Sunday, October 26, 2008

St. Joe's Unviersity and Philly

I traveled on Wednesday to Philly, it was a great 5 hour train ride from Richmond, VA to Philly to 30th St. station where I got to catch up on paperwork. Its so strange to be traveling in the middle of the week, but apparently I'm really good at it : p

Just seeing the sights of Philly was great. I loved that I could see the Art Museum, the Comcast tower, Liberty plaza, and be seeing I mean just driving by. It was also great being in Philly during game 3 of the World Series!! I stayed up way past my bedtime to see the
Phillies win in game 3. The whole city kind of went crazy, lots of horn honking and whooo whoooooing from the dorm I was staying in.

St. Joes campus is beautiful. The buildings even if they are new completely fit in to the kind of prep school, ivy growing on stone walls look that they have going on. It was great.

Friday night the ladies at Delta Psi planned a haunted hay ride activity. We all hopped in a bus and went to Bucks County Pa. It was kind of funny, because Bucks County is literally like a half hour from my house, it was so strange being so close to home but not being home. The haunted hay ride was really fun. I'm glad that I wasnt sitting at the edge of it, because the characters definitely came up and like freaked some of the chapter members out! I'm such a scaredey cat, but it was really fun.

Its nice to be around things that are familiar, like WaWa and when I say breakfast bagel people know what I mean.

Today I made my way back to NJ. I had fun adventures on SEPTA and NJ Transit. The conductor of the last train I took to get to Seton Hall saw my massive amounts of luggage surrounding my like Christmas presents on the train and she asked if I was coming from New York. I told her no, that I came from Philly. She asked if I took the Amtrak, and I said, Please, I only paid $20.50 and took NJ Transit, from Trenton and transfered in Seacaucus, and she goes "Girl, you allright!". ha ha yay Jersey : ) This week I only have one visit, instead of the 2 like last week, so it should be a good week.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Brooklyn, Fall Break, more Brooklyn and.... *Alpha*

I traveled from Amish country, PA to Brooklyn, talk about one extreme to another. Seeing the lights, and the rush and the city was so strangely comforting. I met Emily, one of the colony members in Penn Station. Lifting my gigantic suitcase over subway turnstiles... challenging to say the least.

The group at Pratt is wonderful, not quite like any other visit I have had, and I also got to see Celinda, one of the other LCs, a total treat since I never see anyone I know on the road. We did some very NYC things, went to walk in Times Square, got cupcakes from Magnolias, it was great.

I also got to go home for Fall break and re-evaluate my 65 pound suitcase. I did some shopping, new shoes : ) I went to go see my Little and Christian at Montclair. I also saw my friends from high school while I was at my parents house for the weekend.

After a short trip back on NJ transit to Brooklyn, looking at Installations rooms and possibilities to share our ritual with all of the women of Pratt, I hopped a flight from Laguardia to Richmond, VA.

Funny thing about baggge. So, while I was home I switched out alot of summery clothing, capri's for jeans, short sleeve shirts I pretty much elminated in place of sweaters and long sleeve button downs. And I decided it would be a good idea to weigh my baggage so that I can stop freaking paying baggage fees!! So, I think it weight exactly 52 pounds, so I figured thats good, I'm sure this scale is just a little over, I'll be fine. Oh, silly silly thoughts those were. When my bag was weighed at Laguardia.... it was 67 pounds! How is that even possible, so another $30 one time fee which brings my grand total to a whoping $259 since August.

Now, I am at Longwood University in Farmville, Va where the "Farmville Four" were founded. I am so truly amazed. I arrived yesterday, which is not common since it was a Wednesday. I took a campus tour and got to hear all about the secret societies that Longwood has. The Chi's are a secret society that are visible all over campus but completely secret. They have "Chi Walks" where they dress up in their ceremonial robes and at midnight the campus gathers by the Chi fountain and they march in a line. They leave Chi droppings, small pieces of fabric with a message written on it like "the spirit of Chi lives on" or "Good luck on finals from Chi". At the end of the school year they have a Chi burning where, if they want to the seniors who are about to graduate can reveal themselves to the campus. I think its so totally cool. I'm so happy that I got to see a Chi walk on my first night here, it was totally amazing. I think its so cool that Chi was here even before Sigma was founded, and at the time it was an all women's school, therefore, there HAVE to been members of Sigma who were also members of Chi.

There is another secret society as well the Prencaps. Their symbol is a 7 or a crown with 7 points. If you see a crown on campus you are supposed to step on it, for good luck. If you see a rotunda however, avoid stepping on it. That is bad luck!

Longwood totally embraces the Greek life and the history here. In mulitple places on campus there are homages to the Farmville Four, a clock, a plaque, various bricks. Its so freaking cool!