Thanks for posting. I'm glad people like the visuals. I've always had a tough time keeping the chapters straight too. I guess people are reading so......on with the show.
The next day we had another 9 chapters to visit. I was still nervous but
very determined to see it through.
I met my Rush group and overheard some girls talking about the girls they had met the previous day and mentioning them by name. I thought, “Darn it! I didn’t remember to write everyone’s name down. Why didn’t I think to do that?” I felt stupid. I’m horrible with names but I made a mental note to try to remember names and
write them all down.
The first house we went to was a smaller one, both architecturally and in terms of the number of sisters. I was happy that we were starting with one that wasn’t as intimidating as some of the others. I was paired here with a sister and another rushee. We both took turns answering questions and the girl we were with, Melanie, was nice. I don’t remember much about it (my notes are pretty sparse) but I got a feeling that they were very sweet. I’ll call them
Cycling.
From there we went to a sorority with a very pretty chapter house. Here I met a girl named Amy who I liked a lot. She was easy-going and very friendly. The general impression I got of this house was that it was elegant. The girls were enthusiastic but not overbearing. I liked it a lot. This one will be called
Tennis; a sport I was comfortable with and enjoyed.
Once we left
Tennis, our Rush Counselor told us we had to hurry to get to the next house and we had a little bit of a walk. I had thought that we were in the area where all the sororities were but it turned out that there were another 5 on The Row.
We got to the next party and the girls streamed out of their house yelling and clapping. It was a sea of blonde hair and I thought, “oh no!” I was paired with a nice girl named Eilene who was very bubbly. I ended up having a nice time at this party despite feeling a bit out of place. They were so high energy and so….BLONDE! I’ll call this one
Sunbathing.
Next up was a smaller chapter. I felt awkward here. So far I had felt comfortable with the small chapters but not at this one. I got the sense that they were trying hard to compete with their bubbly, blonde neighbors but feeling defeated by the effort. A girl named Peggy took two of us and tried hard to keep the energy up. While she was nice, I felt horribly uncomfortable. I’ll call this chapter
Bowling.
Gutterball.
I feel bad about this but the next house is a complete blank. I know it existed on campus, I know I went there during Rush, but I have absolutely no recollection of it whatsoever and no notes. I’ll call it
Surfing just for the hell of it.
At the next house my immediate impression was that these girls had to be the most smiley, adorable girls ever! I was impressed that they still had so much energy after such a long day. I was paired with a girl named Helene who was cute as a button and very sweet. We had the usual talk. I really liked this chapter! They were just fun and happy. I’ll call them
Ice Skating.
At the next house I was paired with a girl who was
very talkative and
very loud. She was friendly, I guess, but at the same time a little abrasive. She talked “at” me instead of talking with me. I took advantage of being with a talkative girl by keeping quiet most of the time. It was a nice breather.
The girls all seemed enthusiastic but I didn’t feel like I fit in here at all. (I know this can’t be true but in my mind I remember my rusher smacking on gum the whole time. I think it’s more likely that I met her some time after Rush and she had gum in her mouth and I’m mixing up the memories.) At any rate, this chapter will be called
Hockey for being a bit too “in my face” and aggressive.
Next, we had to hurry again to get back from The Row to the other area for our last two parties. I had gotten into the swing of things this day and was actually starting to enjoy meeting new people.
We lined up in front of our next house. After being on The Row where the chapter houses all look alike from the exterior (except for the landscaping), it occurred to me just how different this house was. Once inside, I found that the girls were different too. The girl I was paired with, Kathleen, was funny and friendly. I liked her but at the same time I didn’t feel right there. I felt out of my element and wasn’t sure why. Maybe if I was asked back I would feel more comfortable the next time. (Ha!, if I got
any invitations back at all.) I'll call this one
Golf.
By this time I was both mentally and physically exhausted. Thank goodness we were going to the last house of the day.
But, whoa!, what a house! It was very impressive, very regal, and the girls seemed to fit the chapter house too. Most were blonde and very well-mannered, prim and proper. They were friendly but a little aloof. I had a nice conversation with the girl I was paired with, Joyce, but I was so tired by this time that I almost didn’t care. I thought about how wonderful it would be to be one of these lovely girls in this majestic house. I tried my best to stay talkative and upbeat despite knowing that these girls would never take me in a million years. This house is definitely
Polo; very elite.
Despite my exhaustion at the end of the day, I felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment. I had made it through the first round of Rush! I knew I had a lot ahead of me but I felt I could handle it.
I didn’t keep anything with the schedule of events on it, however, I vaguely remember that we picked up our invitations the next day and Set of 10 started the day after that.
I’ll be back with an update on my invitations later today!