Sorority Secrets: Big/Little Week

A few weeks ago I was paired with my perfect Little sister in my sorority! If you are confused about what I mean by this, check out the post I did about sorority families here.  The week before Big/Little reveal is like Christmas in October! It is an awesome week full of presents and secret clues, plus adorable fake Facebook pages where the Bigs get to find every embarrassing selfie of their Little to post in anticipation! Last year when I was getting my Big sister, reveal was on my birthday – this means the week leading up to my birthday was full of candy and surprises! Needless to say, it was a very fun time! This year I am a Big so I got to sneak into my Little's room everyday (with a little help from her roommates!) to leave presents, candy, and clues for her to find! The Big/Little reveal is supposed to be a surprise, but some times girls can figure out who their Big is. My Little had a good idea who I was by the time reveal came, but you're still never sure until you see them on reveal day! I had to be super sneaky all week and pray I didn’t run into her with a mysterious box of doughnuts or bag of presents.  Some schools consolidate this week into one day, I personally love that we have a whole week to spread out the surprises; it makes the process last a little longer and it is so fun to spoil your new Little sister! It was a crazy week full of crafting (not to mention scheming to get the Littles away from their rooms for a few minutes) but in the end it is totally and completely worth it! 

Most days I left an apparel item, little trinkets, and a craft I had made - plus a few clues of course! Some of the clues were lies to throw her off and some were true, it was up to her to figure out which was which! ;) 

Halfway through the week I decorated her room with the help of my Big and Grand-Big! We put streamers and balloons EVERYWHERE! And her Grand-Big (my Big, Laura) got her some yummy cupcakes!! 

On the final day I crafted this initial letter for her by painting the Pi Phi Lilly print on it! I was so happy with how it turned out, I painted a pin box in the same pattern so she would have somewhere to put her sorority badge upon initiation! Over all it was a very successful week! I never got caught and reveal was SO much fun! I am so excited to finally be a Big sister to my gorgeous and sweet Little! 

If you liked this post, be sure to check back tomorrow for a post all about Big/Little reveal in Central Park!! ;)

♥ Caro

Sorority Secrets: "Phamily"

This post is a long one but I think it will be helpful! I realize that some of y’all may not be aware of sororities or may be confused as to how they work.  Over the weekend I became a “Big sister” in my sorority but before I write a post about that I wanted to give a little background about how Big/Little relationships work!

{Part of the Yacht Club Pham - we are actually missing a few, crazy right?!}

In every sorority, at least that I know of, when you join you are given a “Family” or as we like to call them in Pi Beta Phi, “Phamilies” ;) Some organizations assign you a family on Bid Day (the day you receive an invitation to join the sorority) others, like my organization, wait and allow the assignment to be a mutual selection process.  You go on “girl dates” and find a handful of girls you are compatible with, that you would want to hang out with and, in my case, feel comfortable texting in the middle of the night with questions. You get a “Big sister” and become their “Little sister”  - the Pham comes into play when you meet your “Great-Grand Big” and so on.  When I got my Big, Laura, I was welcomed into the greatest (and biggest) Pham! Every Pham in our sorority has a silly name, ours is the Yacht Club Pham (or YCP) the names were selected by the founding members of the phamily and have lasted for generations.

{My Great-Grand Big, Great-Great Grandbig and Big carry me through initiation}

To someone who is not in a sorority I can see how this would be EXTREMELY confusing, it’s a weird concept when you really think about it, but one that has been my favorite aspect of Pi Phi.  When I became a Little, I also became a Twin – which means my Big took two Littles instead of just one.  Callan, my Twin, is my opposite and, also, my other half.  We did not know each other well when we became Twins and the paring has worked out beautifully! Laura, our Big, and Caroline, our Grand-Big both went abroad last semester, only a few months after we had been placed in their Pham.  We stayed in touch through social media and Google Hangout (the best for large groups!) But Callan and I were really able to bond as we went out together, got to know each other and our New Member class, and navigated the rituals and traditions of Pi Phi.  Although we missed Laura and Caroline terribly, having them go abroad gave us an excuse to grow closer and, luckily, become the close friends we are today.  Callan is one of my very best friends and I am so lucky to be a Twin, it is a relationship I did not know I needed and am so happy to have.

{Me and my beautiful Twin Callan}

On the other hand, occasionally Big/Little pairings don’t work out like this. One of my best friends from home had some issues with her Big pairing because the girl was much older than her, not as involved, and she felt torn because she became closer to the other older girls in the sorority, more so than she was to her Big.  Their relationship is great now, and they are definitely closer than they used to be.  But, although some pairings don’t work out as well, this doesn’t mean that the relationship is a hopeless case.  Having someone in the sorority as a mentor is such a blessing, a Big sister is there to help you when you have questions, hang out when you are bored, and check in when you have a stressful week.  Even if you can’t find this in your assigned pairing, it is important to have this in some way in the organization, and I have seen it’s not that difficult to find in the unfortunate case that the pairing does not play out well.

{With my Big, Grand-Big and Twin}

I am so lucky to have such an incredible Pham, and an amazing Big who loves me and cares about me! She is so supportive of everything I do and, because I do not have a big sister in real life, it is so nice to finally have the mentor/sister relationship I always wanted (minus the fighting since we aren’t actually related!) Over the weekend I got my Little sister and became a Big sister myself.  If I can be half the Big sister Laura is to me, I know that my Little will be loved, supported, and well guided through her initiation into Pi Beta Phi and all of her future endeavors. 

{Can't imagine Pi Phi without these two!}

♥  Caro 

Sorority Secrets: Bid Day

{The theme was Pi Phi Phest ~ hence the flower crowns}

Recently I had Bid Day for my sorority! For those of you who aren’t familiar with sorority lingo, Bid Day is the last day of sorority recruitment when girls who have been accepted into an organization get an official Bid to join a chapter.  It’s a mutual selection process that typically lasts a week, or 4 rounds. Through out this process potential new members meet with each sorority in rounds to talk to the sisters and learn more about the sororities.  Each night choices get narrowed down and you go to fewer sororities for longer periods of time (in order to allow for deeper conversations!) After a long recruitment process I am excited to welcome the new members home to Pi Beta Phi! We were very lucky and had a beautiful day in the park for this special day. My Bid Day was a bit different, the way the schedule fell it was at night and it happened to be in our sorority house, as opposed to outside.  It was a great night but I was happy to have this year’s celebration in an area with more space – especially since we have 54 new girls! I know based on Southern sorority standards this isn’t much, but for my school and chapter it’s huge! I was so excited on my Bid Day to get my top choice sorority and I remember being thrilled to see the familiar faces of the sisters I had spoken to during recruitment.  This year, being on the other side of recruitment, I was so happy to welcome the girls I spoke to throughout the week and on Preference Night with a hug and a halo! It is such an exciting time for everyone.  I know that joining Pi Phi is one of the best decisions I have ever made and I have a feeling our new girls will feel the same.  I am happy to be apart of such an amazing sisterhood and I am SO excited to have more girls in our incredible chapter! 

{Pi Beta Phi}

{Bid Day isn't complete without cute crafts}

{Me, Emily, and Bailey}

{YCP}

{Roomies take recruitment}

♥ Caro