As everyone knows, this past week was Greek Week. For those of us (me included) that are not part of Greek life, this may not mean that much. We all have someone in our life that is a part of Greek life, no matter if we are or are not a part of it ourselves. In my own life, my boyfriend is a Sigma Nu, one of my best friends is a Delta Zeta, and two of my other best friends are looking at going through recruitment. I am literally surrounded even though I have no interest in being Greek myself. You have to find ways to survive and entertain yourself during Greek week when everyone you know is going to be busy all week, and I have figured out eleven ways to do it.
1. Friends
I have a Little in colorguard that I spent all week with. We drove around. We went on an adventure. She got me, "hooked," on a new show. We actually spent quality time together. We gossiped and had real discussions about real life issues. Greek Week was honestly a good thing for us for Big/Little time.
2. Netflix
Find a new show to obsess over. Or an old show that you want to re-watch. I have restarted two series, Supernatural and Criminal Minds. It takes your mind off of the noise of everyone getting ready to do Greek Week things and it helps decompress. Pop some popcorn or get some dinner and find your movie or your show and binge a little.
3.Sleep
Catch up on your sleep. I know at this point in the semester, you probably aren't sleeping much because of homework and studying or maybe you partied a little too much over that A you got on that really hard midterm. Either way, you could always use the extra sleep. Naps are never not good. Even the naps that you wake up from not knowing where you are or what year it is are good naps.
4. Catch Up On Homework
I haven't had a lot of homework because I have been proactive and gotten it done early, but I had a little that was posted during Greek Week when everyone was out that I got done the night it was posted. I know that a lot of professors have been giving a lot of homework, so you can use the time that you aren't being distracted by a million things to catch up on anything you are behind on. Or you could get work done that has a couple of weeks to get done. Then all you have to stress about is turning it in.
5. Listen To New Music
There are tons of new songs that have been coming out recently, and I am slightly obsessed. The lead singer of my favorite band has a new solo album coming out on Friday. There are a hundred ways to find new music. You could even go back to old music. I am taking a music appreciation course this semester and have found that I actually really like Baroque and Classical music. A lot of the music we listen to now is rooted in that music. Music is really a great way to survive any situation.
6. Try New Food
7. Take A Daytime Adventure
You could take a day time adventure, like hiking or riding an old dirt road. There are plenty of places to do that. I personally like to combine the two and take an old dirt road that my mom showed me when I was little up to Cheaha to go hiking. It is a good way to get fresh air and unwind from whatever stress is in your life, and it gives you a good date if your S/O (significant other) is participating in Greek Week.
8. Take A Ghost Hunting Trip
Okay, so I am a little too much of a chicken to do this one without a HUGE group of people, but I have gone ghost hunting in Jacksonville before and it is actually really fun. If anything, you will have fun and interesting stories to tell your Greek Week participant. You could even take them where ever you went. Maybe a ghost will reach out and touch them.
9. Plan A Date
If you are like me and your S/O is in Greek life but you aren't, that gives you plenty of time to plan a nice date. Whether that date is a dinner you cooked all on your own or it is an actual date, planning it without their knowledge and making it a surprise is always really nice. Plan something you guys have talked about doing or haven't done in a while. Recreate your first date if you can. Plan a way to make up for the time Greek Week took.
10. Practice Or Find A New Hobby
I picked up cross stitching as a hobby about a year ago, but I have only just started perfecting it while my boyfriend is out at Sigma Nu things. You can practice your hobbies or pick up a new one so that when you see your friends next you can show them either your new skill from your old hobby or your new skill from your new hobby. Either way, you get to decide what you want to create and when you want to create it when you have a hobby.
11. Go Out
We are on a college campus. There is always something happening. There's this pretty awesome band called The Sunsets that plays at Zoe's every Thursday night. There are parties that you and your non Greek friends could go to. There are concerts and recitals that you can go to and probably get a grade for going. In any case, there are things to do on campus that aren't Greek Week related.
This post is absolutely, positively, in no way meant to down Greeks or their practices. I want this to show people like me, that are surrounded by Greeks but are not Greeks themselves, that there are things to do on campus that are not Greek related. Especially during Greek Week.
