In early August, some fellow residents and I decided to take a day trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to explore the city and all that is has to offer! Philadelphia is about 2 ½ hours from International Student House if you are commuting by car, making it the perfect destination for a day trip.

It was lunch time when we arrived, so we decided to stop at the Reading Terminal Market for lunch. As you may know already, Philadelphia is very well known for Philly Cheesesteaks, however, I chose to break the tradition of getting a Philly Cheesesteak and instead opted to dine at another famous location within the market. Dinic’s Roast Pork has been serving up delicious sandwiches at the market since the early 1970’s and was recently awarded for having the “Best Sandwich in America”. This award was given to them by the Travel Channel. The sandwich they are well known for is the roasted pork sandwich with broccoli rabe and provolone cheese. Given the amount of excitement surrounding Dinic’s, I chose to give their sandwich a try. After my first bite, I was quite surprised at how good a roasted pork sandwich could taste. The cheese and the pork tasted outstanding together and the broccoli rabe just added a whole other element to the sandwich that I really enjoyed. Following our meal at Dinic’s, we went and had cookies at The Famous 4^th Street Cookie Company. The cookies were incredible, and I recommend their chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin cookies!

After our time at the Reading Terminal Market, we chose to explore city hall which is nearby and an excellent place to take pictures! Additionally, we saw the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall which were incredible sights to see. Take note however, that if you are traveling to Philadelphia you may want to make reservations in advance to see these sights. Getting reservations the day of your arrival can be rather tricky at times!

Finally, we completed our tour of Philadelphia by checking out Penn’s Landing which is a beautiful waterfront area on the east side of Philadelphia that contains multiple waterfront restaurants and bars, small boutiques and beautiful parks for relaxation. I hope that I am able to return to this city in the near future as there was so much I was unable to see while I was there!

A note to future ISH residents hoping to make the trip: If you are traveling to Philadelphia by car, make sure you have enough cash put aside for tolls (around $35 total) and parking for the day (another $35-$40 total). Additionally, be sure that you are going on a day/time that the Reading Terminal Market will be open. Sometimes they have rather odd hours and it would be a shame to travel to Philadelphia on a day that the market is closed! Finally, bring a great camera. There are so many places in Philadelphia to take beautiful pictures!

Not long after the weekend in Philadelphia, some friends from ISH and I chose to travel to New York City for a weekend trip. On the Friday of our arrival we had the opportunity to go on a boat cruise in the Hudson River and see incredible views on Manhattan. As I stood out on the boat I was completely mesmerized by the size of the city and the number of skyscrapers that reached beyond the eye could see. Additionally, while on the boat I was able to see the Statue of Liberty which was a gift to the United States from the people of France in 1886. Never before had I been so awestruck by such a gorgeous monument which represents freedom and has seen so much happen in the United States. 

Following our time on the boat cruise, we decided to spend our Saturday exploring Central Park and seeing the various sights of the city. In movies Central Park appears to be quite small in comparison to other parks throughout the country but the park is quite large and takes up quite a bit of land on Manhattan. The park contains multiple bike and walking trails and even has a zoo which was really fun to explore. While at the zoo I was able to see snow leopards, grizzly bears, as well as penguins, puffins and sea lions. On our last day in New York City (Sunday) we went to see the 9/11 memorial and the New York Botanical Garden which had a variety of lovely exhibits. My favorite exhibit in the botanical garden by far was the rock garden because of the many different alpine flowers fixated between the rocks in the garden and a lovely waterfall that is the centerpiece of the garden. The rock garden is one of the most peaceful and tranquil placed I have ever been, I highly recommend visiting here if you ever visit New York City.

Following our time on the boat cruise, we decided to spend our Saturday exploring Central Park and seeing the various sights of the city. In movies Central Park appears to be quite small in comparison to other parks throughout the country but the park is quite large and takes up quite a bit of land on Manhattan. The park contains multiple bike and walking trails and even has a zoo which was really fun to explore. While at the zoo I was able to see snow leopards, grizzly bears, as well as penguins, puffins and sea lions. On our last day in New York City (Sunday) we went to see the 9/11 memorial and the New York Botanical Garden which had a variety of lovely exhibits. My favorite exhibit in the botanical garden by far was the rock garden because of the many different alpine flowers fixated between the rocks in the garden and a lovely waterfall that is the centerpiece of the garden. The rock garden is one of the most peaceful and tranquil placed I have ever been, I highly recommend visiting here if you ever visit New York City.

This will be my third time living at ISH-DC, and I could not be more excited. My previous two stays at the house were while I was interning and later working at the IDB. This time I will experience DC and ISH differently since now I come as a student.

Living at ISH has been a fantastic experience – that is why when choosing a place to stay in DC without a doubt, I chose ISH.

What is great about living at the International Student House? Well, this all comes from my personal experience, but I believe every past resident will agree with one or more of these reasons:

A diverse community
Have you ever wondered what is currently happening in the Democratic Republic of the Congo? What do people in Japan do for fun? Where can you try a delicious Mexican dinner in DC? Of course, you can google all these questions or just ask Siri and Alexa. But it might be quite more interesting to find out from real people.

Living at ISH, you will have the chance to meet people literally from all over the world. During my last two stays, I have met people from Russia, Spain, Rwanda, Argentina, Mongolia, India, Japan, Mexico, China, Finland, France, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and I can go on but this post will be way too long.

It is not just about meeting them, but also an incredible opportunity to exchange your experiences, traditions, and world views with people that come from different places and have diverse backgrounds.

A lot of activities
There is always something going on at ISH. Maybe there is an event in the Great Hall, a fun cultural night, or a farewell party for a friend – yeah people leave at some point – that is the hard part.

Anyway, you can always find something to do at ISH and someone that will be more than happy to join you.

Here are some pictures from last year.

Latin Night

Peruvian Dinner

Christmas Night Out in DC

Afghan Dinner

Winter at the Lincoln Memorial

Hanging Out with Satomi

Long-lasting friendships 
I cannot close my first post without mentioning the amazing people I have met at ISH, some of them have become really close friends that I now treasure for life. To all of them reading this, I just want to say thank you for your friendship. 

The cool thing about having friends from around the world is that you can visit them. This is me and Xime in Mexico. Japan will be next … and more trips are coming.

Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City, Mexico

“I didn’t think Australians were interested in politics.”

So said my Customs Officer as I anxiously waited for her to process my arrival at Honolulu International Airport, en route to Washington, DC. She had asked me why I had chosen to attend Georgetown. Flustered, I gave a quick response: I said it was a because I had received a scholarship, and because I was interested in politics.

It was a true answer, and she was certainly mistaken that Australians were apathetic about politics.  However, later, as I landed bleary-eyed in DC after almost 20 hours of flying, even I was questioning my motivation: was ‘I’m interested in politics’ really a worthy justification for my decision to pack up my life and move to the other side of the world?

Luckily for me, I had chosen to live at International Student House, where an interest in politics was almost a condition of entry. Not only had many of my fellow residents also moved across the world to DC to chase a dream, they had no such qualms that being an Australian meant I would be disinterested in politics.

“Compulsory voting? Interesting. Do you think it works?”

“What do you think about that controversial woman – red head – Pauline Hanson?”

“Your most recent election was also won by the conservative party. Are there parallels between the political climate in Australia and America?”

Of course, in amongst questions on affairs of state, there was always going to be a general curiosity about Australian culture.

“Level with me, Vegemite, what exactly is it?” (In their defense, this was due to the fact on my very first day in the House I had worn a t-shirt with Vegemite on it.)

The already infamous Vegemite shirt (featuring a jar of Vegemite which I will bring to breakfast so fellow residents can try)

These questions were not at all unwelcome. In fact, I thought it was excellent that my fellow residents were so curious, as it showed that we all wanted to learn more about each other and the world we lived in.

I felt a similar energy when I attended my first day of orientation at Georgetown Law the next week. My fellow classmates were eager to learn, to be inspired, to better ourselves, and this was true even if we didn’t yet know the how, when, or why.

Georgetown Law Campus

Out and about during Orientation Week (note I am once again wearing the Vegemite shirt)

I am now approaching the end of my second week in DC, and whilst I feel settled and sure of myself and my choice to move here, I still don’t have the ‘right’ answer for why I have chosen Georgetown, and in part, Washington DC I just know I’m exactly where I am supposed to be.

It is a real scorcher out there. ISH residents are feeling/hating this heatwave, but we don’t let that get us down.  On Saturday, July 20, ISH held a Henna Night, which was a complete Indian themed cultural program.  Residents dressed up, then danced, ate, and drank the night away. The great hall was decorated to the nines, with disco lights, strobe lights, Bollywood posters, henna posters, fairy lights, and the Indian flag. A specially cultivated Bollywood playlist was created for the evening and the music videos were projected for all to see.

Our in-house resident Bollywood expert gave a dance demo/lesson so that everyone could feel the beat and look the part.  Even the food/drink samplings were Indian themes – residents could taste both chicken and vegetable samosas as well as aloo chaat, which is originally a street food from northern and eastern India, made of fried potatoes with spices and chutney. Of course, the night was true to its name and Henna was the real show stopper. Raghu, a resident from India, was the Henna artist and he drew some fantastic tattoos.  Each participant chose their design, and Raghu added his own artistic flare.

ISH Residents showing off their henna

This was my final event at ISH-DC. This was an epic goodbye parting. I was even able to choose the final song of the night. I choose “Zoobi Doobi” a love song from the Bollywood movie Three Idiots. I absolutely love this song and that movie and would suggest that if you have not seen it to stop reading this blog post right now and go watch it (it is a 3-hour long movie, so maybe plan wisely of when you can watch it). Three idiots will have you laughing and crying, and you will learn all about life. Every second of this movie is worth its weight in gold.

Entrance to the Great Hall decorated for the evening to welcome residents

Nine am on a bright sunny Sunday morning saw a group of bleary eyed ISH residents bundle into a mini van filled with three cooler boxes full of sandwiches, drinks, and ice-cream.  Minh, an alumnus of ISH, and Katie, our Director of Outreach and Strategic Initiatives, took us to the Smithsonian National Zoo, where we met up with more ISH alumni and embarked on a hike through the Park.

As we scrambled over some fairly hilly terrain and skirted along narrow riverside ledges, we discussed the best shows of Netflix, swapped ISH stories, and compared interests and occupations. The hike was followed by a picnic at the Smithsonian National Zoo, where we lounged on the grass and played some football. While talking to Minh, he said that he’d wanted to get the residents out of the House and give them an opportunity to meet ISH alumni and learn more about their fields and lives.

One of the stories to emerge was a verified story about how two roommates from different countries eventually became government representatives in their own countries, and after doing so brought their countries together in a trade agreement. “Some policy has definitely come out of ISH,” another alumnus tells me as we walk.

All this has made me reflect on what it means to meet people at ISH, and more generally, in DC. This is also partly due to the fact that it is now summer, and summer in DC means two things: One, a sudden outburst of activity –  everyday there is a new event or talk or reception, and it is hard to keep track of all that is going on in this city; and two, an influx of young and bright summer interns. At ISH, this means that the resident WhatsApp chat is always buzzing with invitations to different networking receptions (on top of fun events). Watching the new interns meet people as they begin navigating DC has reminded me of my own first days, and the amount of networking outside of ISH I felt I had to engage in (but didn’t) to find my place.

Networking in DC is a fact of life, but instead of clammy dread and an awkward competition to find the most things to say about the weather, I have found that it can mean something much less utilitarian. “It is about being interested in a person, finding a genuine connection with them,” as one of the new interns in my office tells me over lunch.

I have never thought of making friends at ISH as networking.  Friends at ISH often share such deep emotional connections, that to term what we have as networking seems almost demeaning. But I suppose networking, as recast above, has more in common with our friendships than I thought. Because both concepts, at their most basic, are about making that true connection with someone else, about being curious about their lives and thoughts. Thinking about it this way has made thinking about networking easier for me.

And on the subject of strong friendships at ISH: Today I moved out of ISH for the first time since I moved in. When I return in two months, most of my close friends in ISH will no longer reside at ISH. (Some, like my friend Tebogo, have already left for their home country permanently to do great things.) The past week has instead been a whirlwind of trying to make the most of our time together. This has included ping-pong matches, jam sessions, foosball and pool competitions, a lot of Pictionary, visiting an arcade-style bar, Safeway trips, kayaking outings, and staying up very, very late. Getting into the Uber for the airport and waving goodbye to a couple of them was surprisingly hard.

All this to say, I have come to the following conclusion. Whether you believe in networking or not, whether you even like meeting new people or not, life is a heck of a lot easier with good friends by your side.