Monday, January 27, 2014

Birthday Festivities!


My friends and I in our party hats!

My birthday was a few days ago. Since I was turning 19 I was not super excited because there is not a whole lot you can do at 19. At 15 you can get your permit, at 16 you can get your license, at 17 you can get into R rated movies, at 18 you can buy lotto tickets and 19… nothing. But it turned out to be a pretty fantastic day. My friend, Amanda, painted a picture for me, Sydney wrote me a poem, and my roommate, Mary, made cute drawings that represented different bonding experiences or times together as roommates. I have only known all three of these girls for about five months, yet they all took the time to do something heart-felt and thoughtful. It really brightened my day.
To celebrate my special day, Mary and I ordered pizza and we opened my “Party in a Box”. Let me explain. My step-mom sent me back from break with a box which I assumed was a present, but she told me it was a “Party in a Box”. She was not kidding. It included SpongeBob party hats and noisemakers, a Happy Birthday sign, 12 pudding cups, princess coloring pages, silly putty, and a bunch of other fun goodies. We enjoyed that for about an hour and then headed off to see Frozen for SAB’s (Student Activity Board’s) $3 movie night that they have every month. It was my second time seeing the movie and Amanda’s SIXTH! She loves Olaf, the little snowman, and she sat there talking along with him throughout the entire movie. She was quiet so I didn’t mind.
                In addition to all of the festivities and crafty gifts, I received homemade muffins, two running hugs and a bunch of normal hugs. I know that may seem like a strange thing for me to mention, but it meant a lot. I have not been a RU that long, but I already feel like I have found a second home. I couldn’t be happier with my choice of a University and I can’t wait to see how the next three years go with this awesome group of students.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Sorority Schtuff!


My friends and I on BID DAY!

School has begun again and it is as crazy and fun as ever. Sorority recruitment happened a few days before school actually began and now anyone who jointed has started attending meetings, going to sisterhood events, and marking their calendars as the first formals of the New Year approach. I was honestly very surprised to find myself involved in Greek life because when I first got to Rockhurst I was totally against all things sorority. This strong aversion was due to all the stereotypes I had been exposed to through the media. In my mind, sorority girls were ditsy, thirsty, easy, and mean. Sound like an awesome group, right? Obviously, that was not the sort of crowd I wanted to be chumming around with, but Rockhurst proved me wrong on all accounts.
Amanda and I during Recruitment BINGO
                All of the sororities on campus have a GPA of 3.4 or higher and have some of the sweetest girls I have ever met as members. They are also all very chill and are perfectly fine with bowling or watching a movie on the weekends instead of going out and partying. I felt accepted by all the girls almost instantly without having to do anything to prove myself. Within the first two days, I had gotten over fifty friend requests and over thirty wall posts from my new “sisters”. The active members also encouraged all the new members to join them in the cafeteria everyday for lunch, if they could, to eat or just sit and talk. They honestly want to get to know us all.
I would encourage everyone to go through recruitment at Rockhurst because even if you do not think Greek life is for you, you may be surprised like I was. And even if you decide not to join at the end, at least you can say that you gave it a shot and that you met a few new people. I couldn’t believe how many people I already knew who were in a sorority and how comfortable they seemed to be with their “sisters”. Even more unbelievable is how at home I already feel after only two weeks.