Southern is a state of mind;*: UIFI
When I first got the news that I was selected to go to UIFI, I felt anxious, nervous, but very excited. I spoke with many Greeks who attended, and each and every one of them had something extremely positive to say. I had no idea what to expect, but I knew it would be life changing - and boy was I…
What’s the best part about being in sorority?
It’s the fact that no matter where you’re from, you have people who are always willing to help you. Whether it be in person or online, they’re your sisters and they care. And it’s a huge organization so just think of the thousands of girls who are going to be there for you. It’s amazing really. Near or far, someone’s always there to listen. And if you ask me, that’s pretty spectacular.
Work hard, play harder.
When I first started this blog in the Fall, one of my first posts was about the expense of joining a sorority.
Nothing has changed: it’s still expensive and my parents still can’t afford it. Last year, my grandmother (an alumna of Alpha Delta Pi), offered to pay my first year’s dues, but now it’s up to me.
I’m working as a maid in a hotel this summer. I have to constantly call out, “Housekeeping!”, clean toilets, change bedsheets, vacuum, and push one of those huge carts through the narrow hallways. People steal my towels without saying anything after I’ve just been on the floor scrubbing their showers…
It’s hard work and it’s not necessarily fun, but I do enjoy it. I get a lot of time to think and I think about what I’m working for. More often than not, I catch myself singing. The song I sing the most is “Sorority Girl” by Luke Bryan. It’s understandable because I listen to the song every morning on the way to work and every afternoon on the way home - just to keep myself focused and to remember what it is I’ll have at the end of this summer.
Every toilet scrubbed is one of the beautiful dresses I’m wearing for recruitment. Every shower clean is a game day, spent in an orange and blue dress “just to drink beer on an old tailgate.” Every comforter switched out means a night out with my wonderful sisters, my twin, and my big.
The other song I catch myself singing is “When Will My Life Begin?” from Tangled, which was the theme for my pledge class’s Ghouls, Goblins & Greeks (and also an accurate representation of my life when I’m away from school).
I’m working for sisterhood and I don’t mind. I owe it Phi Mu to work as hard for her as she does for me.
“To be to others what we would they would be to us”
———-
On another note…
In one of the rooms I cleaned today, there is a great view of a new neighborhood right across the street. It backs up to Sound, which was as sparkling and emerald as ever today, and there are some absolutely amazing houses in it. One all the way to the back is particularly gorgeous and is tall enough to stick up above the other houses. I caught myself thinking that, if I continued to work this hard, I could have that one day.
Just as I looked up to take one last look at the house, I saw a sailboat go by in the Sound.
Cheesy as it is, I felt as though it was a giant YES! from Lilly Pulitzer herself!
The Frat Collection T-Shirts!
Absolutely adorable! And 10% of the cost goes to the philanthropy of your choice!
Phi Mu and Sigma Nu Boots, Button-downs, and Bowties Social! With my biggles, my twinnie, and my sisters: Nicole, Lexi, Brenna, and Kirby :)
