I once did COB with this one sorority a long time ago. The first event I went to was ice skating. Now, ice skating is great - lots of fun. The problem is that I was a competitive figure skater for 10 years. Call me an "skating snob" if you like, but I absolutely refuse to wear rental skates. I'd probably hurt myself expecting to skate well on the manky dull rental skate blades. :P
Now, I *wasn't* rude or anything when I showed up, but I brought my pair of skates with me. Some of the girls thought it was really neat that I used to skate. But I just get the feeling that maybe others thought I was trying to show off. That and only about 6-8 members actually skated, the rest just sat in the bleachers and watched. They weren't very good conversationalists. The members only stuck in a little clique and didn't really talk to the PNMs at all. So, I got bored and started skating around by myself. I'm sure that really won them over. (hey, they ignored us PNMs for most of all of the events).
My other experience was when I was invited as a special guest to the spring informal recruitment of the sorority I'm pursuing alumna initiation with. I had this really cute outfit planned: tailored charcoal gray blouse with a black skirt, gray and white pearl bracelet and my favorite black heels.
I had stopped by my university first to do something before leaving for the other university (where the chapter is located). My campus is on a giant sloping hill. As I walked I noted that my feet were *killing* me for some reason. My heels weren't new or anything. It got so bad that I just *had* to change shoes when I got home. Unfortunately, I'm not the kind of girl who has a closet full of shoes. I had nothing else that would match the outfit, I didn't have anything else to wear, and I didn't have any spare time to run out shoe shopping.
I considered wearing my heels anyway, but then I remembered that the campus I was going to was at the top of a REALLY steep hill where there is a *gigantic* set of stairs. I just whimpered at the thought of having to wear the shoes to that campus. So, I did it: I committed a major fashion faux pas. I HAD to! I wore the only other reasonably matching pair of shoes I had - these dorky black flats that I normally wear with trousers to work.
I looked lame, but I was so out of time and my feet hurt so bad.
I got to the event and was having a great time talking to the members when someone mentioned "Hey look! I just bought the cutest pair of shoes!" All of a sudden, everybody was holding up their feet and talking about their shoes! Oh noooooo! I kinda felt obligated to share, so I figured I better pipe up and volunteer to say something before anyone asks (or looks). I said something like "Oh! Funny you should mention shoes...ha ha ha...I had this really cute pair of heels on earlier but, for some reason, I had such a hard time with them. And ha ha ha wouldn't you know it, I ended up wearing these silly old things...ha ha ha..always such trouble with shoes...." They then sorta looked at me with blank expressions.
I don't know! I was nervous!
It's all good because we all still had a good time anyway and this sorority would like me to get in touch with them when I get home from England next year. So, I guess they don't judge by the merit of one's shoes!
.....Kelly
