Night One
It was night one, and boy was I excited! I'd gotten myself really worked up over winter break (and also had my nervous "what if I don't get a bid" breakdown) doing my rush shopping, planning my outfits, and packing my emergency rush week survival kit. I was pushing at the starting gate and was more than ready to just get through the week and find my sisters.
My suite got ready about an hour beforehand, so when our Rho Gams picked us up we were ready to go. I got my schedule, which read as follows:
Beauxbatons
Slytherin
Hufflepuff
Gryffindor
Durmstrang
Ravenclaw
I was a little nervous to see that both my first parties were with girls I didn't know very well, but I put my chin up and headed out with my group.
When we arrived at the house, I thought I was completely prepared. I knew exactly how the game was going to go and was ready to put my best foot forward.
But I was completely unprepared for the SINGING! As we waited nervously and our Rho Gams gave us the "one minute!" signal, the houses suddenly erupted with cheers. I was startled--no one had told me about this!
I got really excited because the
Beauxbatons girls were really into their song, stomping their feet and banging on the doors from the inside. I had the chills and know I was grinning madly when the doors burst open and the girls escorted us in.
The girl I talked to was really nice: polite, pretty, and with no end of things to talk about. I was a little awkward at first, but got into the swing of things quickly. However, it became clear about a third of the way through our conversation that something was wrong. After a bit, I realized that the girl's bump was late. I felt bad for her, but she did a good job keeping the conversation going and finally escorted me out of the house at the end, bump nowhere to be found. I felt like I had had a decent time, but was disappointed I didn't get to meet more sisters.
After leaving Beauxbatons we pulled on our coats (I'd forgone a coat; poor decision on my part) and hurried to the Slytherin house.
Slytherin was more comfortable. I was feeling more confident, now that I'd been to a house, and I feel like I opened up more to the Slytherin girls, who were all really nice! The girl I talked to was hilarious and had me holding back laughter the whole party. I left this house feeling optimistic.
Beauxbatons and Slytherin were the houses I'd been most nervous for, so I'd relaxed a lot at this point. At
Hufflepuff, I got picked up by a girl I knew at the door and saw a lot of the girls I knew from classes and activities (I got a lot of hugs!
). Just like I thought I would, I had a great time and loved all the sisters. It was definitely still in my top picks.
I was anticipating
Gryffindor, but I was disappointed when I got paired with a sister who obviously wasn't interested in what I was saying. We didn't share many mutual interests, and she was trying to be nice about it, but we had a hard time keeping up the conversation. Things got better after the bump, but I never quite recovered from the initial awkwardness. I was a little put out, and sad to discover that I hadn't really enjoyed myself by the time I left.
Next was
Durmstrang. I thought I didn't know any Durmstrang girls, but imagine my surprise when a girl I knew really well picked me up at the door! I was so excited to see her! I had a lot of fun talking to her and meeting the sisters she introduced me to, and I was feeling great about Durmstrang once I left. It hadn't even been on my radar before, but now I really liked the girls.
Ravenclaw was the last party of the night, and I was happy to be rounding the night off with them! I got picked up by a girl I hadn't met, and only talked to a couple of girls I knew, but I really connected with the last two girls I talked to. One of them even told me, "This is the best conversation I've had all night!" and told me she hoped to see me tomorrow when she walked me out.
We chatted about the parties as we headed back for ranking; all my friends had had just as good a time as I had and were excited for the next night. I was still riding that adrenaline rush from Ravenclaw, but I calmed down as I waited in line. I ranked:
1.
Ravenclaw
2.
Hufflepuff
3.
Durmstrang
4.
Slytherin
5.
Beauxbatons
6.
Gryffindor
I had a great time at all the houses, but ranked Gryffindor last because I felt like, for the night, I'd enjoyed myself least there.
I felt like I'd been through a whirlwind by the end! Rush is fun, but it certainly is exhausting. Little did I know that night one would be the least stressful night of the week...
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Generallygreek and the Roommate Troubles
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