The international experience

    As the old joke goes, if you speak three languages, you’re trilingual; if you speak two languages, you’re bilingual; and if you speak one language … you’re American — but not at International House.

    International House is UCSD’s experiment in promoting diversity. This unique set of resident halls, located in the Pepper Canyon Apartments of Eleanor Roosevelt College, was created to foster understanding and friendship among people from a wealth of backgrounds, countries and cultures.

    “”It’s like living in 10 different countries at once, but with all the conveniences of America,”” said Revelle college senior Chuck Hassenplug.

    Over the past 14 years, the I-House program has grown to include nearly 200 students from over 20 countries, all of whom live together with American students to build their international community.

    “”Since I didn’t live on campus my first two years, I-House really was like my freshman experience,”” said Josh Wortman, a Roosevelt college senior in his second year at I-House. “”I became great friends with my roommate from Japan. We had the same types of interests and problems with things. It was interesting how similar we really were, despite our differences in culture.””

    Many of the foreign students at I-House have studied abroad in the past or are here at UCSD doing just that. Keiko Bando of Japan chose to live on campus at I-House during her year abroad.

    “”I really liked the international atmosphere,”” she said. “”In Japan, there are really only Japanese people, so I don’t have so much time to speak to people from other countries.””

    Similarly, Hassenplug spent last year in Spain and wanted to expand on his international experience.

    “”I always heard great things about [I-House], and after going abroad, it just seemed like the natural thing”” he said “”I feel really lucky to have gotten in; it has been a great experience for me.””

    Like many students at UCSD, Matthias Colas, a student from France, partly chose this school for his year abroad because of the nice weather and proximity to the ocean.

    “”I never took a plane or left Europe before this,”” he said. “”California is like a dream for me — the sun is always shining. There aren’t campuses like this in Paris; there is no place for them. It’s all so great, what can I say?””

    I-House residents from UCSD work hard to give the international students the full American experience for which they came. The tradition of trick-or-treating at Halloween is virtually unknown in the rest of the world, and has proved an exciting new activity for international students who participate for the first time through I-House.

    Last year, Wortman took his friends from I-House to his old high school for the Homecoming football game, complete with parade floats and cheerleaders.

    “”They were so excited,”” he said. “”It was like what they had always seen in movies.””

    In addition, the residents are strongly encouraged to participate in the programming that is developed to further explore the different cultures and build friendships. These include activities such as intramural sports, language tables, informal seminars, weekends away, cultural events or themed parties. Another aspect of the community activities is that students are expected to plan and develop programs that suit their own interests. In the past, there have been elaborate Swedish dinners, Asian culture nights, trips to the Grand Canyon and a language table to learn British slang.

    “”Unlike some parts of UCSD, where apathy runs rampant, here at I-House everyone loves to be involved,”” said Paul Lin, a fifth-year Revelle student. “”The international students paid big dollars to come to the United States, and they want to make the best of it.””

    One of the most popular activities is the language tables, which are held every few weeks in a number of languages, including Spanish, French, Korean, Cantonese, Mandarin, German and Polish. This is a place for students to practice their language skills and learn from the international students. Whether it’s learning to prepare a recipe while speaking only in Spanish, watching a French film or attending a Japanese cultural event, the language tables provide ample occasions to further the international experience.

    For those who wish to give back to the community, I-House Cares is a completely student-run community service organization that organizes various philanthropic activities. Past works have included beach cleanups, feeding the homeless and fundraising for inner-city kids. Any students at UCSD are welcome to participate in the projects that the organization does throughout the year.

    American, European and Asian culture nights have also proved successful in the past, showcasing food from various countries, as well as educational displays, music, dance and entertainment. These have proved to be excellent opportunities for students to explore the cultures of those around them, while at the same time helping others to appreciate and understand their own.

    One of I-House’s Resident Advisors, Thurgood Marshall college senior Sandra Nakamura, considers this an opportunity to be a mentor to the students involved in the program. She herself is no stranger to diversity.

    “”I was born and raised in Lima, Peru, to a family of Asian immigrants,”” she said. “”So since an early age, I have been aware of the impact that cultural diversity has on the development of an individual’s character.

    “”I strongly feel that it has been the everyday interaction with fellow students, friends and roommates sharing their own cultures and family traditions that have made my residence at the International House an extremely valuable experience.””

    Many students are finding that they learn many new things from just the people in their own apartments.

    “”There’s nothing cooler than sitting across the table from an Italian telling you exactly how the perfect pasta should be made –garlic, pepper, oil and nothing else. I now know the science of pasta noodles, how each is designed to pick up sauce in a different way,”” Wortman said.

    “”My apartment mate Izabel is from Brazil and plays Brazilian music on the stereo and has shown us how to dance to it,”” said Gillian Sonnad, an ERC sophomore and chairperson of the International House of Programming, the programming board for I-House’s activities.

    The new UCSD policy of unifying the on-campus living experience by requiring each resident to purchase a meal plan has increased the cost of living on campus, and many international students could not afford to attend this year. In addition, this limits the amount of cooking that many will do, decreasing a vital element of cultural sharing that characterizes I-House.

    For those who wish to be involved in the vast international community on campus, the International Center works with I-House to provide a number of services and activities that are available to all students. The International Club, open to students from all cultures, seeks to increase awareness and interaction between American and international students. The International Partners Program matches an American and an international student based on similar interests.

    Lindsay Harris, an English international student who interns at the International Student and Scholar Office, encourages students to be involved with these cultural programs.

    “”There are approximately 1,200 students from over 70 different countries here at UCSD,”” she said. “”They are an invaluable resource for anyone interested in different countries, travel, cross-cultural communication or language.””

    So whether you plan to study abroad someday or are just interested in a great recipe for Miso soup, the international community on campus contains everything your looking for. To keep up to date with the events at I-House, visit http://ercreslife.ucsd.edu/ihouse/ and add yourself to the I-House listserv.

    Photos by Lyon Liew

    More to Discover
    Donate to The UCSD Guardian
    $200
    $500
    Contributed
    Our Goal

    Your donation will support the student journalists at University of California, San Diego. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment, keep printing our papers, and cover our annual website hosting costs.

    Donate to The UCSD Guardian
    $200
    $500
    Contributed
    Our Goal