Hello my dear friends who lately are becoming more and more like a family. This month I decided to write about something which I thought might be practical and useful. I will talk about some of the outdoor activities that I have a lot of fun doing and fits very well with Spring. So here we go…

Once a wise friend told  me that one of the best ways to increase your self -esteem as a young person is to go a bit extreme in what you normally do in your daily routine; but before drinking 17 cups of coffee per day, let me finish! This should be an activity that requires you to be outdoors and a lot of energy. So go ahead and run 10 miles at once, play volleyball, basketball etc… for four hours. I know, sounds bit crazy, but apparently it works and your 50 year old self will be grateful that you have done this when you had a chance. Here are some hidden beauties where you can do that.

National Mall: A place where you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of cherry blossoms and Make a power play and start a game of Frisbee on the National Mall or a game of volleyball at one of the pits at Potomac Park.

C&O Canal Twopath: It’s funny how close it is to home yet very few people are actually aware of its existence. But this beautiful canal path offers more than a  Sunday walk, but an mesmerizing journey to 18^th century. So grab your hiking boots to trek your way down the C&O Canal Towpath, which traces the Potomac from Georgetown to Cumberland, Md.

Good Old ‘Rock Creek’ Park:  Do you know that we are living near by one of the most well preserved city parks in the whole world? Rock Creek park is an escape route for Washingtonians in any hour of the day because of its location. There are more than 5 walking and running routes that are waiting for curious city explorers. Watch out for the Sunday crowd at the ‘Rock Creek Road’ though!

Another place within Rock Creek park is Montrose park, located between Dumbarton Oaks Park and Rock Creek Park (R Street NW, between 28th and 32nd Streets). Make sure to stroll along Lovers’ Lane – a beautiful 18th-century cobblestone path.

 National Arboretum: Another lesser known DC beauty, National Arboretum is shockingly beautiful during spring with a boom of blossoms. While you’re there, take in the beautiful colors and see the pillars from the original U.S. Capitol, which was burned during the War of 1812.

Spring is the princess of all seasons and promises a fresh beginning. There is no other season where nature and the whole world is celebrating the undeniable lightness of being alive and well. Maybe it’s today for you to close the screen and open your door, get outside and take your part of that beauty that is reserved for you by the nature itself. Happy beginnings!

ISHn’t Life Sweet? Top 10 Favorite ISH Moments  

Recently, I’ve been having moments where I just pause and think, “Wow. Life is good.” Nine times out of ten, I have those moments when I’m around my friends from ISH. I truly could not be happier to live with these people and in this House, especially at this time in my life. This past weekend we hosted ISH’s (second annual) Talent Show and had an evening full of performances, laughter, and general merriment. After the show, we hung out for a bit in the TV Room—just chatting, playing guitar and singing. The best kind of night.

I looked around the room at everyone singing “Let It Be” by the Beatles and felt what I can only describe as saudade. It’s a word in Portuguese that claims no direct translation in English. It means feeling so incredibly happy in one singular moment and then at the exact same time, feeling so horrible knowing that you will only experience that exact moment once in your life. There will never be another place and time when I will be 23, listening to this specific group of people singing “Let It Be” on a Saturday night at ISH. As far as feelings go, it’s actually quite beautiful. It’s a simple feeling of intense appreciation for how limited and precious our time is, especially the time we share with each other. *Cue the Graduation song by Vitamin C.*

I know that when I leave the House and look back on this time in my life, I’m going to remember nights like that one.  Knowing full and well that I will have many more moments of saudade in my life, I hope that instead of feeling sad that my life in ISH is over, I’m able to smile when I think back to this time in my life, the memories, the people I met, and this blog post!

1. Sunday Volleyball.

2. Not So Secret Truth or Dare.

3. Work From Home Wednesdays.

4. Pirates on the Potomac.

5. Right Side Flank.

6. The Day We Discovered Pisco Sours.

7. The time we stood in line for 55 minutes for a Belgian beer and waffle. (And it was so worth it.)

8. “Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms everywhere!”

9. Gyals Night (Escalate)

10. ISH Goes Global.

And that’s a wrap! To all of my friends out there featured in this post, I hope this made you smile!

The night of February 5 at ISH was covered with many shades of red. That night I had a chicken dish in neon-orange color; that night was another perk of being at ISH: being exposed to a culture the most fun way possible from first hand, and most of the time, from your friends.

I will talk about the things that we did the whole evening shortly, but first I want to give a background of Chinese New Year (and how different it is from western style New Year celebrations). Chinese New Year is celebrated at the end of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, and the literal translation from the Chinese is ‘spring festival’. Although, during those days DC encountered one of the worst snowstorms of the year, maybe things are different on the other side of the world; no spring was here, not yet.  It is a major holiday in China and for its neighbors. Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mauritius, and the Philippines are countries that celebrate the New Year. Traditionally, the festival lasts for 15 days, but today, celebrations are usually concentrated in the first three days. Chinese people believe that a good start to the year within those three days will lead to a lucky year. Sounds familiar, any new year resolutions included?

I have already given you a hint about the delicious dinner, special for the new year.  The dining hall was decorated with flags of different animals from different years. However, laughter and beautiful music was calling from the upper floor. I was very surprised for the variety of events that our fellow Asian residents had prepared for us. Of course, the first stop was the beverages, and the Chinese beer which I grabbed was slightly stronger and bitter than US beer. Next stop was the ‘write your name (but please without making a mess!) in Chinese with Ink’ workshop.

I want to express my sincere thanks to Maggie for not turning me down when I asked her to write names for more than a few people.

Another tasty beverage, Tea, the greatest present of China to the rest of the world, was also served by our beautiful residents, who were in their national clothes. I can still taste the smoothly prepared Oolong tea made by Jessie (I may or may not have drunk more than 6 of those tiny shot glasses.)

It was a great night and surely has its place as one of the greatest memories at ISH. I want to convey my sincere thanks to everyone who gave time and energy for the night. 你太棒了!  非常感谢你! Have a great Spring, everyone!

“You can’t do it”, “in your dreams”, “too difficult for you”, “we don’t think you’ll succeed” –  I can keep going on with all the pessimist sentences I have been hearing throughout my life.

Unfortunately, we always have to struggle with proving ourselves to our environment, our colleagues, bosses, friends and family. From the moment you go to school you are thrown into this battle, this competition with the others. Even though we all say that we do not study to get better grades than others, we are almost forced to compete. A better University, more experience or knowledge in the particular work field, a variety of languages we try to learn. It is always us, proving ourselves to others and while we are on this high speed track; do we really stop from time to time and evaluate what we want? What we think we are capable of?

Today, I can say that I have completed my Bachelor in Law and that I am currently finishing my Masters in International Law, that I have been working at the Ministry for several years, that I have been traveling, interning at the Dutch Embassy, learning new languages such as Arabic this year, became the Resident Manager at ISH, started to work as a Dean’s Fellow and a member of the board at the University,  became a new member of a Turkish Dance Crew with a performance soon at the Verizon Center, started to work as a volunteer for Syrian refugees by translating Turkish documents, and if there is time left between readings and the work out, quality time with friends and family. Why am I telling this? Definitely not to show off, rather trying to let all of us sit down for a minute and think of what we have accomplished so far and if we would go back in time, would we even imagine where we are right now?

We have traveled miles to be here with a goal which is unique in its own way for every one of us. We are here because we have been listening to that little voice within, we had the courage to follow and be “different” than our local friends who might not understand our journey. We are here because we believe in ourselves. We believe that we can accomplish certain short and long term goals we have in our minds.

Success is such a broad word; who defines success and what does that actually mean for us in our personal lives? Success for one can mean a family, for others a career, or both; maybe earning a lot and traveling around the world, maybe making the world a better place. In my world, success comes to the point where you look in the mirror and can be proud of yourself. In the rush from going to school to work to additional classes in an institution to an internship at an NGO, we do sometimes forget to stop and look back.

The other day I was watching a speech of President Obama where he was talking to the interns of the White House where he said the following: ”Worry less about what you want to be, and think more about what you want to do,”  and I think that is where you find your own success. Believe in yourself and think about what you want to do, to reach for your own success.

As children we are taught to avoid and fear strangers. We are indoctrinated with a philosophy of “stranger danger”. We have learned to keep safe distances from those who display visual signs of abnormal behavior or expressions of perceived aggression. Over time these ideologies that were initially intended to protect and shield us from truly dangerous situations also create an intolerance that isolates and discriminates against those deemed to be too different. Those who possess personalities and experiences foreign to that of our own personal understanding. Those whose very existence causes us to examine new concepts of love, ability, gender, family, race, class, equality, justice and freedom.

As a resident of the International Student House I am introduced to strangers at least twice a month. These people eventually become beloved housemates. Our daily interactions serve as catalysts for in depth connections and the creation of an eclectic yet endlessly compassionate community. Getting to know strangers is a habitual practice during meals and chance encounters while spending time in communal spaces such as the Great Hall, garden or the game room. In a place where all residents are away from home, strangers at ISH swiftly become like family and friendships are quickly cultivated and deeply cherished.

Befriending strangers has been my secret to surviving and thriving in new places/spaces. When I studied abroad in South Africa, Uganda and Rwanda I relied on the kindness of other students to assist me with overcoming challenges associated with my visual impairment. These students were strangers at the beginning of the programs but had transformed into lifelong friends at the conclusion of each course. I rely on strangers each day when using car services to get to and from work, meetings and appointments. Strangers often offer to assist me with directions, reading written menus/signs and a myriad of other visual tasks. In short, I have come to trust in the kindness of strangers. This in no way means that I am not cautious or constantly aware of my surroundings and the people in it. It does however mean that I am unwilling to cease being active and engaged with people I don’t know. To the contrary, it ignites an eagerness within me to learn more about new people from new places who are capable of teaching me new life principles.

Interested in learning how we treat strangers at ISH? This is a roughly universal method of interacting with strangers at ISH:

Hello….

What’s your name?

Where are you from?

What are you doing in DC? School? Internship? Work?

Oh that’s cool….

Conversation continues, similar experiences are discovered, connections are made, friendships are found and community is strengthened.