How that "expansion" thing works.

Photo courtesy of Pinterest.

Sometimes I honestly wish I had a video so you could see what I have to/get to do with my weird job. This below is an attempt to kindasorta explain how we present to expand when invited by a school... Boys? Y'all just stick your flag in the ground and call it a colony. National Panhellenic is a tad different. I did this Monday at:

Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, Va.

**BUT the below account is a conglomeration of the 3 expansion visits 

I've been on just to keep it mysterious.

6 a.m. Blackberry alarm goes off. Aaaand "snooze."

6:08 a.m. iPhone alarm. I'm the deepest sleeper ever; multiple alarms/multiple phones mandatory. Again, "snooze."

7:12 a.m. Quiet time/checking the 6 emails I got overnight/getting ready? Check. Read through expansion presentation notecards for the second time--oh well, I'm good at wingin' stuff. Hop in the car with Precious Collegian A to fight (insert big city) rush hour to (insert suburb) for a rental. 

9:42 a.m. Dashboard hoppin' between 4 country stations (my singing voice always wants to sing Taylor Swift) between a coupla work calls and Mama-call. Note how exceptionally good I've gotten at rapping Lil Wayne's part in "Forever."

11:35 a.m. Arrive at hotel in insert city 2.5 hours away, hang out in the lobby "working." In actuality, I'm catching up on Alabama gossip with the ADPi International President Claire Brown Gwaltney. We love our state.

11:36 a.m. Pleased that if I thought I'd lost my accent in the midwest, I just got it back talking to her.

2:30 p.m. Arrive at name of university. Heels on. Offish nametag on. ADPi badge on. Smile really on. Lehsgo.

3:01 p.m. Dean kicks IFC guys outta the room we were supposed to meet in. They all look at me when they walk by as I'm staring at them. Haven't seen a male in, well, I can't remember... Oh, heyyyyyy, y'all!

4:37 p.m. Omgosh, I LOVE meeting with Panhellenic women. (Note from the future: 3 friended me on FB by midnight. Studs. Wish I could see them again.)

4:38 p.m. It hits me this is probably the most approp/coolest way to spend International Badge Day, eh?

5:08 p.m. Campus tour. Why do they all always walk backwards?

5:19 p.m. Between the Sigma Chi boys (mm. Softspot.) throwing a football in the yard and the lacrosse team, I realize I should probablyreallymaybe speak to a man soon.

7:55 p.m. Run through notecards adding notes from today. Heart-thudding, high on the pre-public speaking rush. Praying.

9:31 p.m. Presentation and Q&A sesh? Done! Repack everything into rolling suitcases--still in 4.5" stilettos.

12:08 a.m. Answer the 22 emails I got today in ADPi account. Feel like an awful person for, once again, not having time to answer the Gmail account. Sigh.

12:30 a.m. Zzzzzzzzz... Earliest bedtime in a week. Gah, hotel beds so rule.

And that, m'dears, is how an expansion visit works. I may try to tell you how a chapter visit day works sometime... Even though normalcy is relevant. Ha.