The treasures of ISH-DC are plenty. First, it’s people. Second, the mission we embody as a community- the list goes on. But one of ISH’s greatest treasures goes unsung. Borrowing a quote of Sidney Sheldon here, I say this treasure “store[s] the energy that fuels the imagination [and opens] up the windows to the word, [inspiring] us to explore and achieve, and contribute …”. It is ISH-DC’s library, that I am referring to.

Our collection of books speaks volumes. Just a glance at its titles surprises me, had me burst out in laughter, is fascinating and made me sit in awe. Not because books have a way of doing that, but because this collection tells the story of ISH residents. Hundreds of students from around the world have shaped it.  So, these books tell what kind of people lived here and what they were concerned with at the time.

In that cozy room with stained-glass windows and bookshelves from floor to ceiling, you can read in seven languages* and travel the world from Ireland to India. Guides on Southeast Asia, DC weekend getaways, or New York City are just the surface. We can travel to Japan, Kenya and Tanzania, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Finland, Germany’s past, A day in the Life of Ancient Rome and Spain’s wineries all within our library’s novels, textbooks and guides.

A 1994 collection of plays by African American Women “Moon marked and touched by the sun” sits close to Roosevelt’s America and Harry Ashmore’s Civil Rights and Wrongs. There are The Great Women of India and the Dinner Club on America’s internet pioneers.

When contemporary turbulence of American Politics get too confusing, we may find clarity in Rivals for power: presidential- congressional relations and similar books available here. For those who have an interest in journalism, Katherine Graham’s Biography may be an equally exciting discovery as Edwin Diamond’s 1994 account of Inside the New York Times. Similarly, conflict resolution and International Relations majors may delight in the numerous books on China’s rise, on conflict resolution, and environmental governance. A student of economics may be relieved, one late night, to find Macroeconomics textbooks on the shelves as well. To escape academia for a moment, there are wonderful novels, guides for career development, management classics, and artist memoirs, as well. From Art, to History to Culture to Law and Politics even through to Medicine- this library has something for everyone.

What joy when I- a secret student of law- discovered Germany’s Constitutional Law and the Philosophy of the Oxidant on the shelves! These are just a few of my happy discoveries. My favorite read for this weekend is Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion.

The beauty of a library varies by visitor. I may overlook, in my excitement over an Albright biography, a great medical dictionary of the 1900s. But one beauty is visible to all:

Like a mysterious carpet, the collection showcases what ISH residents were studying. We each arrive with our own course books, and contemporary favorites – and we leave some at the library. To know that every book here tells the story of a resident or friend of ISH is fascinating. Sometimes, you may even find a note or a little review on the pages! There is captivating diversity, and astonishing common threads over all these years. Taken together, the collection speaks:

Here live explorers of the world, who are fascinated by humanity and its history, by the politics of building a good life and by the lessons we can draw for that from history.

Every day, I pass through and cannot help but gaze at the titles. Ah, Pico Iyer’s The Global Soul! and a novel titled: Somewhere save with someone good. What could be more fitting for our time, what may make a more comforting reading companion?

Oh, the energy that fuels inspiration. Oh this library, enriching our lives!

*probably many more! This is just a quick count. I found books in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Italian, French, German, and English.

On behalf of all ISH-DC residents- yesterday’s, today’s and tomorrow’s, I would like to thank all donors to ISH and its library for preserving, nurturing and expanding this beautiful book collection, reading room and library.

Like many of us, I’ve taken a tour de force through my calendar to review 2016. The many highlights of diplomat visits and social events ISH added to my year, truly show how this place is so much more than other residences.

Just two weeks after my arrival, ISH hosted the Global Leadership Awards Dinner, an amazing event with ISH residents, Members of Congress, and the diplomatic community meeting at the residence to honor outstanding contributors to international understanding. This year, Senator Ed Markey was recognized for his work on congressional leadership, together with Congressmen Ed Royce and Eliot Engel for their Leadership in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. As an international student, attending this event was a wonderful opportunity to get a first glimpse at political Washington. As part of the event, I was honored to personally meet diplomatic representatives from Georgia and the Netherlands, as well as our German Ambassador Peter Wittig and his wife Huberta von Voss-Wittig. What an exciting start to my stay at ISH!

This political highlight of the year is only the pinnacle of the many opportunities the ISH staff and residents arrange. As a student of international affairs, two events stand out for me as absolute highlights this semester: a visit to Gallup’s DC HQ with a fascinating talk on their World Poll, and two of the many ambassadorial and political visits to ISH: one by Assistant Secretary Kolker from the Department of Health and Human Services and another, recently, by Jonathan Cohen, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia with Young Professionals in Foreign Policy.

Students, researchers and political interns- many of us are here to learn about both US policy making and the inner workings of international affairs. So, as scholars of public international affairs with leadership ambitions, it is through these visits that we closely engage with policy debates and policy, making in a unique setting. I am grateful to the Board, ISH supporters and partners like Young Professionals in Foreign Policy for enabling these opportunities.

At ISH we understand that international exchange is multidimensional: community life therefore encompasses political exploration and debate, as well as many cultural events. In partnering with the Embassy Series, we had the pleasure of hearing pianists Laylo Rikhsieva and Christopher Schmitt bring us the joys of Chopin, Mozart for concert evenings in the great hall.  In the cultural realm, too many of us are eager to learn about American culture and history. Hence, the generous offer for a tour of the Fords Theatre was received with much delight among many residents, and so where tickets to concerts of the Choral Arts Society in DC. I speak for many of my friends here at ISH when I say that attending these cultural events offer opportunities we would not have otherwise.

Last but not least: What defines life at ISH is the many smaller events we organize as residents to learn about each other. This semester, they ranged from an Italian reception with great wine and food to a much-loved Latin dance party to a discussion on political turmoil in Brazil or on the American electoral system.  The value of these exchanges is immense: Not only do we learn about each-others’ home countries, we get an opportunity to discuss intimately many remaining questions, misunderstandings or ideas to innovate for a better world.

A close-knit, open-minded, creative community, buzzing with ideas and curiosity is what I’ve found in my first semester at ISH. How blessed I am to be staying here for another one!

Have you noticed? It really is December and  the holidays  are in full swing! Soon, it will be Christmas Day. Here at ISH, signs of the season are now all around. For some, December 1 rang the bell for that final season of “all-nighters”- exams are around the corner. For others, it’s the season for cider and ice skating, for Christmas Carols.

For many of us, it’s truly a mix of both.

Personally, the first of the season came and passed almost unnoticed, as final papers really seized the monopoly on my attention. But luckily, the team of ISH makes sure the Christmas Joy is sizable in the House! Piece by piece, seasonal spirit has appeared: First, there was fir green in our lobby, then above our entrance door, now fairy lights in the garden- we even have a Christmas bell above our door. What can I say? It’s classy and beautiful. Above all, no matter what we’re up to- be it exams, the end of year rush at internships or a much-loved trip to the Messiah concert, ISH decorations bring a smile to our faces.

Some evenings, one of our residents plays the piano in the great hall- and marvelously, too.                With the Hall all lit up by fairy lights, a Christmas tree standing by (soon to be decorated) you easily find yourself stopping on that downstairs run for coffee to take in that beautiful holiday atmosphere.

Soon we’ll be having our Christmas party, including tree decorations and a Secret Santa gift exchange.  Oh, and just wait till exams are over.  Ten days from now, celebration will be in order. And my roommate Meg and I have already decided: We’ll be sharing the joy with Christmas carols all day long! So, beautifully, Christmas is coming to ISH.

 

T’is the season. With it comes, inevitably, a string of farewells, making it bitter sweet. Many beloved roommates and partners in crime for games of pool, heated debate, shopping trips and study parties will be leaving the house before Christmas. What can we say? It’s been a blast, this year. No matter if we spent two months or six, or even 12 together- great friendships have been built, oh priceless moments shared!

No matter where we go off to in the world, our time at ISH-DC will always connect us. Reunions and visits are already being planned.

To those who are leaving: Be blessed, take care! And until we meet again: Here’s to friendships’ beautiful beginnings at ISH.

Particularly around meal time at ISH, you could travel around the world by going around the room to talk to housemates.

Enter our dining room around 7 pm and pick any table to find yourself sitting with fellows from Germany, Brazil, Malaysia, India and Russia. Or maybe you pick another, with fellows from Canada, Sweden, Thailand or South Sudan.

As you sit down, you’re first of all with a group of friends. Most of us here at ISH quickly come to live as that (see my last blog post).  ‘How was your day?’, or ‘Did you figure out that essay you were writing?’, and so we exchange how we’re doing and like at many other tables, we talk about the news, the latest Washington Buzz…

And then, amazing me every time, you find yourself, as I’ve found, in a lively debate, concerned reflection, a humorous clash on topics bigger than that:

What makes a good policy maker? How can we engage more people in democracy? Has ‘the West’ got it all wrong on this idea that our political model of democracy, justice and human rights is a good measure for all?

Just in the first few weeks, I’ve had challenging conversations with Jonathan, who has now become a cherished friend, on the outside-view of Western democracy, on what these ideas can mean to people in Africa- and how we may need to rethink our talk about them. Together, we’ve explored what democracy means to us and how Western ideas may have lost credibility around the world.

Similarly, my friend Melissa and I have enjoyed exploring what it is that makes the #blacklivesmatter debate in America so heated, why patriotism and discrimination are still at the center of clashes here and just how people could come together through empathy to appease the debate.

We found this issue so important that we kept coming back to it for days as we met around the house: coming home from school, doing household chores or sharing dinner.  Our conversations went long into the night, but it meant so much that a lack of sleep was well worth it!

This Monday night, Patrick, who’s Hungarian, and me (from Germany) explored the differences in people’s views on the EU’s refugee challenge. How eye-opening it was to really appreciate where we disagree. Our chat will continue in search for common ground.

These conversations were not academic, but shared, compassionate explorations of what people around the world are concerned with.

When I enter the dining hall, I can be certain to leave with some inspiring thought from my ISH house-mates. When I leave, it’s with a better understanding of our world’s diversity. And this continues: in the great hall, on the stairway, in our TV room. At any point in time. this house is abuzz with conversations.

Now, what if you just want to joke around or watch a comedy? There’s plenty of that too! What if, at breakfast, you seek the quiet company of just a coffee or need some last-minute cramming? We can all relate- and will leave you alone as you wish.

The point is: If you are wondering about some issue in the world, history, journalism, the state of American democracy in this election, or say … the cultural significance of Star Wars ….

Whatever it is, rest assured: You’ll find partners in crime for meaningful, beautiful conversation here at ISH.

I recently flew across the ocean to live in a country I had never lived in before.

At 24, the days of dorm life are long gone, but still I opted to live at the International Student House.

Not because I just wanted to “live with international residents”,

not because of its stunning location, or beautiful architecture … – Okay wait, that was part of it.

But mainly, I chose ISH to find an intellectually stimulating environment. To join a group as diverse as our world, strongly tied together by dedication to public service, by a desire to understand.

Here’s how I discovered just that:

Upon arrival, ISH can feel a bit overwhelming. Everyone is wonderfully kind, but also incredibly busy. With 98 people on different schedules, learning everybody’s name is hard. Many come and go, with some staying for a few weeks, others for two years. Thus, initially, you may find you’re having breakfast with different “strangers” every day.

But that’s just the first few days.

Then, when you embrace the ISH community, it’s beauty unfolds:

Ninety eight strangers we may be at the beginning, but each of us just curious to get to know the other.  And ready to give a hand or advice.  If you are open to it, you always find a genuinely interested – and interesting (!) person at the dinner table.

My wonderful go-to person for the first few days was Arthur. He had greeted me at the front desk, when I first arrived, and he’s always ready to help.

Settling in at the house, wine, cheese and crackers on the first shared Girls’ night kicked off what is now our “Third Floor Family”:

Sleepily greeting each other in the morning, or rushing to breakfast together, Carlijn, Melissa, Mimount, Lyn, Fátima, Noon, Emily, Meg and I head off to work or study. When I return to bed at night, it’s often with the brightest smile. Because after a long day, these wonderful characters, their humor, and our shared passion for a late-night chat in the hall just make me happy.

My roommate Meg and I keep joking about how we hit the jackpot, getting to live with each other: An Indian girl and a German girl, so different in their background, so close in sharing bewilderment of culture shock (sorry, dear America)! Here we are, so similar in our passion for music, and much more. It’s just a joy to come home to someone who will happily join in an evening song and a good laugh.

These are my friendships at ISH. Professionally, all of us center around public affairs. On any day, you may find a development studies major, a world bank consultant and a lawyer at the same table. And off goes a discussion on current challenges at their fields’ intersection. Or they may discuss last night’s debate at Brookings (just 3 blocks away!).

So are we just policy nerds? Far from it! You can find us partying in a salsa club, joining for a soccer game or having a horror-movie night.  (Though there’s often a shared cramming session afterward).  So we’re pretty normal people. We even struggle with what all flat-mates struggle with: “Who’s occupying so much fridge space?” How can we manage the “Saturday laundry rush?”, and “Has anyone seen my blow-dryer?”

Eventually, all of this falls into place. At the latest, over our weekly Sunday dinner.
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As we leave in the morning, we find a quote on the whiteboard, sharing a kind thought for the day. When we get home, there’s always a friendly housemate at the reception to welcome us.

We enjoy sharing not just our meals, but our lives:

When our Jewish residents celebrate Rosh Hashanah, we share the celebration and learn about it. When Oktoberfest rolls around, there’s our own [German residents] Bier und Brez’n feast.

These little big things make ISH a home.

So this house is what we make of it; and day by day, we make it wonderful:

A caring community. A lively think tank on the world.

Coming up: Be a fly on the wall in the dining hall!