I have been living at ISH for less than two weeks, yet I feel very at home here already. The experience of getting to know more about the House and meeting other residents happened simultaneously with full days of orientation for my graduate school program at Georgetown. Though I met many residents in the dining hall and common areas in the early days, what stands out in my memory as my official welcome into the ISH community was my first Sunday dinner.

Every Sunday at 1pm sharp, everyone in the house comes together for a family style meal. When I came downstairs and found a seat at a table with food, plates and silverware it made me think back to meals I would have with my family growing up. As someone who has been a student, living away from home for over six years now, it is not often that I share a meal with people sitting around a table at a specified time. And it was very cool to see so many members of the ISH community together at once. While I appreciate the flexibility of eating dinner during the week at whatever time works best for us, there is something special about Sunday dinners. At my first one each of the (many) new residents stood up and introduced themselves and outgoing residents stood up and said something about their time at the House. After a moment of silence (per ISH tradition) we all sat down and began the meal, passing around dishes of delicious food.

Meal times have really been a key way for me to get to know people at ISH. I have really enjoyed sitting down amongst people I have not talked to much yet and learning about their story – where they’re from, what they’re doing here in D.C., how long they’ve been at ISH. I have found that my interest in international diplomacy and foreign service is commonly shared by many residents of the House. Though I have learned a lot about U.S. foreign service through the Rangel Fellowship program, it has been interesting to learn about public service careers in other countries. Every time I catch up with friends and family from home I tell them about the most recent interesting fact I learned at ISH, like that the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is the largest embassy in the world or that Singapore has one of the lowest crime rates in the world.

I have had the opportunity to get to know more residents outside of meal times as well. Last weekend I went with a group of ISH residents to see a Redskins (American) football game. I would have never guessed that my first time going to a NFL football game would be with a such an internationally diverse group. Though I am not a big football fan, the time to chat with residents during the journey to the stadium and the experience of watching the game together was a great time. Another memorable event was a discussion hosted at ISH featuring Benjamin Wittes, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, about the constitutional issues at stake in the investigation of the U.S. President. There is always so much going on at ISH, I look forward to meeting more people and the many fun events to come.

 

After having a great experience at ISH from 2015-2016 as I studied at Johns Hopkins SAIS, I choose ISH again as my home in DC. Even as a returning resident, I still feel excited about my life at ISH, nervous about my new roommate, and happy that I am back.

When I arrived at the door, I met with old friends that I made while I lived at ISH. At that moment, the only way to convey our feelings of surprise and joy was through ISH style hugs, which went beyond words, beyond languages and beyond culture. I said to myself “yes, I am back home.”

There is no foreign language at ISH!

At international student house DC, there are residents from all over the world, for example, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, India, the US, and how do people communicate with each other? It is true that everyone can speak fluent English as most of the residents are studying, interning or working in DC. However, at the same time, people enjoy speaking, hearing and practicing another language, such as French, Chinese, Spanish, German, etc. At ISH, there is no foreign language, no foreign culture. Every one of us is a member of the unique family and every one of us contributes to the unique culture at ISH. At dinner time, in addition to inspiring talks on international relations, we can also hear different perspectives on food culture, clothing culture and living culture. It is so much fun to hear about different customs in different countries.

For a returning resident, what more to gain from the experience?

Many people might be curious and ask me “Jiawei, you have lived here for a year and you know everything about ISH, what else can you gain from the experience?” My answer is that there is always something new at ISH. Maybe the menu of the food stays the same, but there are always new residents or returning residents coming from everywhere, new events and activities at ISH DC and new ideas about life. Hence, even for a returning resident, I find it fascinating to meet new people, get to know their stories and make new friends. If you have any question about the life at ISH DC, feel free to contact me at [email protected] and I will post the answers here on the blog.

Sunday family style supper

As soon as I found out about ISH I knew I wanted to live there. Before my four-year undergraduate experience, I lived and studied at an international boarding school in Montezuma, New Mexico called the United World College USA (UWC-USA). UWC-USA consists of a campus of 200 students from over 80 countries. The experience of living in such a diverse environment caused my worldview to be simultaneously challenged and expanded in a life-changing way. Ultimately, ISH’s similar mission of fostering cross-cultural exchanges and forming global connections is what makes me most excited to move in and become part of the community.

Aside from the diversity of nationalities and personal stories behind how ISH residents and staff ended up in Washington, I appreciate the fact that ISH students attend a variety of universities. I am curious to compare and contrast my graduate school experiences with others at ISH, each of us with a unique perspective based on our concentration, extracurricular interests and university affiliations. Personally, I decided on Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service for my graduate studies because I will be entering the U.S. Foreign Service after I graduate through the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellowship program.

Another feature about ISH that I look forward to is getting to know the neighborhood where it is situated. I have spent the past two summers living and interning in Washington D.C. but I am not too familiar with DuPont Circle area. I look forward to exploring and discovering what the neighborhood has to offer. Foggy Bottom and U Street, the areas where I’ve lived in the past, were very different environments, so I’m curious to compare and discover more of the greater DC metro area. And I couldn’t be happier about living in a city with so many Ethiopian restaurants, an aspect of my Ethiopian-American culture that I love sharing!

I committed to living at ISH several months ago, and it’s hard to believe that the seemingly distant August 15 move-in date is so close. I am very excited for what is to come now that ISH will become my home in a matter of days!

I have been travelling in different villages of Rajasthan in India since February. I was occupied with a story of a kid who was working towards his dream while struggling for all kinds of basic amenities. He kept telling me every day while I documented his story that I should not worry about my housing in Washington, DC. He had more faith in me than I had in myself. In the month of May during a hot afternoon, I was waiting for my bus to go to Jaipur City. I was trying to find a signal on my phone to make a call to my friends who were supposed to join me there. I climbed up to the roof of the bus and the very next moment, I got an email. It was from ISH-DC and I could feel my heart rate racing as the mail was taking too much time to load due to the slow speed of the internet. These kinds of emails are not necessary to be fully read because two words are enough and they are either ‘congratulations’ or I ‘regret’ to inform. Luckily, for me it was “congratulations”.

I missed that bus as I wanted to take my own time to get back to the reality that I have made it to International Student House. I really wanted to stay at ISH-DC ever since I was admitted to GW Law and I had gathered various positive reviews from my seniors from India about it. I am the kind of person who prefers living within a community rather than renting a separate apartment and ISH-DC was a perfect stay for me. Since my childhood, I travelled to different places around India as my father had a transferable job.  It helped me settle in quickly among a diverse group of people coming from different regions and cultures. I am already excited and looking forward to meeting other housemates who will be from different parts of the world. In addition, I also felt safer about going to DC once I got the acceptance from ISH-DC as it gave me that sense of security of living with a community without worrying about anything.

I am already reading and doing research about Washington, DC to prepare myself in advance so that I don’t miss out on anything. I have been fascinated by the information on Capital Bikeshare, Free Museums, DC’s Green Side and the walk on pedestrian.  Washington is known as a pedestrian’s dream, and walking by far will be the best way to see the city for me. I will look forward to exploring the city with friends from both ISH and GW Law.

The past few months have passed by so quickly that now I’m left with only two weeks before I land in Washington DC. It’s a mixed feeling where I am both excited and nervous to leave India and move to a distant country. I am avoiding these thoughts by having dinner and movie plans with friends and relatives almost every day. These goodbyes would have been incomplete if I wouldn’t have had dinner with my friends and well wishers from law school one last time. Hence, I travelled all the way from Delhi to Bangalore to meet them and share the happiness before I leave for Washington, DC.

Goodbye meal with my friends in Bangalore

This will be the first time that I will be missing all the festivities of India for a year. Due to the same, I am looking forward to celebrating festivities in DC especially Diwali and Christmas. I also look forward to catching up movies with housemates every Thursday and other days, in cinemas, in the city and meeting guests from different embassies at the House.

During this one year, I want to keep writing about my experiences and capturing them in still and moving images to embrace these memories for a long time/forever. I am hoping and looking forward to meet you all at International Student House.

My time in Washington has come to an end, and so has my nine-month stay at ISH. I remember when I first walked through the doors of this House and feeling as though I had entered into a historic building filled with secrets and stories.

As I reflect on my past year in the District, I would like to leave a few thoughts for future residents of ISH:

Get to know your house mates

 You will be sharing this building with over 90 students from all over the world, and from all walks of life. Get to know your house mates – you will learn from them and they will learn from you. Having built close relationships with several students at the house, I know much more than I have before about Rwanda, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Nigeria, Japan, the Netherlands, Sudan, South Sudan, and different cities in the United States. I have also made some friendships that I know will last for a long time.

Attending a march in downtown Washington with fellow residents

Take advantage of what ISH has to offer

You will have ample opportunities to meet foreign dignitaries, attend cultural events, experience music performances, and engage in global discussions. Don’t miss out! Over the past year, thanks to ISH, I met with current and retired diplomats who visited us several times at the house and engaged us in lively talks and dinners. I was privileged to hear the music of a talented young violinist at the Israeli embassy, and attend an incredible Mozart concert at the Kennedy Center. I was also lucky enough to have access to cultural tours, interview opportunities, and dialogue events at the house.

Posing in the Great Hall after a concert by the Russian Chamber Art Society

Immerse yourself in the unique offerings of Washington

As a resident of ISH, you will be living within walking distance of the world’s foremost think tanks, the World Bank, the White House, and countless national and global institutions. There are weekly, if not daily, events that are held at these centers, and I urge you to take some time to add a few to your calendar. Even on a busy school or work day, it is worth checking out a discussion on topics that interest you – it will widen your perspective and leave you with thoughts to ponder.

And don’t forget about the arts! You are also surrounded by world-class museums, exhibits, concerts, and art galleries. They are essential to the Washingtonian experience, and they make for a great socializing activity with your house mates and friends.

Roommates smiling for the camera

When in doubt, take a breath, and focus on the present

 This city is filled with ambitious high-achieving professionals who work hard and have big dreams. While inspiring and motivating, this environment at times could be stress-inducing. I found that when the going got tough in grad school and my internship over the past year, a good walk and fresh air were immeasurably helpful in calming my nerves. Rock Creek Park, Georgetown Waterfront, and Lincoln Memorial were my personal zones of ‘de-compression’. I also enjoyed exploring coffee shops and restaurants around town – this city is meant for gourmands!

Alas, this will be my last blog post as a resident of ISH. I am grateful beyond words to the staff of this house for making this a comfortable and special home for me. I will also miss my roommate, Spencer, immensely – as well as a number of lovely faces that I have grown accustomed to having breakfast and dinner with every day for the past nine months. Thank you, ISH, for being a wonderful home. I look forward to visiting next time I find myself in Washington, and I especially look forward to connecting with the friends I made in different parts of the world.