchors in the front yard...why? Then the front doors flew open and out came a big group of enthusiastic girls clapping and singing and performing their hearts out. Whoa...I hope they don't ask me to join in I thought...what was going on here and what was going to happen next? As suddenly as it all started it stopped and the girls walked forward and started leading PNM's into the house one by one. I couldn't move, I was frozen in place and really overwhelmed by what all just happened. The DG girls weren't just enthusiastic, but they were the most beautiful girls I had ever seen in my entire life! They all had good hair, make up and they were all so pretty! And then it was my turn. It took a little coaxing to get my feet to move but I followed my DG inside and my jaw dropped at the beauty of the inside of the house. I quickly regained a semblance of composure and managed to answer the first question...'where are you from?' I was never so thankful to be able to say I was from Alaska because the uniqueness made conversation easy. I apologized for not coming into the house right away and explained that I had just never seen a house like this before and I really loved it! The party went by fast and on to the second house. Same thing at the next house, the prettiest girls ever, good conversation about Alaska, beautiful house. And so the day went until the last house. I was tired and overwhelmed by the heat at this point and ready for the day to end. I remember vividly stepping into the DDD house and thinking to myself 'how do these girls just know how to pull themselves together and be so perfect?' . This was the first house where I felt totally out of place. They talked about spring break cruises and designer handbags...I knew I could never keep up with them. But they were so friendly that I was a little sad knowing that I couldn't fit in here. They probably didn't want me anyways I thought.

My roommate and I had a late dinner that night. I took a look outside my window before we left and saw that it was dark outside so I immediately grabbed a jacket, put it on and headed out. When I stepped outside I realized what a dork I was. Just because it is dark outside does not mean it is cold out! DOH! It took me weeks to break that habit!

The next morning I dawdled around and told my roommate to go on ahead. I was overwhelmed, jet lagged, and realizing that I was in way over my head. I took a good look at my clothes...my skirt that I had worn was corduroy which I didn't think twice about at first but realized soon enough that corduroy is not the fabric of choice when it is 95 degrees out. My cute shirt had sleeves, my shoes were leather. Hot, hot, hot. Maybe for the Fall but not a southern summer. My hair was blonde, or it would have been blonde if it weren't for our Alaskan well water. I now knew that my hair had a somewhat orange tint to it from all of the minerals in our water and it was dry from our harsh winters. My clothes were wrong, my hair was wrong, even my makeup (or lack thereof) was wrong! I decided then and there not to continue with Rush. I laid down on my bed and cried. It wasn't too long before there was a knock at the door. I answered. There were two Rho Chi's who were sent to find out where I was and make sure everything was OK. They noticed my puffy eyes despite my best efforts to act non chalant. They were really sweet to me and consoled and me and managed to talk me into continuing. I got ready and joined my rush group, only missing four parties. Today was more of the same and I tried to be as happy as I could be even though I was dying inside.

DAY THREE: The opening of the envelopes.....