How do you explain a sorority to someone from another country?

[SLAM<3 Always]

I'm currently studying abroad and frequently find myself answering the question "What are those symbols on your shirt" by students from other countries where sororities do not exist. It's difficult to explain when many of them have no point of reference, so my question is how do you explain a sorority to someone who has never heard of such a thing before?

[FSUZeta]

It is difficult. On the few occasions that I have tried to explain, I most often get a blank look for the explainee.

[Xidelt]

I'd explain it as a women's group with selective membership. I'd then say that the group takes part in social and service activities, with two different membership levels: college students and alumnae.

[Tulip86]

Depends on where you are. You'd be surprised to find that a lot of countries have organisations that are a lot like sororities but just aren't called the same. And Greek letters is something most of those organisations don't use anyway.

[Sciencewoman]

Last summer the asst. server on our cruise saw my lavalier and asked if I was Russian.

[excelblue]

I just say it's a very American cultish institution of awesomeness.

[aephi alum]

I think Xidelt put it best.

It was very difficult for me to explain to my mother (who is British and attended university/medical school in Scotland) what a sorority is, why I wanted to join one, and what it meant to me then and means to me now. I think she understands certain aspects. For example, when she was in her first year at university, she was paired with a senior woman who helped her get acclimated to campus life, and she chose to be a senior woman later on - just like I had a big sister and a little sister. I explained to her that my sorority was involved with community service projects (I think that made her a little more comfortable with the idea) and that, while there is a social aspect to being in a sorority, and we would be having functions with fraternities, it didn't mean I'd be jumping into bed with random guys. She's bought me a few AEPhi-related items, including a cloisonné giraffe, but I can tell ... she doesn't get it.

My dad (who is American, and who attended a school where hazing in the greek system ran rampant) is highly anti-greek, and I am sure he colored my mom's perceptions. We had a brunch during parents' weekend, and my parents met all my sisters including my pledge sisters - and I think it put them at ease.

Anyway... I'd go with what Xidelt posted, with emphasis on the community service aspect.

And I'll stop blabbing now.

[SLAM<3 Always]

I'm in Europe, but many of the students in my program are from Asia if that helps. In Europe, many "secret societies" were outlawed so it's difficult to explain. I have no idea how Asian countries feel about the topic. Any ideas or points of reference I could use for either instance?

[KDCat]

It's not a gang. It's a club.

Seriously, though, lots of countries have Free Masons, so if the country has Masons, I'd explain that it's a fraternal organization for college women and college graduates, sort of like the Masons.

If they don't have Masons, I would explain that it's a club for college women and college graduates that does a lot of philanthropy work and sometimes offers housing to its members.

[AnchorAlumna]

I believe in another thread someone described student clubs that are common at some European colleges and universities, but most of them are co-ed. Student clubs of some kind are very common everywhere - faith based, study based, interest base - but the idea of getting together with your friends is universal.

In the US, I laugh when some of the faith-based colleges declare they don't have fraternities or sororities, but lo and behold they have "literary societies" or some other single-six groups identical to Greeks in everything but name.

[Tulip86]

Almost every European country has student societies, (I'm in Europe as well) but the same thing that happens in the US applies here as well; those that aren't part of it don't understand it at all, just like those that aren't Greek don't understand Greek life. Whether it's called a sorority, club or society, they definitely exist all across Europe, they're just called differently and are rarely understood by outsiders, hence the blank looks when trying to talk about it with most students.

I do wonder about this though, with shows like Greek around, I know most students I know would recognize the letters on your shirt as sorority letters.

[exlurker]

How about reciting some version of the old reliable "From the outside you can never understand it. From the inside you can never explain it.'

Even if you speak that in -- or get it translated into -- the other person's first language, if necessary, it's not going to come across any better than it does in English. But whatever.

[thewasher418]

Originally Posted by exlurker

How about reciting some version of the old reliable "From the outside you can never understand it. From the inside you can never explain it.'

Even if you speak that in -- or get it translated into -- the other person's first language, if necessary, it's not going to come across any better than it does in English. But whatever.

That's probably a better response to questions like "What is the benefit of joining a sorority?" rather than what I believe the OP is referring to, which is "What is a sorority?" It's like someone not from my state asking me what gumbo is and me giving them some platitude, when they want a definition.

[Elephant Walk]

If you're in europe, they've seen fraternities on tv.

[FSUZeta]

Hello EW.