Life at ISH Archives - International Student House Washington DC

December @ ISH

December 31, 2018 by Aakriti Thapar

A cup of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows, a snuggly couch, a rom-com or one of the good old favorites, and great company from around the world. That’s how I’d describe a perfect December, and that’s how we spend the holiday season at the International Student House in Washington, DC.

With no deadlines, assignments, or late work nights, plans are made galore and the primary difference between ‘regular’ plans and holiday plans are that the latter actually see the light of day. Ice-skating at the National Sculpture Garden, and late night zoo lights and panda spotting are some of my favorites. Every night becomes a movie night in the TV room and the different ‘Home Alone-s’ and royal Christmas movies are screened to get everyone in the holiday spirit.

I must say I do have major ‘FOMO’. I came back to Bombay (India) for my Christmas break in the last week of December, and my ISH friends were sending me photographs of ‘spa nights’ and ‘face mask’ nights in the house. The house turns into a tight-knit home with just 10-12 residents roaming the hallways in holiday PJs and Christmas fuzzy socks.

Creativity is at its peak during this period. My friends spent a couple of days rehearsing for, and filming an excerpt from the first episode of F.R.I.E.N.D.S and personalized it to make it our very own ISH version. (Ask a resident for a private google drive link 😉 )

While in jolly spirits sipping on our hot chocolates next to the Christmas tree in the Great Hall, it’s a bitter-sweet feeling as we bid farewell to some of our friends and dear fellow residents. With the semester coming to an end, a large number of residents make their way back to their respective home countries and leave us with fond memories. That being said, the few of us left behind (now ‘old residents’) eagerly look forward to making new ISH friends in 2019!

December at the House by Krystin Sinclair

December 28, 2018 by ISHDC

Despite the cold and impending final papers and presentations, December still managed to hold some fun and engaging opportunities here at the House.

The evening of Tuesday, December 4, ISH-DC was lucky to have Jim Lehrer as our guest speaker, and the following Friday, Catalin Dima, I-House NY alumnus and concert pianist, performed in our Great Hall. Sunday completed the week as a group of residents held a gift exchange hosted by fellow resident, Aakriti Thapar.

Jim Lehrer is a journalist, novelist, news anchor and presidential debate moderator. He brought his wealth of knowledge on politics, public speaking and how to “handle” tough questions (notice, that I said handle and not answer!) The House’s own Alex Beck shared introductory remarks to begin the evening.

Mr. Lehrer worked in television in Dallas where he interviewed many politicians. He had fun sharing that if you ever get a tough question, the first step is to praise the questioner for the greatness of their question, then launch into a story from your childhood, where hopefully you can seamlessly transition away from the question. When you finish your long winded story, simply say next question. I for sure took away quite a bit on how to not answer a question! If I have a tough interview, I will try out his techniques. (Better keep reading this blog to find out how it goes.)

Mr. Lehrer also discussed what it is like to be a moderator/interviewer. He says that after each debate or interview is over that he never wants the discussion to be about how he did, but to be about how the candidate or interviewee was. The sign of a good moderator is that the attention is on the debaters. Mr. Lehrer sure knows how to handle himself and a crowd. All of us students were able to learn much from such an experienced professional.

Next we enjoyed the musical talents of Catalin Dima, who was gracious to not only play a few pieces for residents, but to spend time chatting both before and after the performance. Catalin is an alumna of the International House in New York, or “I-House” as those who live there call it. I really liked his story and was very happy that he spent time speaking before his pieces to the crowd gathered in the Great Hall. He discussed his life and his time at an International Student House. He is Romanian, studied in NYC and currently resides in Oklahoma, as part of the music faculty at Southeastern Oklahoma State University Department of Music.

Catalin performed two pieces for us. The first of which was Frederic Chopin’s 24 preludes, op.28 and the second of which was Maurice Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit. He performed both beautifully. My favorite part of the evening was when Catalin discussed the piece Gaspard de la nuit. He talked about symbolism, and how through the piano symbolism of water, sensuality, bells, love and much more can be heard. I am a mathematician at heart, and find it best to view the world through hard objective numbers. However, his explanation of the symbols within the music, opened my ears to that heartwarming sound. I didn’t just hear the technical strokes of the keys, but the chimes of bells and the sounds of moving water. This piece truly is a poem, allowing the listener to hear a love song. He has a gift, a talent for bringing music to life. He ended the night by saying that he hopes to see us all again in Carnegie Hall.

Finally, our White Elephant gift exchange. What are the rules to White Elephant you might be asking. Well, they are as follows:

Place wrapped gifts in center and have all participants circle around
Each participant is randomly assigned a number from 1 to however many participants there are
Number one goes first
Number one chooses a gift, unwraps it and holds it up for all to see
For each subsequent number/individual, either steal a gift or choose to open a new gift
If a gift is stolen, the participant can either steal from someone else or open a new gift
A gift can only be stolen 3 times, by the fourth owner, the gift is out of the game
Once everyone has a gift number one can steal from anyone if they choose
If number one chooses to steal they must place their open gift in the center. The player that was stolen from must either choose to take the gift in the middle or steal from another participant. This continues until either all of the gifts have been stolen 3 times or someone wants the gift in the middle

There was a lovely display of gifts. There were books, mugs, ornaments and chocolates galore. The gifts represented many different countries just as the participants do – for example there was both Swiss and Japanese candy. Multiple gifts got stolen the maximum amount of times, including a large, soft and fluffy Reindeer pillow, a book entitled “How to Become an American”, and a gift bag with a gingerbread man ornament, chocolates and a puzzle book. All who participated had a blast!

ISH takes Philly

December 3, 2018 by Aakriti Thapar

At ISH, you never do anything alone. Be it a ping-pong doubles match, a film screening in the library, an NBA match, or a weekend dinner plan to try a new cuisine, you will always find volunteers. Road trips (sometimes flights across the country) are no exception. ISH residents are always up for any kind of adventure. What makes these trips even more exciting, is planning and budgeting. All of a sudden you have Pythogras, Archimedes, Netwons, Lovelaces and Germains gallivanting around ISH. As students, interns, and early-career professionals, most residents aim for the ‘explore more, pay less’ goal. This time, six of us decided to explore Philadelphia.
We logged onto our computers and found the cheapest AM bus tickets available. At 5 AM on an unusually cold November morning, we met in the ISH lobby. “I have dry fruits,” said one of us and “I have a pair gloves, my beanie, scarf, and an extra pair of everything,” laughed another. There began our day as tourists and explorers. Our bus driver entertained us during our three hour bus journey with his wisecracks. While demonstrating safety procedures and giving us emergency instructions he said, “If you see me sleeping behind the wheel, don’t disturb me!” Another one that we remember laughing about was while we were getting off the bus at 30th street station, Philadelphia. He said,” Don’t forget to take your belongings. If you want them back, you will find them on E-bay tomorrow!”
We started our day at a quaint little cafe in the heart of Philly. Warm sausage muffins, cups of hot chocolate, and we were ready for the day. As an avid traveler, I have always maintained that the best way to see a city, is by foot. And going back to my point about budgets, truth is, we had no budget for anything other than our limbs! We started at 30th street station, and soon we found ourselves in the centre of the city. Quite literally, Philadelphia’s City Centre. Historic monuments and photo spots, we spent time reading guides and information stones. We visited all the major Philly sites – Reading Terminal Market, the old seat of the parliament, the famous Liberty bell, Independence Hall and the Benjamin Franklin bridge. We had our photo ops, and of course, how could we leave Philly without tasting the famous Philly cheesestake! Recommendation: We ate at Sonny’s and everyone enjoyed their cheesecakes and fries.

After a freezing day, donuts and hot coffees, we were back at the station to board our bus to D.C. We left with postcards from the station, souvenirs for friends and bags full of memories. Not only was it a great day of fun and adventure, it was also an enriching experience to travel with residents and friends from different countries/cultures. On this trip, we represented 4 different countries – Finland, Italy, Austria and India.

The moment we got back, we were already planning our next day trip. Maybe, Ocean City?

ISH-DC Family Celebrates Diwali – The Festival of Lights!

December 3, 2018 by Adyasha Mohanty

Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, evokes myriad memories of spectacular fireworks on a moonless autumnal night, homes illuminated by dozens of bright lamps, and family and friends visiting each other and sharing traditional sweets and other delicacies. Its religious significance aside, the festival brings together communities by symbolizing the triumph of good over evil, hope over despair, knowledge over ignorance, and light over darkness.

On November 7, 2018, for the first time in its history, ISH-DC was bathed in the spirit of Diwali – fairy lights adorned the walls and beautifully-painted earthen lamps lined the corridors. In fact, the word “Diwali” is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning “a series of lights”. Residents, some of them dressed in colorful traditional costumes (Sarees, sherwanis, kurtas, – you name it), thronged the venue in enthusiasm for an unforgettable soiree. A few residents let their artistic juices flow, helping the others apply henna tattoos (also called Mehndi in several Indian languages) – and we witnessed some very impressive designs! We also had different South Asian snacks and sweets that residents gorged on.

Diwali holds a special place in my heart because it coincides with my birthday in accordance to the Hindu lunar calendar. However, this Diwali will always remain the most inspiring one, because I was given an opportunity to put up a special Bollywood singing performance for the residents – and it was the first time I sang with all my heart and soul before such a large, encouraging audience! Residents Sunny Dharod, Bob Zeng, Krista Heinonen and I also performed before the rest a Bollywood dance sequence (complete with facial expressions and synchronized movements), in the midst of jubilant cheering and applause by our equally energized fellow residents.

Needless to say, the revelries had just begun! A mélange of colors and cultural backgrounds merged into a pixelated unity when all the residents came together to groove to Bollywood chartbusters and festive beats on the dance floor that the ISH-DC lobby had transformed into. Finally, keeping with the traditional spirit of Diwali, we gathered to light mini-sparklers. What stood out was the beaming smiles and unrestrained laughter. Such a blissful way to bring to a close a festival that triggers nostalgia and ties me, just like many other residents, to our roots. The ISH-DC community is a close-knit family after all!

“You can do it!” – Career Roundtable at ISH

October 29, 2018 by Adyasha Mohanty

Dedicating oneself to a strong mentoring relationship can prove to be the most valuable step in the career trajectory of graduate school students and young professionals. Many of the ISH-DC residents, who bring impressive academic or professional backgrounds to the table, are at the crucial juncture of finding the next stepping stone in advancing their careers in DC and beyond.

The Career Roundtable event on the 27^th of September, 2018 gave ten of us the opportunity to learn more about what we can be doing now to enhance our job search in DC. We were joined by Cynthia Bunton, President of ISH-DC’s Board of Directors and President of CRBi, LLC, a strategic consulting firm, and Eric Melby, the Second Vice President of ISH-DC’s Board and Founding Principal and Partner of The Scowcroft Group, an international advisory firm in Washington, DC. Amidst a relaxing setting in the study room and treated to delicious cookies and brownies baked by Cynthia herself (Thanks a lot, Cynthia!), each of us put forward the different career-related questions we find ourselves asking at this stage.

I, for one, have recently started a graduate program in international development, and amidst a constellation of academic and community activities I had several questions on my mind – “How diversified or specialized should an internship or entry-level job be? What kind of skills does the job search process require? What are some top tips on networking?” As it turns out, a majority of the residents in attendance also shared similar questions and concerns. Cynthia and Eric enthusiastically provided us insights into the job-seeking scenario, giving us an added perspective drawn from their own experiences as career leaders. Their ideas on approaching and communicating with potential employers, building a professional network, and developing essential soft skills will certainly be helpful to us.

Rose Twagirumukiza, a current ISH-DC resident, moderated the discussion and shared with us her story of finding an effective balance between academics and actively looking for jobs. My favorite part of the conversation was Cynthia and Eric’s encouraging words on dealing with initial setbacks in the job search process. “Rejection is redirection!” – I remember affirming aloud as this section of the discussion drew to a close.

Sometimes we just need a little push in the right direction, and the rest is history. I am thankful that this Career Roundtable event not only made us feel better-equipped to take on a fruitful job search process, but also gave us that little “push” to continue working hard in pursuit of our dream jobs.