International Student House Washington DC

Providing an Enriching Experience for Student Residents

Walking in a Washington Winter Wonderland

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Studying in the US presents an interesting conundrum: do you stay inside and finish the paper that’s due in only a few days, or do you locate your scarf and gloves and venture outside in search of winter Christmas magic?

Christmas in Australia means a barbeque on the beach. In America, it’s the winter wonderland that Michael Bublé sings about. Sadly still no snow just yet, but when the sun sets early, the lights come on, the warm drinks come out and the Christmas music abounds.

Despite having to study right up until I got on the plane for my little Christmas break in Colorado, I made sure to soak in as much of the DC Christmas spirit as possible. These were a few highlights:

1. Georgetown GLOW: Georgetown encourages DC residents to brave the chilly nights by setting up a number of light installations. You can see all of them within a quick walk around the neighbourhood before you hide from the cold in a bar with a warm cider. Below are two of the Georgetown GLOW installations.

2. Christmas trees out and about: DC is sprinkled with Christmas trees. Of course, there are the famous ones: the National Tree at the White House and the tree at the Capitol building. However, there are others to be spotted too: for example, the red and white tree at the Canadian Embassy or the tree Georgetown put up in the library (presumably to lift the spirits of stressed students). I even attended the lighting of the Christmas tree at City Center! Below are the trees at the Canadian Embassy; the Capitol; and at City Center.

3. Christmas carols at the Kennedy Center: Thanks to a generous ISH friend, there were a number of free tickets provided to Christmas with Choral Arts, a DC choir that put on a program of a number of Christmas carols. Nothing quite gets you in the spirit like being encouraged to sing a long with an auditorium full of your fellow concert-goers.

4. ISH decorations: Of course, there was nothing quite as special as the ISH Christmas decorations. I spent as much time as I could in the Great Hall, soaking up twinkling fairy lights and garlands. We even took a moment to take some ISH family photos, to commemorate those who had been with us for the semester.

Some of the ISH Fall Semester family

I am now on my little Christmas break but I cannot wait to come back in January. From all of us at ISH, happy holidays!

A Year at ISH in Review

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A huge Christmas tree is still up in the Great Hall, there are still Christmas wreathes everywhere, and the entryway of ISH is still draped with Christmas lights. We’re almost at the end of those drowsy days between Christmas and the New Year, a time for quiet self-reflection and contemplation. This pensiveness, I believe, is about 65% due to the proliferation of year-round-up listicles in all forms of media. Jumping on this bandwagon, I’ve rounded some of my favorite moments at ISH. The Halloween Party  This was the first time I dressed up for Halloween! My costume was a last minute cobbled together attempt at something resembling a unicorn, but my housemates had far more elaborate interpretations. My favorites included a pretty convincing Bob Ross, a very ingenious Don Lockwood from Singin’ in the Rain, and a wonderfully creative interpretation of “When Life Gives You Lemons”. (Katie wore a name tag that said “Life”, and actually gave out lemons from a basket that she carried around).  All around just a fun night with friends. Anytime the kitchen serves meatballs. Or lasagna. Or double chocolate chip cookies. I haven’t written much about food, but it was definitely one of the things I worried about going in. If you’ve never visited ISH before, we have a dining hall where we eat our meals. For dinner, there are usually a variety of hot options, some form of dessert (cakes, cookies, or puddings), and a salad bar. (We also have Fish Fridays and Meatless Mondays, for different reasons, but that’s a whole other article.) It’s always nice not to have to worry about cooking dinner after a whole day at work, but I like meatballs and lasagna because they’re very reliable options. Quiz time at Africa Night  I might have written about this before, but the Africa Night organizing committee went high tech and created an interactive quiz for us to test our knowledge about Africa, that we could access on our phones. Specifically, I remember when, in a moment of utter stupidity, I got the capital of South Africa wrong. Because my friend Tebogo (who is from South Africa) scoffed very loudly from second-hand embarrassment and said that we couldn’t be friends anymore. (South Africa actually has three capitals, Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town. I had managed to pick the only wrong answer). She was joking, and we are still friends. I like to think about that moment because I think learned a lot about that night. The second snow day of 2019  Before I moved into ISH I actually spent a short time living in an apartment nearby. It was fine, but I always hated it when the office closed because I’d be stuck at home with nothing to do. Snow days at ISH were different- and there were many, as I was surprised to find, because DC shuts down with the slightest snow fall. The second snow day of the year was actually my favorite, because most of us found out before hand that we wouldn’t have work/ school the next day. What followed was a very late night playing Pictionary, charades, and even with some play dough that we found around the house. The next day some of us studied together in the Great Hall, interspersed with short breaks to venture outside for lunch and snowball fights. We ended the night with a jam session in the hall. A boring, ordinary snow day, doing fairly normal things, but somehow my mind goes back to that day a lot. And these are all just moments that happened in ISH. I have many other amazing memories that happened because of ISH. This includes meeting all the people I met through other ISH residents that I otherwise would never have met otherwise. (Shout out here to the very friendly students of the Asan Academy.) Here’s to another exciting year!

A Fruitful Fall at ISH

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Fall has officially arrived in DC- cue the streets lined with fallen leaves, an abundance of pumpkin-spice-everything in all the stores, and the words “crisp”, “autumn”, and “cozy” being liberally tossed into all text and marketing. This is also my favorite season for exploring DC, because it’s cool enough to walk around without sweating, but warm enough so you aren’t constantly shivering.

In order to take advantage of the fall foliage, a few ISH residents bundled into an Uber XL to make our way to the National Arboretum. We arrived first at the very extensive bonsai collection, which was divided into regions of origins of the plants. My favorites were the whimsical show ones- there was a tree that had been trained into the shape of a trumpet. A couple of people also enjoyed listening to a guide explaining about the history of one of the trees.

After whittling half of the afternoon away amidst the bonsai collection, we saw the National Capitol Columns. An interesting fun fact- the National Capitol Columns are so named because they were part of the former United States Capitol, and were only moved to the National Arboretum in the 1980s. It was the perfect spot to take photos; there were several other professional photoshoots going on besides our very casual ones. Finally, we attempted to see the lake in the Arboretum, past the Chinese Gardens. “Attempted” because we got distracted along the way and ended up sitting by the roadside and enjoying the setting sun.

The other highlight of my month has been trying out different kinds of cuisine. This began one weeknight when, having forgotten to order late dinner, I sat down with my microwaved siew mai (a kind of dumpling) and was soon joined by fellow residents Kaori (from Japan) and Meong (from the Philippines). After a very involved conversation on different food cultures, we made plans to go to a place called Purple Patch to try Filipino food.

So one bright weekend morning, the three of us, joined by our friend Stefan, walked half an hour north to Purple Patch, which turned out to be a very trendy kind of restaurant serving classic Filipino dishes and American comfort food. After Meong explained all the dishes, I ended up having the Sizzling Sisig. The dish included pork belly that was indeed sizzling, served on a hot plate, with a side of garlic fried rice and a very sweet vinegar. Meong also ordered a side of lumpia for us to try. I think Filipino food in general is pretty much in the same ballpark as Singaporean food, being from the same region, so the flavors weren’t completely alien to me. But the combination of everything was very novel (especially the vinegar, which I loved), and I would definitely go back for more if I could.

Our food explorations continued this week, as we headed to Sakana for some Japanese food. Located on P Street, Sakana is just a stone throw away from ISH, and has some good reasonably priced Japanese food. I chose the Sukiyaki, which consisted of beef and vegetables stewed in a clear, sweet broth, on yet another hot place, with a side of white rice. I would also recommend it to anyone looking to try some Japanese food that isn’t sushi.

As a diverse and international city, DC is a great place to try new cuisines, especially if you do some research on where to go. (But sporadically of course, because DC prices aren’t very student friendly and besides, ISH has a great dining hall of its own.) We’ve already picked out the next food exploration: Ramen, which we all happen to love. It will be perfect for transitioning into Winter, which I can already feel is coming.

Also this month at the House, some residents put together a Diwali celebration, which saw the lobby and entrance way bedecked in glittering fairy lights. With snacks set up on either side and a projection screen playing Bollywood dance clips and music videos, residents had fun learning more about the Festival of Lights.

All in all, I’m giving thanks for another season of discovery at ISH.

Washington Tours and NYC 2.0!

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What an incredible couple months it has been! In October, some fellow ISH residents and I had the opportunity to explore the White House and the gorgeous architecture of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (commonly referred to as the EOB). When many people think of the White House, they do not think about the beauty of the EOB that is adjacent to the property the White House is on. However, it is within the halls of the EOB that one can feel the amount of history that has gone throughout the building as time has gone on.

The EOB houses the Secretary of War suite that was used by Henry Stimson during World War II. As I stood in this suite and observed the beautiful architecture held within the walls of the room, I wondered what it must have been like to have stood in this room during days such as the day Pearl Harbor was bombed or the invasion of Normandy. Following my time in the Secretary of War suite, I was able to visit the Indian Treaty Room which housed the first presidential press conference in 1955 when President Eisenhower was in office.

It is still a mystery as to why the room was named the “Indian Treaty Room” as no major treaties were signed in this space. One theory is that the room received this name because the war department used to house many documents in this room including treaties, however, that has yet to be confirmed. The final stop on our tour of the EOB was the Vice President’s Ceremonial Office which houses the desk used by President Theodore Roosevelt during his time as president. This desk houses one of the most exciting and well-kept secrets in the EOB. It is tradition on the vice president’s last day in office for them to sign their name into the desk. When opening the drawer to the desk you will see signatures of various vice presidents and presidents. Some of the individuals who have signed their name into the drawer include Vice Presidents Cheney, Gore, Quayle, Mondale, and Rockefeller; and Presidents Truman and Eisenhower.

 

I very much enjoyed my time touring the White House and I hope that I am able to return in the future to explore other areas of the property that I was unable to see this time around!

In the middle of November some fellow residents at ISH and I decided that we wanted to make another trip up to New York City to continue our search for excellent pizza while exploring the amazing art housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Exploring this incredible art museum was by far one of my most memorable New York City experiences! Inside there is a gallery which houses a reconstructed Egyptian temple where you can find ancient hieroglyphics dating back to 3000 B.C.

In front of the Met

Other famous works housed in this museum include the famous painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware River (the painting is ginormous) and beautiful works by two of my favorite artists, those being Claude Monet and Winslow Homer. Following our time exploring the beautiful works of art housed in The Met we decided to head over to Joe’s Pizza located in Greenwich Village for a slice of their world-famous pizza. Joe’s was established in 1975 and has been serving up incredible slices of pizza to crowds of people which stand outside for sometimes up to an hour to get a slice. Beware there are several shops that have opened which have tried to brand themselves as the original Joe’s Pizza (the owners of the original Joe’s will tell you all the time they’re suing them). So long story short - if you want to try the original, authentic, Joe’s Pizza you must go to the one in Greenwich village. Needless to say, it was incredible and some of the best I have had to date.  


Pizza at the original Joe’s Pizza in Greenwich Village

Hummus Cauliflower Salad at Kubeh's in Greenwich Village

Following the completion of our pizza eating conquest, we decided to go shopping near Columbus Circle where there are several boutiques that would take days to go through if visiting them all. Following this shopping trip, we decided to dine at a lovely middle eastern restaurant called Kubeh in Greenwich Village. I ordered the cauliflower and hummus salad and it was absolutely incredible!

I look forward to keeping you updated on my travels with residents in the future and I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Snow! Well, Almost

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It was about 4:00 pm on a Tuesday afternoon, after two bitterly cold days in Washington, DC when the call went out on International Student House’s group chat: “It’s snowing!”

I was in class, but I just had to see for myself, so I snuck a quick look out the window. Nothing.

There was similar discontent in the group chat.

“Where?”

“When?”

I looked again – and there, sure enough, floating in the wind, little flakes of snow. I was ecstatic. Around DC, ISH residents – students and interns alike, scattered across the city – were also pressed up against the windows, commenting on their view of the first snow of the seasons. A Canadian in the house made the point that a few flakes in the breeze could hardly be considered snow. But for an Australian, it made my heart sing.

Which brings me to the point of this blog post: a source of international discussion I’m sure, and certainly a discussion both at breakfast and dinner, day in and day out at ISH: the weather.

When I arrived at ISH in August it was to an oppressive heat even I could not have envisaged. And so, the conversations were: how high the temperature had reached that day, how appropriate sleeveless clothes were for formal occasions and how to handle the mosquitos. I discovered in my sightseeing expeditions that fountains at monuments weren’t just for show, they were a legitimate means of cooling off.

Summer means cooling off at the World War II Memorial

Then, for a brief moment, DC experienced the magical colours of fall. True to theme, I tried some pumpkin-flavoured things and ventured out onto the streets of the Georgetown neighbourhood, hoping to capture a photo of the leaves in those classic red and orange hues. In the dining hall at ISH it became peak university merchandise season: everyone had a jumper (sweater) bearing their institution’s name, and around a table sat George Washington, John Hopkins, American and Georgetown.

Fall Colours

As quickly as it had appeared, fall disappeared, and gave way to winter. Let me tell you I was initially none too happy about it. I lost track of the number of times I told people that it doesn’t get cold in Australia – no really! I hadn’t worn a winter coat in years. I have gloves, a scarf, a beanie, but I honestly wasn’t quite sure what temperature called for them (I’m still figuring this out). I have no idea how to layer effectively, what temperature to set a heater to and most importantly, how to keep food bought on Connecticut Avenue warm as I make the mad dash back to ISH.

I think I am slowly adjusting though, and I am certainly enjoying the fact that it’s acceptable to wear my fuzzy cat slippers around the house and drink multiple cups of tea.

Of course, most importantly, I wait in eager anticipation of our next snow fall.

Cold mornings can’t stop me from getting my flat white coffee fix!

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.