Fried chicken, corn, and rice. A winding concrete staircase. A big, black King James Version bible. If I were asked two years ago to give a list of things that reminded me of home, these would be just a few of the things I would tell you. Then I graduated from high school—the “big day” when you become an adult. We all remember it. Before I knew it, I was off to college and leaving behind all my friends and family. What was I going to do? Who was going to hang out with my goofy self? Then, my roommate suggested Greek Life to me. Freshman me thought, “What the heck, maybe somebody on that Village Circle will be like me and they’ll have the same ideas about life as me?” Long story short, I went through recruitment and found a whole group of people that are like me, even some that aren’t (which always makes for interesting conversation). The outside world calls us “Chi Omega,” but I call these people “sisters.”
Imagine this. It’s Bid Day 2011, and this girl opens up her envelope to see the cardinal and straw that she’s been hoping for all week. Immediately the two girls next to me scream, “SISTERS!” and hug me. (If you know me, you know that me hugging anybody is a reason to worry, but hey, what the heck?) So there I was. Wearing my new “letters” and smiling for what seemed like a thousand pictures. And then Bid Day was over, and I couldn’t help but wonder what was supposed to happen then. I could’ve never imagined the memories, best friends who seem more like family, and home that Chi Omega would give me in my just two short years so far. I’m sure you’ve all heard that before, it even sounds cliché coming out of my mouth, but there isn’t a word besides “home” to describe what Chi Omega has been to me. Sure, we all like owls, but that isn’t what really makes it for me. The doors of Chi Omega are a sheltering place where I can leave behind all my troubles if I want to, but I know that if I don’t want to and I desperately need the understanding ear of a friend, it’s mine, no questions asked. Believe me, I am the last person to get all emotional on you, but I couldn’t imagine my life without chapter meetings on Mondays, Songfest, date parties, but most importantly, the sisters I have gained.
Wherever we go, we know that we can always go home to Chi Omega. From the shores of France to The Colosseum of Rome, Chi Omega sisters are proud of where they come from.
So ask me what “home” means to me now and I will probably still tell you about the chicken thing, but first I would tell you about the second house on Village Row with the stone owl in front of it. I’d tell you about the countless nights I’ve spent there just wasting time with the girls that are so dear to my heart. But most importantly, I would simply tell you about the letters I wear over, and forever in, my heart. Chi Omega, Yours Forever.
- Kellie Herrington
- Kellie Herrington
