"To See Beauty Even the Common Things in Life"
Big/little is sort of difficult to sum up in a few words. Formally, it’s supposed to be the joining together of a newer member within our organization and a mentor that will guide them throughout their life. This does happen I can reassure you; however, it has facets that are much greater. It really is the coming together of two individuals that have similar personalities and that inevitably become life-long best friends. No matter the distance, time length of talking to each other, or situation, they are always there for each other. I’m fortunate enough to have one of the best families (a sort of lineage between bigs and littles) in the world. Named the “Diamond” family, we live by the simple words “don’t ever let anyone dull your sparkle”. Too much personality and way too much glitter and bedazzling are what we do best; but, don’t let that little exterior view surprise you. We’re comprised of an amazing law student (who will be the best lawyer in North Carolina and the eventual world), the smartest biology teacher a high-school student could ever want (that could teach a wall the basics of genetics), a pre-med student whose going to come up with the next great cure or heal all the sick in the world, and me; a business major that’s hoping to take over the world (well sort of!) Looks can be deceiving with this rowdy crew, but we all embrace Alpha Chi, love the friendships we’ve made, and always have each others backs. Big/little relationships are truly a lifetime commitment and big/little week is not something that we take lightly.
Now What Exactly is Big/Little Week?
To sum up the chaos of this week and what it entails you must remember that it’s a bit of a dance with deception and endless loving. Every day has some sort of option task or fun game for the incoming little to partake in. This could range from a little Easter egg hunt with candy to putting together a puzzle that has clues about her mystery big on the back. There are endless amounts of baked goods and way too much candy. Way too much candy.
Within my family, this week also includes a large amount of lying. We typically are paired with our already friends and we must lie our way through the week in order to keep secrecy. At the end of the week of activities and endless free stuff, we have a ceremony where we announce the pairing. It’s normally pretty emotional and everyone walks away beyond ecstatic!
So Now that you Understand Big/Little week…
As I’ve explained, big/little week is filled with tradition and endless glitter. We craft to our hearts desire (and probably way beyond it)! With this comes nights that turn into mornings and hands that are burned to their limit from hot glue. Bedazzling is an art form and we are the masters. Hobby Lobby seems like our second home during the week and spending oodles of money we all don’t have is part of the tradition of the whole thing. We split the cost ultimately and at the end of the day it doesn’t matter.
The friendships and love that happens all in one night is an amazing reminder of what it means to be a part of a sisterhood. Alpha Chi Omega has given me families that no matters where I am in my life or in the world I can always rely on. Love really is never having to say you're sorry. We’re from such different paths and yet, we end up forming this unshakable bond. I’ll never even try to begin to explain it to strangers and this small description has probably way too many holes for someone to fully follow, but the people that have gone through such a moment in time understand. These minutes, hours, and days spent together in college were a quick slipping pile of sand and the memories that can be made help to add just a little bit of foundation. And without these strong, independent women by my side; I’m not sure where I’d be because they really are the sparkle in my life. They are my symphony.