Rethinking Greeks

In college, I was one of the biggest opponents of the Greek System of fraternities and sororities on campus, to the point where in the eyes of many people, that's all I was know for. I had my reasons, some more valid than others, but a lot of it had more to do with me than with the Greeks on campus. Those of you who know me well know that I had a girlfriend for 3 years of college and I've come to realize that that relationship kept me from having a typical college experience on some levels. In my head, the only reason to go to parties was to meet girls, and I already had a girlfriend, so they were effectively pointless. Plus, I was dealing with a lot of issues involving alcohol use, and in my mind, ANYONE who drank even moderately was terrible.

Obviously, that was silly. I've come to this, though--if I had it to do over again, I would have seriously considered rushing Phi Delta Theta or some other fraternity, mostly because I would just have had a really good time. Peace Corps has been for me in many ways what college should have been--relaxed, productive, fun and valuable. Add to that the fact that most of my really good friends in Peace Corps were in frats and sororities in college, and I've come to realize that most of my stereotypes about the Greek system were just inaccurate. Mostly, my views of the Greek System were based on the fact that I just didn't like feeling excluded, and a lot of that had to do with the sort of person I was when I was in 22--immature. One of the best things Peace Corps has given me is the maturity to relax and enjoy myself. For that, I'm grateful.