Daytona: Resurrection of Beta Delta & Sisterhood Spirit Weekend

The four and a half hour drive from Miami to Daytona was actually not bad at all. I enjoyed the time I spent listening to music and reflecting. Sometimes, I think, we all need that time to just be with ourselves. Driving all the time by my self was somewhat therapeutic. I was able to sing along to all the silly songs I have on my iPod without anyone judging me. Hahaha. Yeah I’m really dorky like that.

I finally made it to Port Orange, where I’m staying with a sister from Epsilon Lambda Chapter from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. They just became a chapter in Spring 2010 and I’m super excited for them. I got to her and her line sister’s house at about 7:00pm(ish). I was happy to see that all the Spring 2010 sisters from Gamma Iota Chapter (Florida Atlantic University) were already there (ALL FIVE OF THEM! YAY!). It turns out that I was the only sister from Fall 2009 in the house. That’s okay though because, you know, Fall 2009 is kind of a big deal. Also, one of the new brothers from Beta Xi Chapter (Florida Atlantic University) was here with us.

Once again, we perfected the art of car-stuffing! We stuffed six people inside a little volkswagon beetle... eek! We got to Embry-Riddle and it was so hot. We were sweating so much! There were so many people though! It was a very big deal because it had been ten years since Beta Delta Chapter had a line. It went defunct and now it’s been resurrected. It was really nice seeing so much support coming from all over Florida as well as from Georgia, actually the PM is from Georgia (now THAT is dedication!). I got to see a lot of brothers and sisters that I hadn’t seen since I first became a sister almost a year ago. I’m going to be able to meet a LOT more tomorrow though because it is Sisterhood Spirit Weekend! Hooray! All LTA chapters in the state of Florida all in one place. Eek! What fun!






I also ran into a few more fives :)





Until the next one,
Jodysseus

Detroit Day 3: Paint Rocks

It’s my last day in “the D.” I’m actually pretty sad about it. I really had a great time here and feel that the trip was just too short. I didn’t realize that in such a short time I could become endeared to so many people.
I started off the day sleeping in, of course. Rosa and I watch some TV and talked about LTA stuff. Something I am very happy about is that I was able to spend time with her and Sarah because they were happy to provide some insight about what their lives were like when they were in my shoes. It really put a lot of things in perspective for me. I admire their dedication to our organization and hope to contribute as much as they do. I got a lot of insight from Teresa as well. Those three are really special ladies and I am very thankful for having the pleasure of meeting them.


Anyway, Teresa sent me a text message telling me that she was picking me up in about two hours and that we were going to be eating dinner at Mi Pueblo with a bunch of brothers and other sisters. I hopped in the shower, did my hair, and got dressed (that is, after I took a nap because Rosana’s couch is AMAZING). Less than about ten minutes later Teresa popped up at the door and we were off to Mi Pueblo.
Over at Mi Pueblo I had three delicious tostadas and washed them down with sangria flavored Jarritos… mmmmm! I was able to share this nice dinner with Tere and Jose as well as Jose’s line brother Adonis, a brother named Nestor, Erick (BE Chapter), Maria, and Beverley (Beta Omega). A little later on Orlando came by, although it didn’t seem like it because he was quiet the whole time. Haha I guess he was really hungry because he devoured his meal. I’m not sure what it was but it was something with shrimp… lots and lots of shrimp. Overall it was a very nice dinner and must say that Detroit left a very, very good impression on me and I recommend going to anyone who is part of Lambda Fam who wants a great time! It came up during dinner conversation about painting the rock at Wayne State. In a matter of about fifteen minutes we made plans to meet up at Wal Mart and buy spray and meet at the rock. How exciting!

After dinner we took a few pictures and road off to Wal Mart! Spray paint and cardboard was bought and we headed to Wayne State. Unfortunately, there was a little bump in the road. Adonis got a flat tire! Teresa, Maria, and I went and got the guys and packed up Teresa’s car as if we were a bunch of clowns in a tiny circus car! Imagine that driving in the front was Teresa, passenger seat was Jose, and in the back, crammed like sardines, are Maria, Adonis, Mario (Adonis and Jose’s LB), and I. Haha.

We made it to Wayne State and walked over to the rock. Orlando met us up there. I cut out the stencils, Jose took photos, and pretty much everyone else painted. It was a blast! When we finished, we stood in front of the thing and just stared at it for like TWO HOURS! We started acting silly and Tere and I climbed one of the trees because we’re lame like that. When we were about to leave, Orlando wanted to wrap it all up by saying “Any final thoughts?” very Jerry Springer style. Not more than a minute after he said this, we all her CH-CH-CH-SHHHHHH. The sprinklers came on and we all started running! Oh what a night! Teresa took me back to her place and I chilled with her, her boyfriend, and Orlando came by and hung out for a bit.

Tomorrow I’m going back home. Oh Motor City, you will never be far from my heart.

Detroit Day 2: Ann Arbor

Detroit, September 5, 2010, Day 2:

I got to sleep in and it was amazing. The sisters from the area were having their area meeting. Thankfully I was staying with an Alumna so she didn’t have to wake up early and go. Rosana was really awesome. She made me apple cinnamon pancakes with a touch of banana. I have to say that these pancakes were among the best I’ve ever had. My tummy was very happy. Sarah slept over that night, so it was a fun morning for the three of us. Rosana has some pretty awesome on-demand cable. We watched movies for a long time. We got to watch “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Whip It,” which are all going on my list of favorite movies. I also learned how to make Orzo salad, thanks to Sarah. We made it together as our lunch and it was really cute because I felt like we were teenagers the night after a slumber party. We were in our PJ’s and talking about nonsense and laughing about it. It felt almost as if I was from there and I’d known these girls for years. I guess that’s the bond of sisterhood. It’s a beautiful thing.

Later on Sarah and I got showered and dressed for a house party at a Beta Omicron (University of Michigan Ann Arbor) sister’s house. We waited on Orlando to come so we could carpool to the place. The trip to Ann Arbor was a bit long but it didn’t really bother me since everything back home in Miami is a long ways away from my house. Sarah explained to me the major differences between Ann Arbor and Wayne State. The way things work in Wayne State is very different from Ann Arbor because Wayne State is primarily a commuter school. I suppose this is somewhat like my school. Ann Arbor, on the flip side, is mostly a school with a lot of people living on campus. The dynamics are very different and it affects Greek Life and recruitment a great deal.

The house party was pretty straight. I enjoyed my time there. I got to meet a lot of sisters and brothers. The sister whose house the party was had a roommate from another organization, Sigma Lambda Gamma. She was a pretty cool chick from what I saw and I got decent vibes from her. It was nice seeing so many people having a nice time. Everyone was asking me questions about Miami life and LTA Life in Miami. It was really weird but I enjoyed it because I was able to bombard them with questions
as well. Another Fun Fact: Michigan brothers step to the right when they say “Latin Fraternity” when they salute. This information was brought to you by Tyler. I was fortunate enough to meet a good number of number fives, I was very happy about that. There were also a great number of fours, which I found oddly surprising. I’ve always had love for fours so it’s pretty cool.

Another thing I found a little different was that there were a good number of people who were not even Greek at this party, which I think says a lot. It’s good that non-Greeks feel comfortable enough to party with Greeks and not feel like they are constantly going to have people trying to recruit them and such. A couple of them told me that joining appeals to them more and more because they know that they can have a chill time with Lambda Fam and not feel pressured.

OF COURSE the final thought I want to add to this day is that EVERYONE loves “The Infamous & Fly.” Dead serious. Everyone that asked what our chapter a.k.a. thought it was super cute when I did the movements for “The Infamous & Fly Gamma Pi.” Gotta love it.

Detroit Day 1: Exploration

Day 1: September 4, 2010


First day here and I have gone to have Crepes at a really cute little place called Good Girls Go to Paris. It was delicious. I was taken there by a Wayne State (Gamma Kappa Chapter) brother named Jose and a Wayne State (Beta Omega Chapter) sister named Teresa. It was delicious! Afterward, Jose and I went to the Detroit Institute of Art. It was amazing! There was a lot of beautiful artwork and I thank my Aesthetics and Values class from my junior year because I have a whole new appreciation for art. After the museum Jose and I met up with two other sisters, Sarah and Rosana (with whom I stayed for two nights) at this really cute Mexican restaurant called Mi Pueblo. The four of us enjoyed very delicious Mexican food and talked. It was a nice time and a great way to start off my visit.


Later on Sarah drove me around and showed me the Tigers Stadium in a downtown area. We went into these two stores. I bought a really sweet Detroit t-shirt at the first store and it was 50% off so I felt pretty lucky. In the next store Sarah took forever deciding on a ring to buy. She ended up with three rings, but they were all really nice so it was worth it. It was nice because I had time to talk to the shop owner, who was an aged black gentleman with a degree in dance and choreography. I found that to be very interesting. We had a long conversation about social change and the experiences he’s had back in his younger years when there were race riots. There are still a lot of problems, according to him, and he really hopes for a better future. I was able to vibe well with him and his benevolent spirit. He was very pleasant and really pleased with sharing his insight. Sometimes we just need people to listen and understand.


After this we dropped off Jose at his place and went to Rosana’s house. Her house was BEAUTIFUL! It was very well put together and pretty hip. I loved it! Her husband was nice enough to let me sleep in the little room where he plays his video games. I slept very comfortably and am very glad I stayed at her place. We showered and got ready to go out. There was a brother who was celebrating his birthday. Rosana, Sarah, and I, as well as Thomas (the birthday boy) and another brother from Beta Epsilon Chapter (University of Detroit Mercy) named Orlando, went to Club Amnesia at this casino called Motor City Casino. We met up with another sister named Jennifer. It was pretty cool and there was a nice view from the rooftop of the casino. Don’t ask me what floor it was on because I am not a fan of heights and would rather not know what floor it was on. From up there you can see the city lights and the bridge
to Canada. Fun Fact: Detroit is the only US City that you travel south to get to Canada. Apparently there is a little chunk of Canada right below it where the bridge leads to. All in all it was a great night and I enjoyed it very much. After being awake for nearly 24-hrs I was very happy to get back and get some sleep. Great start to a great weekend.

Detroit Day 1: Travel

September 4, 2010, 7:10am:

Today marks day 1 of my travels: Detroit, Michigan: Home of the Pistons and the Tigers. Although I am not there yet, even from waiting in the terminal it was made very apparent just how different the people and culture of Detroit is from Miami. I’m not seeing a lot of Latinos, that’s for sure. The most I’ve seen are Caucasians and African Americans. The choice of attire is very different too. I can see the reminiscence of “Detroit Rock City” going on. I saw a few young guys with rock band t-shirts, flannels, torn up jeans, a few with horn-rimmed glasses, long hair, and even one with a bandana-type scarf tied up on his head. I can definitely imagine these young men at a KISS or ACDC concert. It is different indeed.

I’m not quite sure if Detroit is considered much of a tourist destination but I am making the assumption that most of these people who are heading to the same destination as me are on their way home. I wonder if I’m the only Detroit-bound tourist. Last night there was a big concert with Eminem and Dr. Dre in Detroit. Two people that I know took the trip to Detroit on Thursday just so they can watch the show and are leaving while I’m coming. I bet it was something else. Fun Fact: Detroit is the home town of Marshall Mathers, better known as Eminem or Slim Shady, Kid Rock, and Madonna (whose last name is actually Ciccione!).

Word to the wise, make it a habit to show up to the airport two hours in advance. It is much better to be waiting for a long time than it is to stress out about missing your flight. I experienced that myself today when I arrived at about 6:18am for my 7:00am flight. The self-check-in kiosk didn’t let me check in and I had to wait in a long line. I was very scared of missing my flight but I made it in record time. Well, I suppose the fact that the flight was delayed didn’t hurt either.

I am now sitting in the flight cabin and the pilot just made an announcement that it is currently 55 degrees Fahrenheit in Detroit… And I didn’t pack a sweater, just my line jacket. This is going to be interesting.

I was very fortunate indeed because sitting to my right was a very pleasant gentleman. His name was George. I didn’t know his name was George until he gave me his business card though. We had a very long conversation about life and culture in Detroit from his perspective. He was born in Houston, Texas and had lived in Detroit for about five years and now lives in South Florida.

George gave me his little rundown of what he thought of when he thought of Detroit: 1. Automotive industry, 2. Motown, 3. Very pronounced geographic division of ethnicities.

Detroit is where the headquarters of Ford and General Motors is located, hence the nickname “The Motor City.” The economy is relative to domestic car sales and the region is directly influenced by it. For the most part it is a blue collar town and lacks the flashiness that is characteristic of most big cities like Miami, Los Angeles, and New York. Sports are very big here but it isn’t to the point on individual fanaticism as it would be in most places. You can probably spot the star pitcher of the Tigers at the mall or the grocery store and nobody would really make the big of a deal. George himself said that he’s spotted Kid Rock at the mall once or twice and it really was not that big of a deal.

Next is music. The type of music which has had the most influence on genres like R&B, Hip Hop, Gospel and anything in between is Motown. Motown all started in Detroit (Grand Avenue to be more specific). Music is very influential in this city, as I alluded to earlier in calling it “Detroit Rock City,” in reference to the movie about KISS fans set in Detroit.

Next is the biggie! From what George tells me about his experiences as an African American from outside of Michigan, Detroit is a very divided place in terms of race. In the “8 Mile,” with is an 8-mile perimeter on the city proper, you’ll pretty much be surrounded by 99% African Americans. In a place called Dearborn there is a great amount of Arabs and those of the Islamic faith. There is a small pocket on the outskirts of the city limits called Mexican Town with a dense population of Mexican Americans. There is also a place called Greek Town which has a party atmosphere and my flight buddy recommends a restaurant called Pegasus. Sorry guys, no Chinatown. However, there is a place called Troy with a lot of Indian influence (South Asian Indians that is) Also there is some Dutch influence attributed to the early years of Detroit’s existence. George and I discussed how important it is to understand the hows and the whys of why certain people ended up in Detroit. For example, African Americans who live up there more than likely have roots in the South and moved up for employment in the automotive industry. George put emphasis on his assertion that, based on his experiences as an African American man living in Detroit, that this is a city that still struggles with the race issue on a daily basis.

This is going to be an interesting trip indeed.

Thoughts on Forgiveness

Today I'm going to toss in a little change of pace, seeing as my first trip is a month away and I still don't have a great deal of updates quite yet.

‎"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." -- Mahatma Gandhi

I find that it is difficult for many people to genuinely forgive people. Individuals all around are so bitter and jaded that they walk around like the living dead of emotions. When somebody betrays you or they hurt you substantially, as much as we would like to believe that it isn't true, the next person who comes along suffers. Person C is not responsible for what Person A did to Person B... so don't punish them. Until you can forgive and move on from A, don't even bother with C.

I'm working on it.

Little Trips

So in the Spring semester I am going to try take short trips to places with a small amount of chapters which are not too widely distributed throughout the state. Thanks to Spirit Air $9 Club, it won't kill my budget to take these trips.

Georgia would be a perfect candidate for one of these 4-day weekend trips. There are five chapters there: Gamma Nu at Emory, Gamma Omega at the GA Institute of Technology, Delta Alpha at the University of GA, Delta Beta at GA State University, and Epsilon Alpha at Kennesaw State. Most of these chapters are in the Atlanta Area except Delta Alpha, which is in Athens. All in all I am pretty sure I can make that trip and not spend an obscene amount of money.

Perhaps an avenue I can explore is identifying the places where there are few chapters to qualify as a weekend trip. One state which falls under this category is Arizona, which have two chapters: Beta Iota chapter in AZ state university in Phoenix and Epsilon Kappa in the University of AZ in Tuscon.

New Mexico has Gamma Kappa chapter in Albuquerque.

West Virginia has Delta Lambda in the University of West Virginia in Morgantown.

Delaware had Delta Pi chapter in Newark, although I think I can save that for a longer trip because the states in that area are significantly smaller, so I can probably take a Greyhound or road trip with people.

Tennessee has three chapters: Gamma Beta in Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Gamma Gamma at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. I'm not quite sure if I would be able to visit all three chapters in the four-ish days I can get there... So either this can be a weekend trip or something for the summer.

Vermont has a brand new chapter in Burlington, Epsilon Zeta.

Virginia has two chapters: Gamma Alpha in University of VA in Charlottesville and Delta Epsilon in George Mason U in Fairfax.

And, as previously mentioned, Wisconsin has one chapter in Madison which would work out for a weekend.

I think that the only issue I might have about these chapters would be that since these would be the only chapters in the state, there is the possibility of them being defunct. I already encountered that with a chapter in Michigan. It's really sad when you hear about chapters not being active. I suppose that this is why Greeks need to support one another because if they don't, who will? And if no one does, your organization dies out.

With that said, I'm really excited about my trip to Detroit. I've already communicated with some sisters and a brother. It's going to be pretty amazing because I want to taste of what it's like to be a Lambda Lady in the state of Michigan. I'm definitely looking forward to this trip! Stay tuned!

A Bit of Planning

After doing my research I was able to create a pretty organized and comprehensive itinerary for myself for my big trip. However, I found a bit of a bump in the road in the form of the states of Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Because these states are right in the middle, getting there while on the way to other states would prove difficult.

Thankfully, these three states aren't like California or New Jersey which have more than ten chapters spread out throughout the span of the entire state. In Michigan we have Beta Omicron in the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Beta Pi in Eastern Michigan University (which I, unfortunately, was just informed is defunct), and Beta Omega in Wayne State University. I figure I can knock these out in one short trip. I have managed to make my Fall schedule in such a way that I have Tuesdays and Thursdays off. With that being said, there is a week in September in which the university is closed on a Monday. I figure that I can get a cheap flight (via Spirit $9 Club!) to Detroit from Friday until Tuesday.

Hopefully, more opportunities like these will pop up so I can get to Wisconsin, which only has one chapter! Phew! Gamma Mu chapter in the University of Wisconsin in Madison. That can be knocked out in a weekend. Amazing!

Illinois is going to be the biggest challenge of these three states, hands down. There are eight chapters in the state of Illinois. The good thing is that five of them are in the Chicago area, but the bad thing is that the other three are three hours away or more. I'm either going to have to find people who love road tripping or hope that sisters from the far-away ones will be in the area. Who knows! I think Chicago will warrant a full week or maybe a week and a half. Illinois has Beta Phi at the University of IL at Urbana-Champaign, Beta Chi at Eastern IL University in Charleston, Beta Psi in Northwestern in Chicago, Delta Mu in Western IL University in Macomb, Delta Nu in Loyola University in Chicago, Epsilon Beta in the University of Chicago, Epsilon Gamma in the University of IL at Chicago (Est. Fall 2009!), and Epsilon Delta in DePaul University in Chicago (Est. Fall 2009!).

I'm going to make it my goal to knock out Michigan and Wisconsin by the end of the Fall semester. I'll have more details to come. Get excited because I am!

The First Entry

There are many things in life which are considered difficult. One of those difficult things is starting something. It is also, indeed, even more difficult to start something when it's the first of its kind. A fine example of this is right in front of you! This! My very first entry!

Jokes aside, I am starting this in the hopes that I will be able to commit to this blog and consistently update it with entries about the travels I plan to pursue. I am, however, getting very ahead of myself. I should back track a bit before I give away my purposes.

Going back to talking about when something is the first of its kind, I am proud to say that I am part of an organization which is the first of its kind. In the early 1970s, the United States experienced a massive wave of immigration from Latin American and Caribbean countries. The Northeastern region and Southwestern region of the United States, in particular, had a great amount of these Latino immigrants residing within their cities.

Also occurring during this time period, there was an increase in the amount of women who were enrolled in institutions of higher education. Sadly, many of these women and Latinos (and Latina women, go figure!) were met with hostility which made pursuing an education and working for that American dream all the more difficult. Kean University (back then Kean College) in Union, New Jersey was one of the first institutions of higher education with a bilingual program. In this institution, history was made. Seventeen ladies were joined by a vision aimed at empowering the Latino community and the "Universal Woman," who represents all women, not just Latinas. What started as a support group blossomed into what became the FIRST nationally recognized Latina Sorority in the United States.

That's right. You caught me. I'm a sister Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Incorporated.

Since becoming a member of the collegiate Greek community, my life has changed substantially and it has been bittersweet. There were moments of laughter and moments of tears, moments of frustration and moments of bliss. I wouldn't change any of it for the world.

With that said, allow me to introduce you to the purpose of this blog. Currently there are 108 undergraduate chapters throughout the United States. These chapters span over 22 states: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Jo, why are you giving us an lesson about your sorority? I'm not! I have a point, I promise!

The purpose behind all of this is that not too long ago, I started formulating an idea in my head. Would it be possible for one person to visit every undergraduate chapter in the country? *gasp*

Granted, not all chapters are still active. I realize I will have to do a great amount of research (which I have been). I want to begin my journey in a very "chick movie" kind of way. I'll start in May right after my graduation and hopefully manage to finish by July or August. I more or less already have somewhat of a plan mapped out in my mind. It still has a great deal of fine-tuning to be done.

From now until the end of my journey I plan to chronicle this "Latin Greek Odyssey" on this very blog site. Until May, I will document my planning procedures and my visits to the chapters within my home state of Florida and the chapters in New Jersey, which I plan to visit in December. Once the real journey has begun, I will write about the people and things I encounter and post photos and videos. I'll try to visit para stores and interview people/other Greeks I encounter about different topics ranging from the Greek experience, life/contemporary issues, or even random things.


Well here it is! My FIRST entry. Hope I've sparked your interest. Enjoy!