The weekend
I took my little sister to the University of Illinois this weekend to check out the campus. Mostly, my goal was to demystify college life and trim her anxiety on the subject. 'Cause it can be really scary when everybody keeps bringing it up as though it is the end-all and be-all of existence.She's 14 years younger than me and for all intents and purposes is an only child. All of her assorted siblings were out of the house by the time she was in school. So, a bit of anxiety is normal. And, I hate to say it, but she can be a little high-strung (some would say a normal reaction to living in our mother's world) and so the effect is amplified.
That's why I, the older, married, and pretty un-cool sister took her to see UofI instead of Mom. The hope was that however un-cool I might be, I'm still cooler than Mom, and have more personal experience with the campus...blah, blah, blah, and she could get a better feel for the campus. She could ask me questions and I would tell her the truth without the vague platitudes.
I am happy to report that the mission was a complete success! She was a bit nervous in the beginning, but by the end of the day, she was excited and asking questions. We took lots of pictures, went on a driving tour of the campus, checked out private housing, and walked the quad. But the highlight of the day, and I must admit the real reason for the success, was the freshman member of my sorority whom I had arranged to give us a tour of the house and her dorm room. I tell you, she's going to be a star rusher next fall. She pulled my shy little rebel of a sister out of her shell and they actually talked about the process of rushing. They were chattering like little birds, I kid you not!
My sorority sister earned my undying gratitude for that. I expected cordial politeness. But I certainly didn't expect her to give up several hours of her Saturday, leading us around, then going to lunch and to buy my sister a sweatshirt.
Which is why my sorority is so cool. Unpretentious, friendly, and plain old girl-next-door nice.
thank you, Rebecca.
