Mercy, Mercy Me...

My, how time flies when you're NOT having fun. lol Time for updates! First, the highlights:

Chicago, IL and Philadelphia, PA- I visited Chicago with Millie in early September and just came back from my Philadelphia trip this past Sunday. Two cities, both opposite as day and night. Chicago is a city that I hold close to my heart. I feel as if there's a chemistry between me and that city (yes, I likened it to a man.) We stayed at a luxurious hotel near Magnificent Mile, and enjoyed the many activities Chicago had to offer- lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, a boat tour of the skyline, dinner at a Spanish tapas restaurant, shopping, two nightclubs, etc. When I go to the Chi, it's not like a vacation, but more of a visit to my second home. I have this fascination with the city and, like some Detroiters, I walk the streets asking where the hell did we go wrong in Detroit? (That's a discussion for another blog.)

Conversely, Philadelphia was the complete opposite. Arriving in Philly, I was still pleased with its downtown area. Not as developed as Chicago's, but had many tourist attractions nonetheless. The one thing that I liked about Philadelphia is that it was the first time I visited a city with a historic feel to it. Not surprising seeing that it IS one of the original 13 American colonies, and home of the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross House, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (Rocky anyone?) As opposed to the neck breaking skyscrapers, shopping avenues, and "glitz and glam" of cities like Chicago, Philly had cobblestone streets, statues of famous generals and townsmen, and ancient mansonry halls. I, of course, looked up to give my salute to William Penn.



It would be fair to say that every major US city has its ghetto. However, even after being born and raised in Detroit and seeing my city's most desolate areas, nothing prepared me for North Philly. It was probably some of the most deteriorated, poverty stricken neighborhoods I've ever visited. Hundreds of dilapidated rowhomes, vacant lots overgrown with weeds, and litter covering almost every inch of what was left of streets and sidewalks. The area in one word was- bleak. The stories that the CDC's (community development corporations) shared in the area were needless to say, disturbing. One CDC said their operation was located in the same building where they found over 100 needles and condoms, as well as not one, not two, but THREE dead bodies. My group visited the Logan CDC, an organization that was committed to revitalizing a neighborhood that had been destroyed by a bad decision of Logan's past developers. Years ago, it was discovered that the houses constructed in the area were built upon an ash creek. Because of the lack of a solid foundation, all of the houses began to sink. It was ordered that the residents in the neighborhood vacate their houses for only $500, and their homes were demolished. The debris from the houses were not removed however, just packed into the ash creek under the ground. It's been 30+ years, and more than 32 acres still sits unused and undeveloped. It was such a devastating story but nonetheless, good for me to see and experience. As a Detroit native, I know the problem the city faces because I lived it. I know the problems other cities faced because I studied it. Learning it in a classroom, however, is way different than experiencing it in person. and just think, there are cities in worse conditions in the world? Oh what to do, what to do....



Grad update- Stressed, overworked, confused. Kanye's line "They say, 'Oh you graduated?' No I decided I was finished." keeps resonating in my head. What did I expect though? It's grad school. I think the frustration comes from being forced to take classes that I don't want to take, and I sucked at in undergrad. The one thing that made me excited my beginning a masters program is the belief that I'd be able to FINALLY take courses that interest me and are pertinent to my career. Yet, I'm back at square one- confused in economics, struggling in statistics, and trying to grasp the concept of law. I just have to make it through this semester.

Self-reflection- The older I get, the more I like to be by myself. I'm not so much a loner because I did manage to befriend a lot of people in my class (thanks to "bonding" in Philly.* insert Samuel Jackson side eye*) Most of it is due to the fact that I'm completely drained after classes and work. The other half is I'm way too busy to partake in any social activity. Majority of it is by choice. In any case, it's definitely not depressing. After years of roommates and going home to a house with 4 adults and not enough space, my apartment remains my sanctuary.

For those who are curious, YES I did sing the "Good TImes" upon entering Chicago, and YES I sang the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" theme song when we arrived in Philly. I'll be singing the "Mary Tyler Moore Show" theme song once I go to visit family in Minneapolis....questions?

Can't Stop the Pressure on Me

There are many wonderful perks to being a Greek. I don't mean "Greek" as in palakaris, patridhas, or descendent from ancestors born in Smyrna (thank you Eungenides), but I mean "Greek" as in being a member of the National Panhellenic Council. This council is comprised of nine, historically black fraternities and sororities: Alpha Phi Alpha (1906), Alpha Kappa Alpha (1908), Kappa Alpha Psi (1911), Omega Psi Phi (1911), Phi Beta Sigma (1914), Zeta Phi Beta (1920), Sigma Gamma Rho (1922), and Iota Phi Theta (1963). Each organization, though upholding different thrusts and beliefs, all follow the basic principles of scholarship, brotherhood/sisterhood, and service. Regardless of what he/she chose to become a part of, respect is (or should be) given to the founders of these Divine 9 organizations. The founders designed the fraternities and sororities during periods of oppression and discrimination against black people, used them as an outlet for collegiate students to establish a bond with others who shared the same morals and ideas, and to also provide service to their community. It is amazing to see that many of these organizations have reach 100+ years, and all are continuing to grow in membership.





My first introduction to Greek life was through my second grade teacher, Ms. Green. Ms Green was a tall, thin, elementary school teacher with long hair and an obsession for the football player Deion Sanders. My classmates loved her because she was young, "hip," and would create fun raps and rhymes for us to remember equations, measurements, or state capitals (I can still recall one that helped with remembering the days, weeks, and months in a year. Smh...) Unlike my fellow students however, I did not put Ms. Green on a pedestal. For some reason, there was something about me that she did not like. At times, I felt as if she picked on me for no reason at all, and often she made me cry in front of the class or hold up dictionaries. It even got to a point where my mother and sister threatened to go up to my school and "set her straight," but because I was afraid that I would face repercussions in class the next day, I cried and pleaded for them not to. One day, Ms. Green showed us a video of some "club" that she was in, and while I don't remember much of the video, I DO remember the women doing what she called "stepping." I watched it with partial curiosity, mostly dislike, and made a vow that whatever club she was in, I would never be a part of.

My second exposure to Greekdom would be from the television show "A Different World." I would watch and look at the extras walking in the background, thinking "What the hell are those letters on their shirt?" Other shows such as "Moesha" and "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" would soon follow with episodes about pledging and "being on line," but I still had no idea of what sororities and fraternities were and what did they do. Not until I reach U of M. As a freshman, I walked around Festifall trying to decide which sisterhood was the best for me. It was never a question as to if I would join a sorority in college. That was something I decided by high school. The question was "which one?" After researching many orgs, I felt the right organization for me was Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated. I'll spare you the "interview response" of why I chose to wear the royal blue and white, but I will sum it up: Gamma Delta, finer womanhood, networking and my second family. Women who have been there for me through thick and thin, and, as I said before, added to my college experience.




The stepshows, the strolling, the parties-those are the fun aspects. Any Greek would tell you that. U of M's Greek life has a been....a rollercoaster to say the least. But I've met some great people, and we had some good times. And while there are some who argue that the Greek life on our campus isn't what it used to be, we have came a long way.




But while there is the bright side to Greekdom, there's also the dark side. To outsiders, there's always speculation about what that "dark side" consists of, but Greeks who deal with it on a daily basis can understand the pressure and stress being Greek causes. There were many times when I had to step back, breathe, and go back to the reasons why I became Greek in the first place. I refused (and still do) to let the ignorance, foolishness, conceitedness, envy, and spitefulness of others- sorors and bruhs included -denigrate my reason for becoming a Zeta. In joining the org, I knew that I was not only making a commitment just for undergrad, but for a lifetime. As much as I will miss my undergraduate chapter, I can't wait to experience what it's like to be in a graduate chapter. I've already prepared myself for the 180-degree change, but I'm sure it will still be a positive experience....especially since there's already GD alum in the chapter. :-)

What led me to write this blog is one of the other aspects to the dark side of Greekdom- the inability to separate Greek life from personal life. It is something that frustrates me to no end. While my graduate chapter will be something that I'm a part of as an adult, I'm proud to say that I know that my life will not revolve around the chapter and chapter business. I've joined urban planning committees and officially became a member of the APA, I'll still be working two jobs, thinking about joining a church family, etc. etc. There's so much going on in my life, that I don't have time to think about Zeta 24/7. Unfortunately, that doesn't go for every Greek. There are those who talk about nothing but "being owt," stepshows, and parties, and the ironically, the ones who practically preach on Twitter "Greeks need to stop talking about Greek stuff all the time!" are the main ones who have Greek-related discussions or trending topics polluting my timeline and newsfeed. And on days like that, I avoid the social networks and pay attention to what's going on in the real world. Christina first, Zeta second.




By the way, my second grade teacher? I won't disclose her sorority. I'll just say that her name fitted her. ;-)

God is a DJ, Life is a Dance Floor...

If you haven't caught on to the pattern (which I'm sure you have), each of my blogs are named after a song title or a song lyric. I fervently believe that life has a soundtrack, and each day features a new song and/or artist. Today's song?: Jay-Z- "So Ambitious."

Slowly but surely, the pieces to the puzzle are falling into place in my life: grad school, my first apartment with NO roommate, working, and maybe the start of something new with a certain someone. I'm satisfied with my accomplishments, but I want more. I'm always pushing myself to go above and beyond, I just need to make sure it's never to the point when I'm turning into an overachiever (again.)

For the curious, yesterday's song was Lil Wayne's "Burn this City." Only because I was extremely bored and I had a box of matches. O__O