ISH-DC started February off with a bang. On Friday night, the 1st of February, 14 residents received tickets to attend the Washington Capitals Ice Hockey game for the suite of the Embassy of Qatar at the Capital One Arena. These donated tickets were a hot commodity. The suite was fully stocked with mini-burgers, chicken wings, popcorn, potato chips and a fully stocked fridge. The residents got to enjoy a game and dinner, with a great view of the rink.

This game was the Washington Capitals versus the Calgary Flames. In honor of the Flames being a Canadian team, the Canadian national anthem started off the night followed by the national anthem of the USA. This was a tough game with two good teams going hard for the win. The first goal was scored by the Caps #ALLCAPS! This may have been foreshadowing for the final goal was scored in the last minute of the game by Caps player Evgeny Kuznetsov.  The home team was victorious with a game ending score of 4 to 3 which ended the Capitals longest losing streak in five years. There was an immediate after game fight by all the players on the rink to the wild cheering of the crowd. The stadium seemed to be filled with spectators that preferred fisticuffs rather than ice hockey.  This hockey game had it all.

For many of the residents this was there first time at a live National Hockey League game. There were some comments amongst us about how the puck moves too fast for the eye to follow and perhaps watching it on TV with the slow motion replay might be a good way to familiarize oneself with the game. Nonetheless, the residents took it in stride and worked together to figure out the game. We also enjoyed the mini games that take place in between periods. The capitals had a quick kids game between the first and second period. They had a drone floating around the rink in between the second and third period, and they had plenty of mini games to keep everyone entertained during down time. I think I speak for all of us who attended to say thank you to the Embassy of Qatar for gifting the tickets.

Then on Sunday the 3rd of February it was the LIII Super Bowl. Thanks to our resident, Tami, ISH had a wonderful set up for all to come and watch in the Great Hall. There was pizza, wings, chips, dips, candy, cookies and drinks. All of the typical Super Bowl foods, giving everyone the American experience.

The majority of residents were rooting for the LA Rams over the New England Patriots. Sadly, the Rams were defeated with a final score of 13 to 3; however, ISH everyone still had a great time. We enjoyed the commercials, the halftime show, the game and the camaraderie. The halftime show was hyped up in the House, as there are many Maroon 5 and Travis Scott fans living at ISH this month. The Spongebob reference also got quite the holler.

As for the talk of the night, well that was probably the commercials. Many residents enjoyed the okay Pepsi commercial as well as the Captain Marvel trailer and Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone. The Stella Artois commercial featuring Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw and Jeff Bridges as “The Dude” got a big chuckle and started a bit of a chat. Another well complimented commercial was the one for Amazon’s Alexa featuring Harrison Ford and his dog. Everybody loves a dog that orders too much food for himself. There were so many Budweiser  (specifically HBO’s Game of Thrones themed) ads as well as T mobile advertisements that residents started calculating how much these companies were spending.

This was a jam packed sports filled weekend and a great way for the House to get together.

“International Student House is full of resident scholars from around the world who come to Washington to pursue incredible educational and career opportunities.  While the majority of our time is spent studying and working at all hours of the day (residents can be found in the study room at 3pm or 3am), we all need a bit of a break, and some residents find enjoyment in films, specifically the top films of the year.  With awards season officially upon us, it is only fitting that the library (i.e. TV room) be transformed into a screening room for the serious (or not so serious) ISH critic…”

We’re just three weeks away from the big day. The winners will soon be announced on the opposite coast. It’ll be a glitzy and glamours night and we honestly can’t wait to see photos. The Oscar jury aside, the verdict from our very own ISH residents is in. Last month, ISH movie buffs started screening Oscar nominated movies in the TV room. Here’s what our residents had to say about some of the movies they’ve watched:

Ralph Breaks the Internet IMDB rating and 89% rotten tomatoes rating, this animated movie goes beyond fun and entertainment. It has a strong message. A resident said “It was better than I expected it to be. I particularly loved the modern and contextual twist on Disney princesses.”

BlackKklansman This film has a high 95% rating on rotten tomatoes.

“Fascinating. This is an important part of history that we should all know.”

ISH critics argue that this film would have been better as a book. “Strong storyline and important subject, but the visuals don’t do justice to the story. The story takes long to develop. On the flip side, it’s a sparks a conversation and highlights how we as a society haven’t moved forward. We’re still grappling with issues of discrimination, intolerance and inequalities.”

Green Book 8.3/10 on IMDB and 81% on rotten tomatoes.

“This is the best movie ever. I’m rooting for Vigo Mortensen (Tony Lip, the cab driver in the film) to win best actor.” “The performances were powerful and so was the direction. Everything about the movie was spot on.”

We still have a long list of films to watch before the important night. And if anyone has any suggestions, get in touch with the informal ISH movie planning committee and get your popcorn ready!

January was a great month for speakers at the House.

The evening of Thursday, January 10, Dr. Francis Fukuyama was a guest speaker at the House, hosted by Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP). The evening was a part of YPFP’s author series, highlighting Dr. Fukuyama’s new book, “Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment”.   The following Thursday, Ricardo Zuniga, Director, International Student Management, National Defense University, U.S.  Department of State, joined us at the House. Both speakers exemplified how to use humor to bring their stories to life.

Dr. Fukuyama discussed how national identity changes over time and when “we the people” can not define “the people”, what feels like an identity crisis can ensue. America politically views people by different grouping. This can come from race, religion, or gender. He mentioned the #MeToo movement and how this brought together those under the female identity. MeToo says I am female and I will not adapt to societal pressures, but society will have to adapt to see me as female and as an equal. The internal identity is the driving force.

He also discussed how being able to define “we the people” can help a country develop positively. As immigration occurs, if both old and new members of a community assimilate and adapt to changes, there can be many benefits. There is so much more art and culture to be developed if all creeds have the ability to throw their hat in the ring and develop new styles of music or dance.  Dr. Fukuyama argues that assimilation is a two-way street, old members of a community have to accept the new individuals, and new individuals have to try to understand the current culture and climate to live harmoniously. Everyone can learn something from someone else. He ended his fireside chat with a book signing.

Our second special guest was Ricardo Zuniga, former Consul General in Sao Paulo, Brazil, U.S. Department of State, and former Special Assistant to the President, National Security Council, The White House.  Mr. Zuniga shared his wisdom from a career in Foreign Service and time spent working with President Obama. While in The White House, he was the Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs and played a key role in brokering the normalization of relations with Cuba.

Mr. Zuniga was introduced by one of our resident’s Edward Tang, who interned under Mr. Zuniga last fall.  Mr. Zuniga took the time to go around the room to introduce himself to each person, as he wanted to learn why each of us was in DC and where we all called home. He then discussed his career in the foreign service, where he described living in multiple countries over the years and being able to work with people from various backgrounds.

Mr. Zuniga also regaled us with many tales from his experiences. An amusing anecdote was that his coldest winter was in Madrid, because he had spent the prior years living in the Caribbean.  Another fun fact is regarding U.S. policies with Cuba changing under the Obama administration and how  religion continues to play an important role in the world. Mr. Zuniga said that the Pope became the intermediary because of the assumptions that the U.S. might lie to Cuba and Cuba might lie to the U.S., but neither would lie to the Pope. He ended his talk by giving us an idea of life as a civil servant working in Foreign Service, and that if you like adapting to new environments and traveling, the Foreign Service is a career path that you should seriously consider.

Mr. Zuniga was a very personable speaker who generously gave his time and stayed after his speech to answer everyone’s questions and talk with residents. This is especially kind considering that it was snowy outside and every minute he stayed his commute was becoming harder and more treacherous.

The variety of roles held by students and their commitment to bringing speakers to ISH-DC is one of the things that makes living here an incredible experience.