I didn't want to stop being a Gamma Chi.
I recently had the opportunity to be a sorority recruitment counselor. I took off my own chapter's Greek letters, packed them in a box and put them in the corner of my closet for over a month. I was completely cut off from my chapter all so that I could help others find their own place in Greek life. The whole experience left me a little lost.
There is nothing quite like the sisterhood being a Gamma Chi offers. You become part of a group of almost 40 women who are going through the same feelings and experiences you are. For a whole month there is no such thing as a chapter stereotype because you all come from different chapters with different values, traditions, sisterhoods and campus typecasts. Being a Gamma Chi you get to meet and become close with people you may have never even met if you hadn't stepped outside of your own sorority bubble.
As a Gamma Chi you learn that your chapter isn't the only one with problems or unnecessary petty quarrels, that if you had to jump off that stage on bid day and run home to another chapter you'd probably fit in fine and that potential new members are cute but a little crazy and it's only because they want so badly to be where you are, a sorority woman.
Being a Gamma Chi is unlike any other experience I've had. It reinforces the idea that the grass is always greener on the other side, breaks down stereotypes and shows you how much you've grown up all over the course of two jam packed weekends.
I'm so glad I had this experience; I didn't want it to end. I met amazing people, got to be a sorority mom to all the women in my Gamma Chi group going through recruitment and open my eyes back up to the best parts of Greek life.
Meanwhile, I wasn't sure what I would be jumping home to. I hadn't talked to the women in my chapter for over a month, had no idea what went on while I wasn't there and overall just wasn't sure if they wanted me back in the first place. At the same time, I was confident about my experience as a Gamma Chi, I loved the people I had met, the memories I had made and the new sisterhood I got to be apart of.
If I'm being honest jumping home wasn't exactly what I expected it to be. A lot had gone on that I wasn't a part of and though getting hugs and plenty of "so glad you're back" sentiments was nice, it was more awkward than I wanted it to be.
It still is a little awkward. There's this transition period I'm now a part of that makes me feel like a new member all over again and I'm not sure how I feel about that. But, there is a reason that I joined my chapter in the first place and I still call it home even if readjusting to chapter life isn't exactly what I expected when became a Gamma Chi.
Through this experience I learned a lot about myself and the Greek community. It is something I'll never forget and never regret. Now I get to call more than one sisterhood home.
xoxo,
GX for life
