Sisterhood

The dictionary definition of sisterhood is : A society of sisters; a society of women united in one faith or order; sisters, collectively.

In my world, sisterhood is a bond that ties in any and all situations. It’s a bond of more than just faith, its a bond of humanity. Sisters are there for each other no matter what, and their love is unconditional. Sisterhood is a bond that exists forever, no matter where you go and how far away.

. . . . And as prolific as all these statements are, what does it really mean? When I was asked at interviews what sisterhood meant to me, I would mechanically respond with any combination of the above statements. And now that I AM a sister, the word has taken on a completely different meaning.

Lately, my sorority has become more than just another activity that takes up my time, something else to add to the resume. My sisters and I more than just do sorority things together, we have fun together, we study together, and more than anything else, we support each other. Lately, we’ve been hanging out more than usual and I’m starting to see what it really means to have sisters. It’s like they’re more than friends because we already have this unbreakable bond between us. I don’t have to worry if I’m spending too much or too little time with them, I don’t have to worry about which of them is my “best” friend, and I certainly don’t have to be afraid of being completely different from them.

So what does sisterhood mean?

It means I go out of my way to befriend my sister’s boyfriend just so we can all hang out together.

It means my sister comes out with me on my birthday night with all my friends, even if she doesn’t know any of them and she’s the odd one out, just because it’s my birthday and I want her there.

It means we plan a night together despite our different busy agendas just because one of our sisters has a night off and she doesn’t have very many like that.

It means we plan a night in, watching movies and eating good food because we know we all have to get up for community service the next day when all our friends are out partying.

It means sharing responsibilities we have in the sorority, sharing our duties and getting each other’s opinions even if it means spending more time than we normally would doing a certain task.

It means . . . people with whom you share more than title–you share your life, and you’re honestly lucky if you find out the true meaning of sisterhood somewhere along the way.
So this one goes out to all the girls and guys in sororities and fraternities here at Tulane (and there’s plenty!), because they understand more than anyone exactly what I’m talking about. Here’s to being a part of something truly universal!

Me and my sister Amy












Xi Honeys for life!









My sisters Amy and Iris









Me and Iris blowing kisses!

Beautify Broadway

Anthony D’Angelo once said, “Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community.” Community was certainly the theme of today’s event: Beautify Broadway. About a hundred students of various backgrounds from various Greek organizations came out to support and clean up the street and surrounding areas. I mean, we all party there all the time, so we might as well clean it up, right?

It was a great day for being outside– not too sunny and just a little windy. The areas around Broadway were sectioned off per sorority/fraternity. It’s the first project in which I’ve participated as a Greek, and not specifically as a sister of Delta Xi Nu. My sorority was really outstanding today though. We don’t even have a house, as we’re a very small organization, yet we had a group out there cleaning up. We were out there with our fellow Greeks, scouring the streets for trash and debris. It was a new experience for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s not often that you see people cleaning up their mess and other peoples’ too. Today we were cleaning up for all the Greeks and non Greeks that tread Broadway every weekend.

I guess Anthony D’Angelo was right. Caring is community . . . . and we Greeks do care!

Here we are, repping DXN! From L to R: Me, Jennifer, Zoe, Jackie, LG, Sabine, and Amy













Jackie, Jennifer, and Zoe enjoying pizza!














Me and Amy also enjoying the free pizza aka the college way of life.

Mardi Gras Madness

And the madness HAS officially begun. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the amazing and spectacular show you are about to see here in the city of New Orleans. No hurricane can knock this out of us– the party spirit lives on forever!

Here are a few shots to commemorate the parade experience- this parade is called Endymion, and it’s one of the biggest during Mardi Gras.






This parade for some reason went by VERY slowly, and we had plenty of time to goof off and act silly in between the floats. They had high school bands playing in it, as well as a few jazz bands, and when they played our Saints song, we went crazy dancing, as you can see!

One Year Later

It’s officially been one year since I started blogging. I remember my first entry last year was about Valentine’s Day, and about noticing my Valentine blissfully snoring on my floor. I was so excited then, so enthused about the day and everything about it. It was the only year that I’ve really celebrated Valentine’s Day with someone else.

Well let me tell you how that story ended . . . . my Valentine and I decided to part ways a few days after that. Though initially we were excited, it turned out that our personalities just didn’t mesh the way we thought they would, and we had VERY different standards when it came to what was and was not appropriate for that stage in our friendship/relationship. It was a strange way to end something that held so much promise but I can more than confidently say it was a good end for both of us!

I saw him today, in organic chemistry lab, and laughed to myself. How much life has changed in the past year . . . it made me think . . .

In the last year, what have I learned?

I learned that life at Tulane is not a piece of cake, I learned that working hard does earn rewards, and I learned that there is certainly a balance between having too much fun and not enough. It’s crucial to find that balance to survive in this college environment, and when you do, life is absolutely amazing!

And specifically, in regards to Valentine’s Day, I learned that the real Valentines are not the ones that show up at your door with roses, or serenade you with their violin, or take you someplace fancy. The real Valentines are the people that are there to wish you, hug you, and tell you they love you . . . . year after year. So here’s to all my real Valentines out there: My family, especially my mother, who called just to wish me, and my high school friends who are still with me even though they’re all far away. At Tulane, I just have one person that meets that definition.

This year, at Tulane, I just have one Valentine: my friend Iris. We celebrated last year as we will this year. Since then, we’ve become inducted into the same sorority, picked our majors, been through good times and bad, and earned the nickname “Yin and Yang” for how different we are but how we still seem to click anyways.

I’m lucky because at this school I get to expand my horizons with people like her that I’d never expect to meet but do and fall in love with along the way!

Me, Iris, and our dear friend Caroline at Bruff last year









Me and Iris now– how we’ve changed!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Exam Weekend

This weekend is exam weekend . . . much to my dismay. It’s the beginning of the Mardi Gras festivities and I find myself in my room . . . studying. Unfortunately I happen to have an exam in Organic Chemistry II and Brain and Behavior on Monday and Tuesday . . . and I’m not the only one. I know so many students in the same dilemma with several tests stacked up early next week– especially all us premeds taking two or three sciences at once.

But at least after its over, we’re home free until Mardi Gras is over. That’s one of the best parts of living in this city–people understand how important it is for us to let loose and have a little fun. And since Mardi Gras is on my birthday and Lundi Gras falls on my old suitemate’s . . .w ell we’re definitely going to have a little fun. I can’t wait til the parades . . . . all the gorgeous floats and beads and stuffed animals and more!!!

People are starting their “parading” this weekend and its certainly unfortunate that I won’t be there for that . . . but its ok. After four days of hardcore studying, I’m sure Mardi Gras season will be a well-deserved break!

And its back to the books for me . . . .

Classes get in the way of college

So this week is like Study Week 2007. It’s rather difficult to literally hole myself up in my room and refuse to move at all . . . but it’s necessary. Because without such restrictions, I inevitably find some way to get out there and socialize.

See, that’s what I like the most about a small campus. Everybody knows everybody else, and every time you step out of your room you run into someone you know, and then you stop and chat. You think it only holds you up a minute or two . . until you do it five times on the way to class and on the way back!

This weekend was a social one for me- my friend had her birthday celebration at Vincent’s on St. Charles. We all had a great time . . . and then we went back to her dorm and chilled out, played games, and talked. Unfortunately this also meant that we didn’t accomplish much else that night . . and didn’t wake up early the next day. Another friend had had a birthday party the previous night, and that was yet another night of nothing but fun. So finally . . . .the need to study has caught up with me.

What can I say? Classes get in the way of college for me! There’s just too much fun to be had!

But this week . . . my only friends are my organic book, my physics homework, and my brain and behavior notes!

Welcome to February

Welcome to February, guys!

For me its always been the month of my birthday and Valentine’s Day, and last year, Valentine’s Day was my first blog entry. Just to give an update– that Valentine’s Day, though memorable at times, turned about to be mostly a fiasco. In fact, I’m not even sure how I can top last year’s adventures this year!

But this year, February is also the month of Mardi Gras . . . . which incidentally falls right on my 20th birthday. One of my friends is going to be in a parade and promised to throw me something good from the floats. My birthday is February the 20th, and I was always jealous of those kids that had their birthdays in the summer or fall because nothing exciting happens in the middle of February. You can’t even have a pool party.

So I woke up this morning, stretched, saw it was raining and very cold outside and despite all that, cheered because it is my month of the year. And this year millions of other people will be celebrating all month long with me!

Amethyst, the birthstone for February