I go to a midsize school on the East Coast- close enough to the South that we say “y’all” here. I went to boarding school in Europe, so when I arrived as a freshman sororities were the last thing on my mind. I was more worried about getting a driver’s license, fitting in, etc. But after I saw my hallmates rush that first semester, I started to entertain the idea of joining a sorority as well. I didn’t actively pursue it though- I thought that I’d feel my way around college life first.
During the next summer, though, I got a lovely little pink flyer in the mail advertising my college’s sororities. “No matter the letter, we’re all Greek together!” it screamed out at me. I felt like the pamphlet was talking directly to me- sisterhood seemed like something that I didn’t want to pass up. So, I went ahead and signed up, anticipating that I would always drop out if I felt that it wasn’t for me.
When I went in for the first pre-recruitment meeting, I started to get more and more excited. There were so many great girls in my recruitment group, my Rho Chis were awesome…and at that point I felt that no matter where I ended up, I had already gained something valuable.
Sororities are an active part of my school’s culture, but we’re known for being more of an academic school than a party school. That was a good thing for me- I had no preconceptions about sorority stereotypes, no fears about getting cut, nothing. I saw it more as a great way to meet people- what else was I going to do on my weekends? I definitely wasn’t one of those super-prepared types.
The first weekend was the open house round- divided over two days- where we got to meet each of the ten sororities on campus. I think I’ll name them after countries around the world- I am an international relations major after all!
France
Brazil
Australia
England
Germany
Morocco
Norway
Italy
Japan
Thailand
The morning of the first day, I started to get butterflies. They were good butterflies though, and I had a fantastic time picking out my outfit (Lilly sundress and pearls). I had no idea what to expect, and waiting outside the first house I felt my heart pounding harder and harder.
I went to Italy first. The first girl I talked to was in some of my classes, so I felt completely at ease talking to her about some of the same things we were going through. Talking about tests might not seem like fun, but it definitely made me feel like I was connecting with this girl. Their house was beautiful, decorated in strong, vibrant colors, and everyone I talked to seemed eager to show it off. I left with the impression, after talking to several sisters, that Italy was full of independent, opinionated girls who were unafraid to be passionate about their interests. I really admired their openness and their eclecticism.
Second, I went Australia. Almost immediately after I walked through the doorway and sat down with a sister, I found myself relaxing and becoming anxious to know more about this sorority. No more than five minutes into it, am Australian sister and I were giggling about TV shows and our favorite movies. The conversations that I had at Australia were a bit shallower than the ones I had at Italy, but I left with the feeling that the Australians were the generous, open-hearted, girls next door.
So far so good! We had a small break (under the blazing sun) and I remember thinking “Hey- this isn’t so bad! Its actually kinda fun!”
Off I went to France. Their house was decorated in cool, calming tones, and the air conditioning hit me as soon as I walked in. My conversations didn’t flow as freely as they had at the two previous houses though, and I began to get nervous. The girls at France were all extremely classy though, and the sisters were all gracious and quick to try to make me relax. Still, no matter who I talked to, I felt like the conversation never moved past the stilted “where are you from” routine. As I was leaving France I just knew that this probably wasn’t the sorority for me. I admired their grace, however.
I arrived at Thailand eager to meet more people. These girls were bubbly and energetic, and even though I was starting to feel tired their enthusiasm was catching. Just as I was getting into the swing of things in Thailand, however, another sister and PNM came over to join our conversation. (We were standing up at Thailand, and little groups were moving everywhere). For a few minutes the four of us chatted, and then another sister came over with her PNM. Over the low rumble of voices in the house, it was difficult to carry on a conversation with five other girls, and even harder to say something without rudely interrupting someone else. I started to feel like I was fading away from the chat- and I certainly was. One PNM in our group was talking enough for the rest of us! I felt slightly frustrated as I left Thailand- I wanted to know more about them, but I knew that both the sisters and I hadn’t learned much about each other due to the large conversation group.
Lastly, I went to Brazil. Their house was beautiful, but I was having such a great time laughing with the first sister I talked to that I almost didn’t notice! I found myself having engaging conversations with sisters, and when I learned about their philanthropy, I got even more excited. Their cause is something that is close to my heart too, and that coupled with the great girls I was meeting at Brazil made me not want to leave after the hour was up! I definitely wanted to know more about Brazil.
That first day, after meeting half of the sororities, I was exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. In each of the houses I had been to, I had found something to admire about each one. Knowing that I would visit five more the next day made me nervous! How would I decide? Still, after meeting so many girls, I really just wanted to throw my heels off and sit around joking about dumb stuff with a bunch of guys.
I’ll tell you more about the other five houses later. 
speak for yourself! some of us in MD do say "y'all"...
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