Buongiorno I-House

Posted on August 5, 2014 by lilianacardile

A job at I-House is not your everyday job.

We still clock in and out, write reports, have supervisors and hold meetings. But there is more than that here: we are part of a big community made by smart International and American students, interesting visitors, incredible alumni, talented speakers for our events, lovely I-House friends and beautiful, beautiful staff.

Liliana Cardile

Saying “Buongiorno” is my favorite morning ritual, along with a good cup of espresso!

Everyone of us working under the Dome knows how important it is to establish mutual trust and good relationships with our coworkers, students and friends and how nice it is to share our news, joys and worries with them in the hallways or in front of the coffee machines on those days when everything seems to go in a wrong direction.

Working at the Front Desk I noticed everyone of us has developed a peculiar, instinctive way to nurture our community, based on small everyday habits. It can be a daily appointment with a favorite colleague in front of a fresh coffee, a regular brief chat on our way home, a joke while moving our cars to escape the City of Berkeley fines, lunch together, workout or long walks during lunch breaks. Everybody does it in a special way.

I find these daily rites help the day go by and even serve to separate different blocks in our work schedule. I of course have my favorites, one above all.

In the morning, when I come in, I always make sure to be just a little bit early. That is when I walk through the House to say good morning to the different offices. As work at I-House resembles a long ongoing conversation, this is my way to restart it after the night pause and let everyone know I am back in the House. It’s a two seconds catch up with everyone but it really makes my morning. I call it the “Buongiorno walk”, my very own way to feed my community sense and I truly enjoy it.

And you, students, friends and I-House staff: which is your personal way to strengthen your community feeling under the Dome?

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August 4 – 10 Menu

Posted on August 4, 2014 by Laurie Ferris

Enjoy a variety of international cuisines for breakfast, lunch and dinner in the I-House Dining Commons.

August 4 - 10 menu

August 4 – 10 menu

Weekly menu at: http://ihouse.berkeley.edu/dining/menu.php

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Summer of 1989 25th Anniversary Reunion

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Laurie Ferris

Letter From…. Alumnus Kamran Nemati (IH 1984-1995)

Summer of 1989 at International House Berkeley was a special summer.  For those of us who had the privilege of living there at that time, it brings special memories.  We had a large group from Bordeaux in France staying at I-House that summer and they bonded extremely well with the long term residents.  We had several outings such as trips to Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, and Lake Tahoe to name a few.  They all still remember Eric Stromberg’s famous strawberry daiquiris during the frequent late night parties in the Game Room and gathering at Dariush Mirfendereski’s room (aka Club 724) right after Wednesday night coffee hour.

Dariush Mirfendereski’s room

Kamran Nemati’s room during the Monday Night Video Club

For many years I hosted “Monday Night Video Club” in my room, which really climaxed in summer of 1989.  On Monday nights, after watching a movie, we partied all night in my room.  It was not uncommon to have more than 20 people in my room during my parties! (some photos of this weekly event are attached).  In fact my Monday Night Video Club had become famous in Bordeaux, since every summer the new French residents coming from there were asking about it, having heard from previous summer residents.

Friends gathered for Video nightMany of the French residents were sad that they were missing the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution celebration on July 14 (Bastille Day or Le quatorze Juillet), so I flew to Paris for a couple of days, took many pictures of the Bastille Day festivities, and upon my return presented a grand slide show at Home Room with all the French residents cheering on, which was followed by a delayed Bastille Day party at I-House Café.

Summer of 1989 was indeed a great summer that is permanently carved in our memories.  Many of us are still in touch and visit in both sides of the Atlantic when traveling.  It was the foundation for many great summers until 1995, when finally I left I-House.  But the memories live on, thus the reason for the “Summer of 1989 Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Reunion” on July 12, 2014.  (Pictured below in the I-House Home Room. For more photos see the album on Facebook)

Reunion on July 12, 2014

From left to right: Mr. Tannyhill, Mehryar Garakani, Cynthia Gaertner-Bridges, Eric Stromberg, Kamran M. Nemati, Dariush Mirfendereski, Hans C. Giesecke, Ali Mirza, Lori Tannyhill, Abby Cook, Mehrdad Afrahi, Mayra Nieves-Bekele, Moira Dowell, Sebastian Dowell

 

“To me, I House was not a dormitory, it was a community of scholars and gifted people who profoundly changed my life, so much so that I ended up living there for 10.5 years and earning 5 degrees in the process.”
– Dr. Kamran M. Nemati

If you have stories and photos to share on our blog, please email Laurie Ferris at lferris@berkeley.edu.

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Where Dreams Change!!!

Posted on July 31, 2014 by vishwab

“I close my eyes, then I drift away, into the magic night I softly say. A silent prayer, like dreamers do, then I fall asleep to dream my dreams of you.”

-Roy Orbison

We are the World Offsite Retreat Camp Loma Mar, Half moon Bay First cohort of Initiative in Intercultural Leadership - Spring 2012

Meet the dreamers
Bonfire at  Camp Loma Mar, Half moon Bay
I-House Initiative in Intercultural Leadership – Spring 2012

Woosssshhhh!!! the wind blew into our faces as the doors opened automatically and we walked out into the bright sunny morning. Strange….didn’t I manually push it open?

“Lets get married in Vegas,” said my Dutch friend. “But you need to find girls first,” beamed the girl from Palestine.

“Alas! I have been looking for ages now…..but who cares. Did you see that video from Santorum about Obama ?”, remarked the Memphis guy. Then the journalist from Africa added, “The state of affairs in Africa needs us to join hands.”

“Who’s up for a trip to Antarctica after tonight’s party?” shouted the smiling Mexican girl.

Very strange!! Wasn’t that the guy from North India talking about marriage and the South Indian girl questioning us? Weren’t we discussing about the next Indian President and the plight of slums in Mumbai? And I thought that the Delhi girl wanted to go on a trip to the Himalayas! This feels so ‘deja-vu’ish. Something brick red, suddenly swept past and I was rapidly falling. Wait! this looks like the Golden Gate but when did that come to India? Before I could think further….Splashhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Welcome 2012! Dec 31 night Firework Celebrations:San Francisco Taro, Wicher, Vishwa, AnaLuz, Laura, Regii

Welcoming a New Year
Dec 31, 2011 night Firework Celebrations:San Francisco
Taro, Wicher, Vishwa, AnaLuz, Laura, Regii

Did any of that make any sense to you? Well honestly neither did it to me until I opened my eyes on a morning about two years back and the sun was shining brightly on my bed through the window shutters. Oh! That was just a dream. Interestingly, I had dreamt something similar a long time ago when I was still in my undergrad back in India. People had changed, topics had turned from national to global and here I was now sitting in a well-furnished, nice cozy room looking forward to begin the Spring break with a breakfast amidst my friends from across the world – “Welcome to International House!” I congratulated myself.

On second thoughts, the change in my dreams summarized my I-House experience. Still in bed, I began to ponder over my last eight months at Berkeley. Surprise! I seemed to have learnt more from being a part of the I-House family than my actual graduate studies, for which I came here in the first place. Hmm!! “How?” isn’t that the question in your mind right now? Well I knew that question would repeatedly come and so I decided to pen down my early life at I-House.

“Wait, are you going to tell me a long boring story now?” thanks for asking that. My answer is – No. But definitely it is going to be a wonderful anecdote for you to remember. I can still see that warm August morning when I first walked onto the front steps with my luggage. Unknown faces, colourful attires, incomprehensible accents – I was honestly apprehensive. Then, there was that Resident assistant with a big smile on his face who showed me to my room and explained everything. After I closed the door – “Phew! that was a long journey. I can get some rest now.” I thought the journey was over but little did I know that the adventure had just begun.

From that day till this, every experience has been quite enriching. I had always dreamt of traveling the world. Looking down the memory lane at I-House, I seem to be traveling every day to a new country.

All tasks done in style! Residents at Spring Retreat'12

All tasks completed in style
Residents at Spring Retreat’12

“Well that is bound to happen at any international place with 600 people from across the globe living together. What is so different about it?” A very good question again my friend! Then tell me how often do you dance with a Japanese, an Australian, a German and a Canadian around a bonfire or jump on ropes with a Brazilian and a Norwegian at the same time (that was my first retreat)?

If that sounds different, what about saying hi to a new person every day on your corridor and greeted back with a smile, a fist punch or a simple hand wave depending on where the person is from or brushing your teeth every morning in your night shirts and pajamas next to a guy wearing nothing but his shorts.

“Now you sound interesting. Tell me more!!” Aha! you are getting more and more inquisitive. This conversation is metaphorical of how I-House would answer my inquisitiveness every single day.

Glowing with the lights! Residents in the Dining at Diwali Dinner'11

Glowing with the lights!
Diwali’11 Cultural Dinner at I-House Dining Hall

After classes, when I would get back to dinner, I would be refreshed by the different cuisines and the nice stimulating discussions. What would otherwise just be a silent dinner turns into a debate on global politics on one day or into an inter-cultural carnival on the other.

Coffee is a single beverage but every Wednesday it turns into a portal to a new culture down in the Great Hall. Even before you can come to terms with that feeling of wonder, you are open to a new vista of experience from a famous speaker on evenings quite so often. Longing for a dose of relaxation? Well, then you can watch a film which would make you laugh, cry and think about the world you are a part of.

I study Civil Engineering and teach Physics. But often on mornings as I walked down to class stressed with the workload, when the Executive Director of I-House would smile and wave to me on the way, I realized what a beautiful family I am a part of. At the campus I grow intellectually but back at I house, I grow personally. Every conversation makes me realize the pride of our nations that each of us carry on our shoulders, as representatives of the cultures we come from.

Jesse, Long, Marius, Katherine, Sebastian, Kaori, Shivanee, Malene, Andreas, Dana Breidi, Siva, Christy, Sara, Andrew, Do, Jess, Michel, Jessica Joe, Martin, Suki, Susi, Nina, Vishwa, Alessandro, Liliane The First cohort of I-House Initiative in Intercultural Leadership - Spring 2012

Jesse, Long, Marius, Katherine, Sebastian, Kaori, Shivanee, Malene, Andreas, Dana
Breidi, Siva, Christy, Sara, Andrew, Do, Jess, Michel, Jessica
Joe, Martin, Suki, Susi, Nina, Vishwa, Alessandro, Liliane
The First cohort of I-House Initiative in Intercultural Leadership – Spring 2012

A very good example of that is the Intercultural Leadership Initiative that I was a part of. The small group has students from across the globe. What strikes me most about it is that we learn about intercultural conflicts and communication styles and live and experience them at the same time.

All of that seems to strike a serious note, does it? Then, let me take you on a recreational intercultural trip where you sing karaoke with a Thai student or cheer your team at football and watch the Oscars together with Asians, Europeans, Africans and Americans in one spirit, under the same roof or go on a hike into the hills with an Italian, an Ethiopian and an Indonesian.

Look at his smile! Its definitely him! Residents Sunshine(John), Wicher, Critsch, Meghan, Helene, Joe and Rachel (from left) at a game of Mafia in the Great Hall.

Look at his smile… Its definitely him!
Residents Sunshine(John), Wicher, Critsch, Meghan, Helene, Joe and Rachel (from left) at a game of Mafia in the Great Hall.

You know you are at the I-House when you can’t solve equations but can read the expressions of a Dutch mathematician at a game where an American lawyer, a South African artist, a journalist from Tanzania, a German political scientist and many more are trying to find who is good and who is evil.

Does this sound like the “long boring story” you were expecting? I can spot that broad smile on your face now. It is that same smile which crosses my face every time I remember my time at I-House. Many residents have found meaning to their lives or at least a good direction, which has usually been ironically different from what they wanted to do when they first landed at Berkeley. If that wasn’t enough, some have even found their soul mates.

It is less of the time that I have spent and more of the people that I have been fortunate to meet, who have given me the confidence to see life in a new light. They say that a man is made of his dreams and at I-House I have learnt to dream bigger. I now see new and better ways in which I can contribute to make the world a better place to live in. Harry Edmunds’ initiative after he met the Chinese student has lived to its mission. A confused and lost student when I first landed at this place, far away from my family, I now feel I am home.

In a circle of cultures! Residents at Fall Retreat'11 - Valley of the Moon

In a circle of cultures
Residents at Fall Retreat’11 – Valley of the Moon

In essence –

With simple small dreams, to myself unknown,
I landed in a world, diverse, new and strange!!
Discovered a new life, every moment I’ve grown,
In this beautiful house, where all dreams change!!!

International House Border Crossing Essay Contest

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July 28 – August 3 Menu + Grilled Marinated Lamb Recipe

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Laurie Ferris

Enjoy a variety of international cuisines for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Full menu at: http://ihouse.berkeley.edu/dining/menu.php

lamb

Mediterranean Lunch (7/30) Menu: Hummus, Baba Ganoush, Greek Salad, Tomato Soup w/ Israeli Couscous, Chicken Souvlaki, Grilled Marinated Lamb, Orzo w/ Roasted Vegetables, Pita Bread, Roasted Vegetables

Featured recipe of the week:
Grilled Marinated Lamb in Pita Pockets (served during Mediterranean lunch on Wed. July 30th.)

Ingredients:

  • 30 Lbs Lamb, cut in thin strips
  • Olive Oil
  • 1 quart Red Wine Vinegar
  • 2 cups Garlic, chopped
  • 4 cups Fresh Mint
  • 2 cups Fresh Oregano
  • 1 cup Dried Oregano
  • 1 cup Dried Thyme
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Pita Bread
  • Lettuce

Sauce:

  • 6 qts. Plain or Greek Yogurt
  • 2 cups Lemon Juice
  • 4 bunches Fresh Dill, chopped
  • 4 English Cucumbers, diced small
  • 1 bunch Fresh Mint
  • Salt and Pepper

Procedures:

  1. Marinate meat with oil, red wine vinegar, and spices for 1-2 hours.
  2. In batches of about 25-50 portions, stir fry marinated lamb.
  3. Mix ingredients for sauce.
  4. Grill pita bread. Split pita in half, fill with lettuce, lamb, and sauce.

Pop Quiz! Name that movie:

[upon learning Ian is a vegetarian] What do you mean, you don’t eat no meat? [The entire room stops, in shock. We hear plates break and there are gasps.]
…That’s okay, that’s okay. I make lamb.

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The power of coffee

Posted on July 24, 2014 by lilianacardile

Being Italian I am very aware of the power of coffee.

In the very morning whenever I feel still tired and sleepy the thought of that magic cup freshly brewed (by my beautiful espresso machine) makes everything bearable and even pleasant, after a couple of sips.

Staff Coffee Hour Organizers Laura Berman, Liliana Cardile & Breidi Truscott Roberts

Staff Coffee Time organizers take a selfie. From left: Laura Berman, Liliana Cardile & Breidi Truscott Roberts

When I arrive at work, another cup allows me to adjust to the I-House high pace and make it through my lunch break. One more coffee after lunch and then a long pause until the next morning to (hopefully) get a good sleep. Coffee wakes you up, keeps you focused, comforts you in a stressful situation.

Also, and most important, coffee brings people together.

It happened again today at I-House when we inaugurated a new community corner that we all hope could become a healthy, pleasant habit. We now have our staff coffee time and we started treating ourselves with some nice bagels with cheese and salmon spreads, petite muffins, fresh fruit, orange juice and of course fresh, strong coffee.

The smell of it immediately built a welcoming atmosphere in the Gamble lounge where a beautiful spread was set up.

People came in during the whole hour and conversation flew in all different directions among staff. Kids, family, holidays, clothes, recipes, works concerns were among the topics we shared. A sip of coffee and a little chat before going back to work and every worry felt just a little bit lighter because we laughed about it with one of our colleagues.

image(3) image(4)

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Navigating Cultures – Fall 2014 Course at I-House

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Laurie Ferris

Navigating Cultures:
Living & Working Around the Globe in the 21st Century

Navigating Cultures Course

Navigating Cultures Course Fall 2014

(Peace and Conflict Studies 119 P004 Fall Semester 2014, Four Units)

This four-unit course created at International House provides the knowledge and skills to be more effective in the global arena. We study how culture shapes perceptions, defines relationships and influences how people around the globe communicate or miscommunicate across cultures.  Led by an international teaching team, the focus is both geographic and conceptual as students identify their own cultural compass and learn to assess other cultures with reference to selected cultures in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Latin and North America.

Navigating Cultures incorporates case studies and practical, hands-on simulations from business, diplomacy, politics and everyday life to take students beyond the class room. These will be supplemented with thought provoking presentations from guest speakers, lively discussions and the occasional YouTube or film clip.

By the end of the semester students will have a better understanding of their own cultural compass and tools to assess and interact with other cultures in an insightful and nonjudgmental manner. Those who come to think and act effectively across cultures will have gained essential tools for living, working and thriving in a globalized world.

Course Control Number: 66742 (PACS 119 Special Topics 004)

Enrollment details and registration link (Tele-BEARS)

http://ihouse.berkeley.edu/navigatingcultures

Class size is strictly limited to facilitate class participation. Interested students are encouraged to register early.

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What’s Cooking: July 21-27 Menu + Cannellini & Kale Soup recipe

Posted on July 18, 2014 by Laurie Ferris

Enjoy a variety of international cuisines all week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Full menu at: http://ihouse.berkeley.edu/dining/menu.php

Kale-Bean-Soup

Cannellini Bean and Kale Soup will be served during dinner on Sun. July 27, 6-8pm

Featured recipe of the week:
Cannellini Bean and Kale Soup
Ingredients (100 portions – adjust as needed):

  • 10# cannellini beans
  • 1 cases kale, cleaned and chopped
  • ½ # butter
  • 5 # yellow onion, sliced
  • ½ cup garlic, chopped
  • 1 #10 cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 bunch fresh oregano, tied
  • 1 bunch fresh thyme, tied
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 1 gallons water
  • ¼ cup veg base
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

  1. Cook Cannellini beans not quite tender(20 mins left)
  2. In tilt skillet, melt butter, and saute onions and garlic
  3. Add kale and some water and tomatoes and cook 10 mins
  4. Add rest of ingredients and bring to simmer.
  5. Add beans and continue simmering for 30 mins,
  6. Adjust salt and pepper as necessary
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The Spirit Transforms !!! Border Crossing Essay

Posted on July 18, 2014 by vishwab

“I used to live in a room full of mirrors, all I could see was me.
I took my spirit and crashed my mirrors, now the whole world is here for me to see.”
–        Jimi Hendrix

At the Watchtower, Grand Canyon Ritadhi, Vishwa and Karan

All along the Watchtower, Grand Canyon
Ritadhi Chakravarty, Vishwanath Bulusu and Karanpal Singh during their epic spring break trip

Zzzziipppp!!! Throwing the bottle in, I closed my bag and locking my room I zoomed past the busy corridor.  “And off you go!!” exclaimed my surprised Irish neighbor. “OMG watch out!” shouted the stunned Norwegian girl as I leaped over my crouching French buddy. Glimpses of a couple Finns, some Germans, a huddle of pumped up Chinese and my friend from Kenya all holding colorful bags shimmered past, as I flew over stairs and across hallways. “Goodbye!!” I beamed at the smiling custodians waving to me.

Avoiding near fatal collisions and past a few awestruck faces, I reached the front and with a jet of fresh breeze the doors opened, Swoosssshhhh!!!

‘Wow, I love the opening sequence, what movie is it?’ Did you just think that? Well that was me at the starting of the Spring Break a year back. Ready and agog for a long awaited trip, I stood there staring into the faces of my co-passengers – the agriculture economist and the civil engineer from India and the Korean political scientist. The journey begins….I congratulated myself.

Little did I know that the five days ahead would be such a metaphorical experience, reminiscent of my transformation at my home – the “International House” ‘How did that happen?’ Hmmm! Curiouser and curiouser!! Then fasten your seat belts as I take you on an adventure across three states that brought me face to face with a personal encounter of global proportions.

Tired with a semester’s workload, wary yet curious of what lay ahead, as the engine revved up and we started, it reminded me of how exactly I was when on a warm August morning I first walked into a plethora of unknown faces, colorful attires and incomprehensible accents – tired and lost. The conversation in the car turned to us learning more about each other and like deja-vu, it showed me glimpses of those wonderful retreats where I always had my first discovery of the vast cultures I live, dine and grow with every day.

Triggered by the scenic panorama of California with grasslands, houses, hills and clouds moving past my window, I slipped into the memories of times when you dance with a girl from Uganda, an Indonesian and a Korean cheer leader around a bonfire or jump on ropes with a Brazilian, an Italian and a Turk at the same time. Simply transforming were some of those first late night sneak outs and Great Hall chats where from a Palestinian girl, an American historian or a Dutch mathematician, I had a deeper first hand insight to the world I hadn’t seen. Strangely, although I came to Berkeley as a Civil Engineering student, unbeknownst to me, my transformation to a global outlook had already begun.

A Canyon of Cultures Sunset at Grand Canyon Mingjiao Jin(Korea), Ritadhi Chakravarty, Vishwanath Bulusu and Karanpal Singh(India)

Spanning a “Canyon of Cultures,” I-House residents
Mingjiao Jin from Korea with Ritadhi, Vishwa and Karan from India

The next day, we set off into Arizona – the state of canyons and gorges. On one of our infrequent stops for food, we sat around a table discussing some historical and political issues. In a jiffy, I was teleported to our very own dining hall where every now and then I would encounter some of the most stimulating discussions on global issues. Food became a mode of celebrating festivals across cultures as we rejoiced like a family breaking all interior and exterior borders.

As the setting sun that evening and the rising one the next morning glowed on the Grand Canyon, I gazed in awe. How symbolic were those multicolor layers of glowing rocks? They were reminiscent of the layers of cultural impact that shaped each one of my fellow residents I ever encountered. Nature showed me again the beauty of the diversity that I had been a part of for so long. What I learned from the Intercultural Leadership Initiative about intercultural conflicts and resolving them by just looking deeper within stood fortified in front of me in the walls of a mile deep canyon.

‘It is heartwarming but where’s the fun quotient? Were you not taking me on an adventure?’ You know when to ask the right question. And guess what, we crossed into Nevada and reached Las Vegas by night. I see the smile on your face now. The colorful lights and the carefree and jaunty people enjoying around reminded me of how after a tiresome week, we would often celebrate our weekends partying and dancing together late into the night. A confluence of cultures is a cause for celebration and truly so every Wednesday, a cup of coffee would open the portal to the beauty of a new culture. In a completely new place, joining in the frolic of the night reminded me of how along with my fellow resident Asians, Europeans and Africans, I often cheered our team at football, without a clue of the game but joined together with our fellow Americans in true spirit.

Visiting the Hoover Dam and looking at the engineering marvel built in harmony with nature brought back memories of experienced speakers who on evenings shared with us insights into global issues trying to bridge the gaps between cultures.

Standing Tall at the Lowest point in Western Hemisphere! Badwater Basin, Death Valley Vishwa, karan, Ritadhi and Mingjiao

Standing Tall at the Lowest point in Western Hemisphere!
Badwater Basin, Death Valley
Vishwa, Karan, Ritadhi and Mingjiao

Journeying on, the serene sights of Death Valley and the exquisite landscapes along the Sierras bore witness to my frequent encounters with the I-House films exploring tales of untouched lands and untold stories.

Look its a lake! Lake Tahoe Mingjiao, Ritadhi and Vishwa

Look, it’s a lake! Lake Tahoe
Mingjiao, Ritadhi and Vishwa

Deep in reminiscence, I then heard the soft sprinkles of rain on the windshield. That natural rhythm stood like testimony to my cultural exploration even through music, singing karaoke or jamming with an American and an Argentinian. Sitting on the shores of Tahoe, staring into the calm cool water, I felt that spirit in me rekindle. The tales of I-House are unending and unique. When you are alone or lost, you could just rejuvenate yourself on a walk with an Indian journalist, a South African artist and an Azerbaijani comic. If the tension of midterms is killing you, you could swat some Norwegians, French and Koreans with a sock at a friendly game of Assassins. Small encounters and deep impacts transform you every moment and you become a completely new and better person.

Our final dinner on way back to Berkeley marked the end of this adventure. We enjoyed it to the core celebrating how each one of us revisited the transformation at I-House through the metaphor of nature. So, do you now see how it happened in five days? I can see your smile broadening.

This morning is new. The time at I-House has showed me my true persona within. I came as an engineering student but now I want to travel and explore the world further, maybe even make travel documentaries to bring cultures together. Widening my perspective, I now see everyone who has imbibed the spirit of I-House has gone through this transformation. Whom do I owe it to? Well every single person who is, was or will ever be a part of the I-House family. At a place where my dreams changed, I now saw my spirit transform. Staring into the rising sun, from this majestic testimony to global cultures, I am reborn.

Straight from my heart, I just feel –

Discovering the world, under a single dome,
I evolve as a person, breaking all norms!!
Imbibed by the essence, of a place I feel home,
Rekindled every moment, the spirit transforms!!!

-Vishwanath Bulusu

I-House Border Crossing Essay Contest

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A House away from home

Posted on July 16, 2014 by lilianacardile

Once an I-House resident, forever an I-House resident.

That’s why during my days at the I-House Front Desk I receive so many visits of people who 10, 20, 30, 40, 44 years ago spent some time between these walls and still have beautiful memories to share with families and friends.

I have learned to recognize I-House alumni from many different signs. They come in with their backpacks as they usually visit from other cities, states and, frequently, countries. They have the relaxed, warm smile of people coming home. They look up to the new entrance and our conversations frequently start with one same question: “Is this new? It wasn’t here when I was living at I-House and Front Desk staff used to freeze in winter and boil in summer!” We laugh and I am thankful for the new Front Desk.

Professor Arun K. Jain comes back to I House with his family after 44 years. Welcome home!

Professor Arun K. Jain comes back to I House with his family after 44 years. Welcome home!

Then they tell me their story and introduce me to their husbands or wives (so many people met at I-House and married shortly after) and to their kids and relatives. They want to wander around in search of that particular corner where they used to hang out with their international friends. They walk to the Hall of History, inspect the patio, breathe a bit of the old good atmosphere, remember those magic years of their early youth, then live full of renewed memories of their time in Berkeley.

Professor Arun K. Jain, who now teaches Marketing Research at the University of Buffalo, visited a couple of days ago. Wearing the friendliest smile, he told me about many evenings spent listening to music in the Great Hall while he was living at I-House, almost 44 years ago. He said he was “back to the nest” courtesy of his graceful daughter who wanted to take him back to I-House with his wife.

Madeleine Wulffson, an artist and a very nice and warm lady, came to I-House last week. She recalled so many nice moments here at I-House from where she left several years ago to travel around the world. She lives in Rome now and while we were talking, we figured out we had been neighbors without knowing it back in the day, when I was still living in Rome and working as a reporter. Only few doors between our apartments back in Rome. The world is really small sometimes. We talked and laughed and then hugged each other. And that was another of I-House’s amazing gifts!

Madeleine Wulffson comes back to I House. She now lives in Rome few doors away from where Liliana Cardile, our Front Desk manager, used to live! It's a small small world.

Madeleine Wulffson comes back to I House. She now lives in Rome few doors away from where Liliana Cardile, our Front Desk manager, used to live! It’s a small small world.

 

 

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