There isn’t really a whole lot to say about our first week at UBC that I didnt already expect. TOTALLY busy, didn’t make it out to half of the Frosh week stuff that I wanted to but i must say, i think i kinda shocked myself (the following is a tale of personal wonder).
When I was growing up, I have always been kind of a tom-boy and very individual. When I was 19 I moved to Denmark on my own and I thrive in my travels when I am flying solo. That is why to my surprise, I decided to “try out” for a sorority.
There are 7 sororities at the UBC, all with there own unique outlook, personality, charity and support system. During my very intense RUSHing at the Panhellenic House (the name of the building where all of the sororities have there rooms and where sisters can live if they would like to rent an room), I probably met a million women in the course of 3 hours! The idea is to equally introduce each of the sororities and their uniqueness to all the girls who are interested in joining, over the course of 2 nights. From there, the sororites and interested parties, decide:
1. If the sorority “life” and involvement is for you. Its not for everyone. Really. It craves a certain about of time, commitment and willingness to help that not everyone is capable of giving when taking 30 credits at the UBC.
2. If they (the sorority) can see you being apart of their “family”. And that is what they will become. With some sororities even adopting a hierarchy of family-hood (big-sis, li’l-sis, etc.) I can only imagine what the relationships in these groups of incredible women are like.
I am totally new to Vancouver and very interested in getting involved in my community. As I will be majoring in Psychology, I hope to get deeper involved into some charities where I can hopefully build a good repetour and gain some experience in my field. This, and the idea of possibly recieving additional scholarships, are the reasons why I find myself extremely excitied to see if the sorority I would like to join (Alpha Gamma Delta) is also interested in me as a member.
Now, these arrangements are not to be taken lightly. There is a, in my opinion, high “dues” price that one must pay to become a member. At the same time, one also must be willing to commit a certain amount of time not only during the RUSH process, and initiation but also pledging and so on. I find myself worried about if i will be able to make the balance between different areas of my life, which i will need to do in order to be successful during my time at UBC. Working is a necessity, in order to have the funds needed to keep myself sane. I am a very committed student and thus use as much time on homework as I can muster (sure not more then the common UBC student, however). My boyfriend will need his cuddles and affection every now and then (as will I) so I am forced to ask myself if there is enough time in there for me-time and time with my possible sisters…….
I dont know but I think im willing to find out. Sooo exciting!