It was once considered an accepted part of etiquette that to have a polite conversation one should never talk about three things: politics, money, or religion. While there are many who may still hold to this rule as they see fit, during my stay at the International Student House in Washington, DC, religion was not a topic that curious residents avoided. This made me glad to see. In my opinion, religion is just as much a private matter as it is a public one for many people. A polite, diverse society is not built upon overlooking our differences but acknowledging and even appreciating them.

The residents of ISH represent a wide array of different beliefs and while residents always approached each other with respect and deference towards the person they would ask, they were curious about the faiths of their fellow residents. I still recall fondly several conversations I had with other residents who became friends as not only was I the first Orthodox Christian they had met but also the first Christian, in general, they had met who wore a veil in public.

This curiosity eventually evolved into open invitations to attend houses of worship with residents who went to them. One resident who led trips was ISH Alumna, Hanna. According to Hanna, the trips started organically. She said, “I wanted to go to the mosque for Friday Prayer and another resident knew where it was. After that, we decided to go to her church and other people heard and were interested so she made a group message. You were also open about going to church on Sundays to a different church that we wanted to learn more about and so it continued. It was pretty awesome.” Hanna took residents to two different mosques including the Islamic Center of Washington DC on Embassy row. The Islamic Center’s website says that the idea of building mosque in DC came about “through a discussion between Mr. M. Abu Al Hawa and the former Ambassador of Egypt, Mr. Mahmood Hassan Pasha.” The building was designed and decorated by people from a wide array of countries such as Italy, Egypt, Turkey, and Iran. It was completed in 1957 though it was officially opened in 1952.

I had the pleasure of joining her on a visit to the Islamic Center and it was my first time visiting a mosque. From the arched entryways of the courtyard to the stunning tiles and calligraphy that adorned the prayer hall, the Islamic Center was beautiful to look at and while it was not quite as full as it normally would have been there was nothing lacking in the sense of community that brought everyone there that Friday to pray and worship together. For all the differences that were there, it was an experience that was very familiar to me.

I also took people to two different orthodox churches in DC: St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Cathedral and St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral. St. John the Baptist is a ROCOR parish, and its website says that it was organized by Archbishop John in September 1949 and the building was complete in 1958. It is a stunning building designed in the 17^th-century Muscovite-Yaroslav-style with murals and icons covering the walls of the interior and members face a stunning four-tiered iconostasis. St. Nicolas was founded in 1930 “for the purpose of religious worship and to perpetuate the memory of all Russians who gave their lives for their country and faith during the tragic years of World War I and the Russian revolution.” Like St. John the Baptist, murals and icons cover the walls of the interior and they are done in the Russo-Byzantine style of the 12^th century. On the trip to St. Nicholas, we were able to see Metropolitan Tikhon who was visiting that Sunday, and one of the residents who went on this trip remarked that he “thoroughly enjoyed the music and art in the cathedral and that it was so exciting to see someone so high up in the church!”

While the summer is over and most of the current residents of ISH are busy with graduate school, I hope that we can continue these informal, resident-led trips throughout the semester.

Chinatown – One of DC’s Best Neighborhoods

In an effort to become more familiar with some of the neighborhoods in DC that are outside the Dupont Circle neighborhood, a small group of fellow International Student House residents, including myself, decided to check out Chinatown.  

On this visit we decided to visit Tony Cheng’s which serves both Mongolian and Chinese food, and our dining experience was incredible! I would definitely recommend checking this place out if you are ever in the Chinatown neighborhood!

Following dinner, we went to Chinatown’s friendship archway, which are traditionally referred to as paifangs. The friendship archway in Chinatown in Washington, DC is the largest ceremonial archway that is outside of China. While our visit may have been limited due to restrictions in place as a result of the pandemic, I am very excited to go back to once the pandemic is over so that I can truly take part in all this area has to offer!

A Trip to the International Spy Museum!

A few days later, we decided to take a trip to one of the most talked about museums in DC, the International Spy Museum! Not long before the pandemic, a group of resident scholars got to join a special behind-the-scenes tour, and while I couldn’t join then, I was excited to visit recently.

This place houses an impressive collection of cool gadgets and gear used by spies throughout the world. One of the most unique weapons in this museum had to be a tube of lipstick that was disguised as a handgun. Known as the “kiss of death” this weapon was used by KGB operatives during the Cold War and is a 4.5 mm single-shot firearm.

Another interesting item was the pigeon camera. Prior to the invention of hot air balloons, satellites and drones, spies would attach cameras to pigeons and then have these pigeons fly over military sites taking photographs of enemy equipment.  While the unique gadgets that are in this museum are definitely cool, my favorite exhibit had to be James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5. The car was absolutely stunning and looked as if it rolled right off the movie set!

A final artifact in this museum that you should definitely check out is George Washington’s letter to Nathaniel Sackett where he asks Sackett to create a spy network that would spy on the British. 

Overall, this museum was one of the best that I have visited, and I would highly recommend checking it out if you are ever in the DC area! I can’t wait to share more of what I am up to in the coming months; until then, be well!

This is the story of how International Student House became International Student Home for me. It all started on a sunny July morning, one of those mornings your life changes greatly and you are so happy to wake up, like your wedding day or your graduation. For me, I was going to Turkey after a long time, to attend my best friend's wedding as maid of honor for a week, just to return back to the U.S. to start my new job in California. Everything in my life was going according to the great plan in my head; graduate, have a little vacation with my family and start my professional life in the U.S. I had no idea that in a few hours my life would turn upside down.

Gizem with fellow housemates celebrating her birthday, and Gizem with housemates at our annual Garden Party (2015)

We agreed that I should talk with Jen, the Resident Manager.  I believed my home for the last two years would not leave me alone in my darkest hour. So I dialed Jen and explained the situation. I could not even talk straight from crying at that point. She talked to me calmly and like the pro-problem solver that she always is. She said 'Get your luggage, come back home. You can stay as long as you need in this emergency'.

Without having a country to land at that moment, at least I was not homeless. A tiny bit of hope knowing that my parents were also safe in a smaller city, I grabbed my luggage and headed back downtown, which I had just arrived from with a big smile on my face and filled with hope only a couple of hours ago. Arriving back at International Student House, everyone welcomed me at the door, helped me resettle and gave me much needed emotional support. I was so grateful and love all of them.

Turkey did not have a coup that night. Lots of people died but soldiers who attempted to take over the government failed and the government restored the order a week later. Life turned back to normal at a shocking speed and I left the House a week later, as well, to visit. It was maybe still dangerous, but I needed to see and be with my family. The wedding was postponed to the next week and I could not go back to California for that new job, so I missed that opportunity, however, a better one came just a week later and I got a great offer from a Wall Street Capital Market firm in NYC and I moved to the International House in New York two weeks later.