Ciao Host Family Program members!

Our new adventure started with a bang on Sunday, September 14, in the beautiful I-House Heller patio when we had our first reception.  There were 125 people (go I-House!) including hosts, I-House staff (hosting families) and residents. The weather was perfect, the vibe wonderful and it was clear to everyone that a new, vibrant, generous, inspiring community was born under the Dome.

In the days following our first event I received emails with your kind and warm comments on the new Host Family Program, as well as more applications from new hosts and residents who want to participate. With such an active and numerous group, matchmaking is very important, but we also need more ways and tools to nurture it.

Brainstorming is on and, after getting the green light from our Director, Hans Giesecke, I am now working on a biweekly newsletter and a Facebook group for our community. We are growing fast and the first meetings between host families and residents have already taken place. I’d love to share the wonderful pictures I am receiving from all of you, the stories, the deep, generous feelings behind all these gatherings, the fun you are having. And I’d love to let you know of all the activities going on here at I-House, a place where I hope you will feel more and more at home.

Let me also share one other positive Host Family Program outcome. After our reception, matchmaking continued as I discovered many affinities between residents members of our community. It was fun and rewarding to see unexpected connections form and to discretely suggest the possibility of new friendships. This way Marc, a future Doctor from Germany is going to meet Diana, an Epidemiologist from Mozambique. They will be hosted by the Tao family where the husband, Keith, is a Physician, in order for them to have a good insight on the medical profession in the US. Another generous family in our Program, Sarah and Ivan Diamond, accepted to talk to Marc as well and give him their point of view on Medicine in the US (Ivan is a well known Professor at USCF School of Medicine).

Nicole Ruihui Xu with her hosts Gunnar and Vivian Ellam

Email photos of your gatherings to hostfamily@berkeley.edu, like Nicole did after her dinner at Barney’s with her hosts, pictured here.

There will lots of stories to tell, tips to share on how to host and be hosted, cultural differences to be learned. The potential of our community is great and I am totally committed to explore every possibility it offers.

So, stay tuned! There is a lot more coming up in our new Host Family Program. I-House once again invites you to build lifelong memories and meet the world.