In the summer of 2001 I loaded all my worldly possessions [they fit in the back of a blue Buick along with all my brother's things, so let's not exaggerate what "worldly possessions" means] and headed from central Kansas to northern Indiana to start the next part of my life at Manchester College [now
Manchester University]. Over the course of four years, I changed my major multiple times, added a music minor, deleted that minor, took 8 semesters of voice lessons, spent 24 months throwing heavy objects for sport, went to a total of about 7 parties [I was crazy], lifted a lot of weights, worked several nights a week, streaked monthly in the middle of the night [I said I was crazy] [only once in the snow, that was just stupid], went to Europe twice, ate 3 meals a day in the caf, and basically had the best time ever.
OH, and I made friends with these hooligans and we created a fake sorority.
These are the Apple Pi's [full fake-sorority name: Apple Pi Omega], there were a few others but this core group has stayed connected.
One of our
Apple Pi sisters got married last weekend and she happened to schedule it on campus, so we all gathered and reminisced about the good ol' days.
You may think I'm joking, but I'm not. My eyes may have teared up when we went into the dorm and it smelled exactly the same. We piled into our old rooms and took pictures by the doors and made our way to the bathroom. Community bathrooms are EVERYTHING when you're a freshman in college and looking for friends. Imagine our HORROR at discovering that MEN are now living on our floor and using our bathroom.
NO. NO. NO. NO. NO.
It was so much fun to see everyone and it was extra special to be in this place where we first started and nurtured our friendships. These are women who build each other up and encourage and listen and stay present for each other.
I hope you have people like that in your life. It's amazing.
I met this booger-eyed farm cat on a farm and I want him.
xoxo
Love.
ReplyDelete<3
DeleteI had a similar group, at the same school, and I can say now that having the love and support of women who wanted to love and support me was one of the most significant factors in who I am today. We didn't have a fake sorority name (and I will forever be jealous that you did), but we were "those girls in Schwalm" and the only thing that held us together was the fact that we were a group. It was the only thing we all had in common with each other.
ReplyDeleteIf I ever have children, if I ever have a daughter, I hope she has the opportunity to find a group of women who will do the same for her.
And I'll encourage her to come up with a fake sorority name for them.
your group was super-fab too! we were definitely part of two gaggles of women in the cafeteria at the same time.
DeleteI want to start a scholarship fun for young women where they have to write an essay on the importance of strong female peer relationships.
I hope there are so many more fruit pi fake sororities in the future. <3