International Student House Washington DC

Providing an Enriching Experience for Student Residents

Rayza Oblitas

About Rayza Oblitas

Country: Peru
Johns Hopkins University, SAIS

Rayza was born and raised in Lima, Peru. She earned a bachelor degree in Economics from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. After graduation, she worked in the public sector and international development agencies such as the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Her interest includes governance, development projects, and anticorruption policies. Currently, she is working towards her M.A. in International Development and Latin American Studies at Johns Hopkins University SAIS. With a strong passion for building better opportunities for Latin-Americans, Rayza plans to utilize her experience at SAIS to pursue a career in international development. During her spare time, Rayza enjoys traveling, reading, hiking, and dancing.

Back in DC = Back at ISH!

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This will be my third time living at ISH-DC, and I could not be more excited. My previous two stays at the house were while I was interning and later working at the IDB. This time I will experience DC and ISH differently since now I come as a student.

Living at ISH has been a fantastic experience - that is why when choosing a place to stay in DC without a doubt, I chose ISH.

What is great about living at the International Student House? Well, this all comes from my personal experience, but I believe every past resident will agree with one or more of these reasons:

A diverse community
Have you ever wondered what is currently happening in the Democratic Republic of the Congo? What do people in Japan do for fun? Where can you try a delicious Mexican dinner in DC? Of course, you can google all these questions or just ask Siri and Alexa. But it might be quite more interesting to find out from real people.

Living at ISH, you will have the chance to meet people literally from all over the world. During my last two stays, I have met people from Russia, Spain, Rwanda, Argentina, Mongolia, India, Japan, Mexico, China, Finland, France, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and I can go on but this post will be way too long.

It is not just about meeting them, but also an incredible opportunity to exchange your experiences, traditions, and world views with people that come from different places and have diverse backgrounds.

A lot of activities
There is always something going on at ISH. Maybe there is an event in the Great Hall, a fun cultural night, or a farewell party for a friend - yeah people leave at some point - that is the hard part.

Anyway, you can always find something to do at ISH and someone that will be more than happy to join you.

Here are some pictures from last year.

Latin Night
Peruvian Dinner
Christmas Night Out in DC
Afghan Dinner
Winter at the Lincoln Memorial
Hanging Out with Satomi

Long-lasting friendships 
I cannot close my first post without mentioning the amazing people I have met at ISH, some of them have become really close friends that I now treasure for life. To all of them reading this, I just want to say thank you for your friendship. 

The cool thing about having friends from around the world is that you can visit them. This is me and Xime in Mexico. Japan will be next … and more trips are coming.

Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City, Mexico

International Student House of Washington, DC | 1825 R Street, NW | Washington, DC 20009

International Student House of Washington, DC is a private, non-profit 501(c)3 organization located near Dupont Circle in the heart of Washington, DC. Donations will help support our mission to provide an exceptional residential experience to a highly diverse international community of graduate students, interns and visiting scholars. The House promotes inter-cultural dialogue, encourages life-long connections, and fosters global citizenship.