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What It’s Like Being The Only Greek In Your Family

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Sunday morning my alarm goes off at 10 AM, as my head pounds from being a little too wild the night before. I quickly grab some water and Advil and try to remember why I set an alarm so early. I then remember I have a family barbecue that my parents have asked me to go to. I shower, grab a pair of letters to throw on, do my hair and makeup, and then begin my hour journey home.

When I get home, I immediately get the comments from my cousins asking, “Why do you always wear sorority shirts? Do you have to remind us?” Then my uncle chimes in with, “Do you even go to college or are you just partying with your friends?” Various family members remind me that “Big” and “Little” aren’t actually my friends’ names (though we can’t be entirely too sure), and ask me not to talk in my “sorority language.” Have I turned into that girl?

I have never missed one holiday, birthday party, communion, or Sunday dinner. My family members never ask about my GPA (which is actually exceptional). They never congratulate me for being the first person in my family to go to college. They never ask me if I’m enjoying myself in college while taking 18 credits, working a full time job, and holding a position in my chapter. But they sure like to tease me for being the first person to join a sorority.

As I drove home that night, looking forward to the bottle of wine with my name on it, I realized I shouldn’t be mad because my family can’t understand how important my sorority is to me. It’s not their fault. My family may even be jealous that I spend more time with my sorority family tree than my biological family tree. It’s not their fault they think sisterhood is silly. I shouldn’t be upset or mad that they can’t understand, I should be lucky. I’m lucky enough to have sisters that mean so much to me I can’t even put it into words, lucky to be a part of an amazing chapter, and lucky enough to have an experience of a lifetime during my college years.

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AlphaTau726

Lover of wine, giraffes, and green tea. I wish crafting was a major or that I could drop out of school and travel the world. My sorority superlative is that I always throw the best parties everrrr!

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