With only about six weeks left in the spring semester at MSU, I realized not only are classes slowly coming to a close, but that I will be moving out of my house for the summer.
When I say house, my house is a bit different from everybody else’s. I happen to live in a sorority.
I have constantly been asked what it is like to live in a sorority house. My response has always been this: living in a house with 40 other girls has been one of the best experiences of my life. I know it sounds cheesy, but I wouldn’t put it any other way. These girls have become a family I didn’t think it was possible to have.
Although I also had a wonderful experience living in the dorms last year, the opportunity to live in the house was something I knew I couldn’t pass up. With the advice of the older girls in the house, I had heard living in would be something that made my entire sorority experience. Even though I was excited to move in, I would be lying if I said I also wasn’t hesitant at first.
Living with four or five roommates seems daunting enough. I was moving in with about 40, so things had the possibility of being extremely hectic. To begin, the thought of sleeping in a dormer with the other girls is not a normal thing people do. A dormer is a giant room with 40 bunkbeds for the entire house to sleep in, excluding our president and house mom, who have their own rooms.
My fears of people snoring or waking up to a million different alarms was running through my mind, but having slept in it for about seven months now, I can’t imagine sleepin g in a normal room. It only took about two weeks to get used to listening for my alarm and being able to ignore the sound of people walking in and out. A perk of having a separate room for clothes, a futon, TV and a dresser is that I don’t have to worry about waking up my roommates. I can go right down to our day room, play music, turn the TV and lights on and get dressed without tip-toeing around.
It’s hard to explain the attraction to the dormer, but some of the best house memories come from there. Putting a cutout of Snoop Dogg in people’s beds or hearing the crazy things people say when they’re talking in their sleep cracks us up. I know sorority houses with dormers sometimes get bad reputations, but it really is not bad at all.
Even worrying about not having room in the bathroom to get ready in morning or having to wait for a shower made me nervous, but through keeping things organized and learning how to effectively talk with the other girls when they are getting ready for class has given me the chance to work on basic communication skills.
Another thing I wasn’t ready for was how close all of the girls have become. Understanding their lifestyles and meeting families has made me more aware about people’s backgrounds and helped me learn to be more accepting.
Not only has this experience brought my pledge class closer overall, I have come to personally know almost every girl who I call my sister. The late night heart-to-hearts and the nights when we stay in on the weekends are some of the ways I have gotten to know the members of my sorority.
The support system I have because of living in my sorority house has made me comfortable to kno w that when I move out, I can always count on these girls. When I come home from a tough exam on the verge of tears or if I am having guy troubles, there is always someone there to talk it out, eat chocolate or even just watch Frozen on the basement TV. Even when I am struggling with personal issues, a sister either has had a similar experience or is there to listen. Knowing I can talk with these girls about almost anything has taught me how to trust and relate better to others.
I’m not going to lie and say everything was all sunshine and roses, because it was not. There were times I needed “me time” or wanted to get out of the house for a while. But knowing I can come back to a place where I call home and get help from any of my roommates is something I don’t take for granted.
I feel I can speak for many greek women on campus that when you live in your sorority house, it gives you some of the best and funniest memories of your college career. From countless dance parties, bonding with your house mom, using multiple closets and pulling multiple pranks, such as putting cream cheese on people’s deodorant, are just a snippet of memories the house has given me.
Living in the house has also encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone. I’ve tried different foods, had to get along with many different personalities and learn to handle things not always going my way. I had to focus on what was best for the house, and it has given me a reality check on how to live with 40 other girls.
You can probably already guess that I am very sad to move out in a couple weeks ,because I might never get the chance to live in a house with a group of girls who truly care about how my day is going or have a movie night with 20 of my closest friends again. However I know living in my sorority is something I will never regret or forget.
Christine LaRouere is a journalism sophomore, State News columnist and member of the Delta Gamma Fraternity. Reach her at clarouere@statenews.com.
