Staying Connected During a Pandemic
Updated: Jun 30, 2020
My first semester of college was by far one of the best times of my life. I ran home to ADPi, found some of my lifelong best friends, and created some of my most cherished memories with my new sisters. I experienced my first mallard ball, date night, and became a little sister to the girl who made me decide to go ADPi. I honestly dreaded going home for winter break, because that meant I had to leave all of my sisters for a month and a half and I just wasn’t ready to say goodbye to them yet. I couldn’t wait to get back on campus and reunite with my favorite girls! As winter break ended and I began my second semester, I was looking forward to experiencing my first Diamond Games and Diamond Ball. Many sisters shared some of their best ADPi memories happening from during these events, and I couldn’t wait to create some of my own. Then, with little to no notice, bad news hit. A deadly virus was quickly spreading throughout the US forcing UNLV and all other college campuses to shut down. I was SPEECHLESS. I couldn’t quite comprehend the fact that I had to pack up my dorm and move home within days of receiving this shocking news . The first couple of days at home were hard. I was still trying to take everything in and comprehend that life as I knew it was completely changed in a matter of a week. Then, I remembered something that I had and always would have no matter what life threw my way. My sisterhood.
As we all began to adjust to our new lives, we let our creativity flow as we came up with fun new ways to stay connected while in quarantine. First, we started a pen pal program to write and mail letters to sisters to stay in touch. Yes we could have just texted each other, but there is just something about receiving handwritten mail that makes it much more special. Then, we started making fun Tik Toks. I had sisters send me a video from at home and we recreated the Full House intro, Epsilon Rho edition. Many sisters have been participating in FaceTime dates where we talk to a new sister each week, and maybe a sister that we haven’t talked much to before. I have created bonds with so many sisters that I had barely ever talked to before, and now we talk every single day! We even created a private Instagram account to share fun videos, uplifting messages, and hilarious photos. My personal favorites are Tik Tok Tuesdays and Throwback Thursday. Although it may seem small or insignificant, those posts make my day and remind me of all that I get to return to this fall. Having our senior sendoff over zoom was not ideal and was very hard for many sisters, but we made the most of it and created lots of encouraging posts and videos for all of our seniors. My family and I even threw a drive by graduation for my G-Big, since her graduation was postponed. This experience has not been easy, but having my sisters by my side, checking on on me, and staying connected has made it so much better and has made me appreciate these women in my life more than I ever have before. I miss them so dearly, but I know that when we reunite in the fall, it is going to be like we never skipped a beat because sisterhood is forever. I can’t wait to hold all my sisters in my arms again and see their beautiful faces. But until then, we will continue calling, writing, texting, creating, and most of all, loving each other. OBIC sisters, I’ll see you soon.