Ahh, stories…

It is 5:15am on Sunday, March 14, 2010.  Happy Pi Day, everyone.

A lot of what I love about being an alumnus is that people seem intrigued by the stories I have from our chapter in the old days.  I’ll talk about playing bullshit poker with my big bro and getting a welt on my arm.  I’ll talk about “Uncle” Dinh and the various things that I will never forget about him…ever.  I’ll talk about the epic Mayen Sneak, how Tri pushed a car, and how Romie got hit by one.  I’ll talk about pledge retreat and how we were cold and hungry and ended up washing out our cups to pass to the next person.  (I know, talk about brotherly bonding.)

But, something I don’t think I talk about often enough is my experience as Service VP.  Honestly, very few people know about exactly what my amazing partner, Vanessa, and I went through during that term, and that’s the way we kept it.

Hands down, it was the most difficult thing I had to go through, and not for obvious reasons.  For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, don’t worry about it.  It’s not important anymore.

However, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through in my life.  Imagine being charged with the most responsibilities and the hardest job in the chapter.  Then, imagine shooting yourself in both feet and one hand.  That’s kind of what it was like.

But, I learned a lot about myself.  I learned what my capabilities are.  I learned who my friends were.  I learned how to make sure I was always doing the right thing for the right reason.

Here’s the clincher: despite everything that had happened, I would do it all over again if I could.

That’s what I admired about APhiO.  I could go through Hell for this chapter, but still have the strength and the dedication to go through it all over again.  APhiO encouraged me to always do 110%, not because it wanted me to, but simply because I could.

And I know that every time someone tells me that I’ve inspired them or listens (and I mean really listens) to what I have to say, everything was worth it.

[Post by: Rachel Loh]