Finally, the first day of Recruitment had arrived! Kate and I picked up Claire and we all rode over to Greek Row together. The two of them were in the same Rho Gam group (Kate was just
thrilled about that) and would start the day at
Cupid. My group was starting at
Dasher, all the way at the end of the Row. When I arrived, I checked in with my Rho Gamma - they all use nicknames to hide their identity/affiliation at my school, and her's was a small town she had grown up in. For the sake of the story, I will call her "Boston" instead. After checking in, I sat down next to Jamie and we chatted for a little while. She was a bit shy too, and very nervous, but I liked her a lot. The Rho Gammas called us all to attention and started going over a few rules/tips. Things like "Keep an open mind," "Don't take your ice water out of the house," "Don't listen to tent talk," and "Be on your best behavior this week - going out tonight and getting drunk at (Local Bar) will not help you tomorrow!" All of this made perfect sense to me, but apparently Skunk-Hair had reservations. She raised her hand and asked, "Are we seriously not allowed to party at all this week? I was going to go out tonight!" The RGs were visibly suprised by her forwardness, but Boston simply told her, "You are free to do as you please, but being hungover at a party is not a good reflection on you." I found the whole thing pretty funny, but it definitely made me dislike Skunk-Hair even more. I silently hoped I would not end up in the same house as her. At last, it was time to line up!
Dasher - My first house on my first day! I was so nervous, I had no idea what to expect. What if I couldn't find a girl to talk to? Would there be snacks? Should I accept any, or is that some kind of a test? I was so absorbed in my thoughts at this point, I barely attempted the
Dasher door chant. And then the doors swung open and.... ohh myy goshh THE NOISE! I was NOT expecting that. The other PNMs were a little hesitant about going in, but finally we made our way into the house. I was picked up by one of the girls, given a cup of ice water, and led into a room just off the foyer. There were SO MANY PEOPLE! After a quick introduction, the chapter president welcomed us, and immediately my rusher jumped into asking me questions. My first party is honestly a blur to me. I couldn't tell you what we talked about, but we chatted the entire time. I even spotted an old friend from middle school, "Sasha", who I didn't even know was a
Dasher! I left this party feeling very good, and a bit more comfortable with the whole Recruitment thing.
Dancer - I was expecting more singing, and I was not disappointed here! There were about half as many girls in this chapter but boy were they still loud! I was double-rushed with Jamie at this party, but it went well. The
Dancer ("Emma") was very nice and friendly, and neither Jamie nor I dominated the conversation. Another pleasant experience!
Prancer - I couldn't even believe it was already time for my third house. To be honest, I didn't make very many notes after visiting
Prancer other than "Cute song" and a :-/ face. I suppose they didn't impress me, but I didn't have anything bad to say either.
Vixen - My next house I remember a bit better. The girl who picked me up was cute as a button with curly blonde hair and a huge smile. Let's call her "Ava." I had a nice time at this party too, and I found that I wasn't as bad a conversationalist as I'd expected. Or maybe she was just a very strong rusher? I don't know, but regardless, I adored Ava and the other girls I was introduced to. Everyone seemed so nice and enthusiastic at this house!
Next up was
Comet - I knew a girl who was a
Comet at another school, but obviously I hadn't thought to ask her for a rec. The house was not much to look at on the outside, but the inside was beautiful! I couldn't help wanting to look around at all of the decorations - their sorority symbols seemed to be everywhere! The girl who had picked me up started rattling off the same typical questions I had received at the other houses, which disappointed me at first. It didn't take long, however, to get to a more interesting topic. We spent the rest of the party talking about all the places we'd like to visit, and the cities we'd already been to. She thought it was incredibly cool that my mom was from Australia and that I'd been to Sydney. Of course she asked me if she had a cute accent, and yes, she does! It was a great conversation, and definitely the first one that day that had truly felt natural. I did not want to leave this house, and took that as a very good sign.
Part Two coming soon!
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