Originally, I wasn’t planning on being the RA of my sorority cottage, but it kind of just happened. I was studying abroad when I was asked if I could apply since my sister Mikar, who was originally going to apply, was accepted to study abroad in Brazil. So after submitting my application, there I was trying to figure out how to schedule a Skype interview since I was about 6 hours ahead of everyone back in Holland! In the end, it was something that I wasn’t expecting, but it ended up being one of the best decisions I ever made.
Initially, I was a bit nervous because the new girls who initiated into the sorority did so when I was away, so we all knew about each other, but nothing more than that. On their end, I was this mysterious person whose name was always mentioned, but that’s all that they knew. On my part, I heard so many good things about these new group of girls and I was happy that they found their place with the Thetas. Soon after moving in and meeting everyone, my nerves eventually went away as I got to know each of my sisters. How blessed I feel to know them is more than I can put into words!
This is my first semester not living in the dorms, so it feels so different to actually live in a house where there is a kitchen where I can actually cook and I have my own room! These little things are like luxuries to me, especially being in my last year at Hope. More than anything, I feel very blessed to be living amongst such strong, intelligent and hardworking women. In their own unique ways, they each have impacted and inspired me throughout the past few months as I am trying to navigate through my responsibilities as an RA. So this is my way of saying thank you to them for making my “job” so very easy!
But back to the title of my post: What is it like to be the RA of a sorority cottage? Well, it’s a lot of fun, for one thing 🙂 Sure, there are some not so fun moments when I have to send in 5 different work orders in one day or when I have to kindly remind everyone to do their chores, but those aside, living with people you know and love makes it all worth it. Whether it’s having meaningful conversations on guy troubles or how stressful our day has been, it brings me closer to each one of my sisters.
One of my favorite memories since moving in was when we had our first family dinner and of course we talked and chatted about whatever was on our minds, but towards the end of the dinner the conversation geared towards where our families were from. In that moment, hearing what each one of my sisters had to say made me realize that we all have something to learn from one another, no matter how different our story is and for that, I am blessed to know each and every one of these wonderful women.
