Leaving the -ings

Well, it is official! I am an out of house member of my sorority! The House Corporation finally answered my prayers and deemed me worthy enough to pack up my bags and become a real-life, off-campus student.

Feelings? Excited. Anxious. Scared. Overwhelmed. The thought of a house to myself is CRAZY! I haven’t had a room to myself in two and a half years. It has been six long semesters. Six long semesters of living in house with 60 ish girls. I have lived in two girl, three girl, and five girl rooms. Each one has it’s unique roommates, original story and its own nostalgic memories.

To think that I will make the rules in my new home is also a little nuts. I have lived with rules for a long time. In my parents’ house, in the dorms, and in the sorority house. Now, I make the rules.

No one can fine me if my room isn’t clean. I don’t have to panic about someone cleaning out the fridge and throwing away my leftover meal. No more sharing the bathroom or having to seek out a friend’s house to live at when a break comes along because the sorority house closes. I now have the sole control of the TV. I don’t have to worry about a code, but instead will have my own key. There will be a BACKYARD and my little baby Malibu can live with me. Never will I have to hold my breath driving up to the house, because NO ONE WILL EVER BE IN MY PARKING SPOT. I can light fires and candles or burst into my room without worrying about waking up roommates. I can actually buy a bottle of wine and store it in my fridge. There will be no more meal times or menus, instead I will have my own oven and stove. Laundry can be done at my own leisurely speed, and guess what? I can do crafts any place I want. I never have to wear shoes. Drinks and food can be taken anywhere. AND boys can be in the home at any hour I deem necessary.

With so many pro’s, I cannot believe it has taken me so long to get outta there! Then again... I have really enjoyed my time in house. Always someone to talk to. Only had to clean a small portion of a room and bathroom. Meals were cooked daily by someone else. I was relatively close to campus. There were sneaky pranks getting played by sisters, which were always hilarious. Random serenades by fraternities. Perfect studying areas for large groups. Never had to do my dishes. Always living in a house with the excuse book and dues box. Almost a 50% guarantee that a group was practicing for a show-- hence free musical entertainment. Laughter was usually only a room away. Friendships that probably would have never happened formed because we were living together. Crazy rules made by House Corp were perfect targets for rebellion and fun.

While living in second floor 5 girl, I broke my first rule. I brought a PET into the sorority house. A fish. The semester before I had asked if I could have a fish. I was told very sternly that my sisters might be allergic to fish thus the strict policy of no pets. I was sort of confused... Fish live in water. Unless a sister was to come my room, intoxicated, and drink my vase of water, and inadvertently swallowed the fish... I can see how we might fear an allergic reaction! However, this is a far shot. I decided the risk was worth it and bought a beta fish and named him TJ. He lived a good few months and died for some mysterious reason. My roommates would say it was because I didn’t clean his vase enough... But I think it was just the sorority house slowly killing him because he knew he wasn’t suppose to be there. A boy and a pet... He had no chance. I went ahead and gave him a proper burial in the sorority’s front yard. I am sure House Corp would kill me if they found out, but this was before our expensive front yard makeover. And really, I was just trying to enrich our soil beds while respectfully memorializing a life lived well.

Rumors have it our membership has grown so much that in the fall of 2011, the house won’t be able to hold both the freshmen and sophomore pledge class. This is strange because right now, I am a senior living in house. There are plenty of juniors still moving in next semester, and of course many, many sophomores. But to think that some freshmen might not get to live in house, and may sophomores will have only had two semesters is sad. That is barely dipping your toes into the whole “living in house” experience. I guess it means they will have try even harder to make the most of it.

I know the biggest thing outsiders say is, “Oh wow... I could never live in a house with so many girls!” And I totally thought the same thing, but it grows on you. It is a unique environment, but I don’t think it is all that bad. The house is definitely always moving. Studying, singing, dancing, eating, whispering, watching, talking, sleeping, listening, walking, screaming, running, and about a thousand other -ing verbs happen. It is hard to find a quiet moment, but that is why you can leave at any point in time. Nothing is more sacred than having a safe haven somewhere on campus or at a friend’s house. It is all about balance.

Hopefully moving out of house won’t make me a distant member of the sorority. Usually when someone moves out, they are only seen on Monday nights in chapter or at required events. It is hard to make it over to the house and hang out when you don’t have a bed for some reason. I know I was never at the house when I lived in the dorms, and I have a sick, nagging feeling that fate is what awaits me in the spring. I am crossing my fingers I will make the effort to come by the house to just say hi. I don’t want to become the out of house senior stranger! But, I like to think that even though I am moving out, the house is still my house. (I am sure still paying about a bazillion dollars to House Corp!) But really, I am moving out and gaining a new home. I still have my sorority home. Two houses have to be better than one....

I guess time will tell. Now the next step is house hunting. Because I won’t have time to get on the HGTV version, I will be doing this solo... Wish me luck! Crossing my fingers for hardwood floors, a backyard, appliances included (fridge, washer/dryer, and a dishwasher!), plenty of windows, and perhaps even a garage? But most importantly, I am hoping to keep close to the sorority house... So when I get lonely, I will only be a hop, skip and jump away from my house of -ings, friends, and sisters.