International House: Spring Semester in Review

There is less than a month remaining at I-House for residents who leave in the spring, and my heart gets ever heavier with the impending day of moving out. Like most great things in life that arrive strong and live short, I am heartbroken at the end of my dalliance with I-House and extremely grateful for the months of learning, connection, and enrichment I was treated to.

If I were a gambling man, I’d bet that I am not the only resident going through these emotions. My peers and friends at International House have a gleam in their eyes and a similar fondness in their hearts for the time we have shared. 

As I come to terms with the end of my time here, I look to cope through reminiscing and appreciating the work of the I-House Resident Council, Programs Office, Communications Office, Staff, and most of all the residents themselves in putting together an exceptional year – one which I will carry close to my heart for decades to come.

The semester began strong with the welcome and move-in tours starting on the 10th of January. These helped the new spring residents settle into what I’m sure they’ll now describe as a second home. Welcome activities also included floor meetings with the RAs and learning the rules of I-House. I shamelessly did not attend any of these, being familiar with the realities of the residence.

As an ice breaker for the students and to get more comfortable with their residence, the RAs held a scavenger hunt and a painting night. On our end, we helped organize a resident photoshoot for those who didn’t have the chance last semester and the new spring residents. We had a considerable turnout of just under a hundred residents. We held the photoshoot in the dining commons which was a plus because students could not miss it. But I imagine it also backfired in some ways because most students either let it slip out of their minds during the meals or didn’t feel up to a photo immediately after their meals. Regardless, I-House did not hold back on events and the very next day was the first DiversiTEA of the semester with a welcome address from Shaun, our beloved Executive Director.

The coming weeks included exciting coffee hours, trivia events, and happy hours at Edmonds. Our team also added resident photos to the Fall Yearbook, which weren’t included in the original publication.

Residents also attended the Retreat for the Spring session by heading to the Green Mountain Retreat for a day. I had the pleasure of doing this in the fall, which you can read about here. While I did not have the opportunity to travel for it in the spring, my colleague and fellow resident wrote a blog post that you can read all about.

During this time, I-House also had the pleasure of hosting a comedy show in the Chevron Auditorium, which included acts from Abhay, David, and Matt, who were the performers for the event. Immediately after this event was the first Sunday Supper of the year. I did not have a chance to attend, but I heard it was quite the event and probably a great introduction of the new residents to the concept.

The major event that was coming up was the Big Give, which is when donors help the university and its affiliated bodies with their donations. We organized numerous activities including giveaways, competitions, and photoshoots, all of which you can read about here.

The first highlight in the DiversiTEAs that comes to my mind is the Nigerian one. The Afrobeats music, the cultural education, and best of all, the small chops were excellent. Residents enjoyed themselves thoroughly during this event. 

Before we knew it, the Big Give sprung up on us. Unfortunately, the start of the Big Give coincided with one of the major blackouts on campus. It was caused by one of the power facilities on the Berkeley Campus catching fire. Thankfully, no one was injured. However, it did put a cog in the Big Give machine. We still did our best to rally residents for the Big Give. What was interesting during this time was how well I-House adapted to the outage. While lunch was canceled, dinner started from 4-6 p.m. This included a round table setup for ease of access. Residents were also provided with glow sticks to use for the night while the campus tried to fix the outage. It was one of the rare moments we could see I-House and the rest of UC Berkeley react to an emergency with aplomb. The response was almost immediate. It is pertinent to mention that the Resident Council played a crucial role in all of this, keeping the residents up to date about the repair work and the status of meals being served in dining, the wifi, and entry and exit from I-House.

Shortly after the Big Give was the I-House Gala, which arrived shortly before the Spring Break. The Gala sought to invite important alumni while recognizing and lauding the efforts of award winners who made a meaningful contribution to society. It was a glamorous affair with some of the best wines, the best-dressed residents and guests, the best photographer (shoutout Jim Block), and the best bite food I’ve had at any International House event. You can read more about the Gala here.

Spring Break was a time to cool off, visit family, or vacation with friends. I had the pleasure of traveling to Columbus, Ohio, which we all know is a popular destination in spring. Jokes aside, there is surprisingly a lot of art in Columbus. There’s also a ton of natural beauty, which makes for great hikes, picnics, and outdoor hangouts. I particularly enjoyed the food there as well.

Once I got back to I-House I had all but three days remaining on my break. I decided to take a hike to Tilden Regional Park to see the steam train. It’s one of the hardest hikes I’ve done but it was so satisfying to reach the end. I hiked up an hour and fifteen minutes which included some treacherous terrain as it had rained the night prior. The views on the way were glorious, but once I reached the steam train, I had the time of my life.

I’m not a particularly old person, but I definitely felt like a child during the whole experience. It was a miniaturized steam train and I waited for two rides just so I could sit right up front and get a good glimpse of the ride through my eyes, and more importantly for you, through my camera. It is my favorite memory in Berkeley thus far and it’s a high bar to clear for any other adventures I take.

When the semester resumed, we opened registration to the St. Patrick’s Day DiversiTEA, with all its Irish splendor, and the registration for the final Sunday Supper of the season, themes for the bloom and spring. 

During this week, another big hit with the residents was the South Korean DiversiTEA which provided a delicious insight into Korean culture, featuring kimbap, Kimchi-jeon, Yak-gwa. and Korean drinks. There was some K-pop music and opportunities to dress in traditional Korean attire.

Later in the week, the final Sunday Supper of the year was held. The theme was spring and bloom. Residents gathered in large numbers to take photos at the booth at Edmonds, to eat the excellent bite foods available, and to dine a selection of Chef Abbie’s finest works, all while enjoying the performances of their fellow residents. The emcee at the event was RA William, whose charming endeavor kept the audience enrapt. The supper was particularly special as it took the time to recognize the year-long efforts of the I-House staff, workers, Programs office, Administration, and our Communications team. It closed with the ceremonial lighting of the candles.

There were a ton of coffee hours in the mix, including, interestingly, a special event for the launch of Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets’ Department. I personally do not find her music enjoyable, but I was lucky enough to notice the profligate snacks on display and helped myself to many cupcakes, chips, nachos, and mini pretzels. I did not think I’d be welcome at the event in my wildest dreams and was sure I’d get in trouble for not being a fan. It was nice of the organizers to be so accommodating and I’m sure they just wanted more attendance and no bad blood. 

On our side of things, we launched a form for headshot submissions to the Academic Year Yearbook for residents who had not yet had their photographs taken. Our goal was to maximize resident participation and representation in the yearbook and the majority of residents participated, which is some excellent work on the part of the communications office.

The Resident Community Council treated us to a cruise during the sunset that took residents through the San Francisco Bay. The dress code for the event was white and it was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone who signed up. The cruise accommodated 400 residents, and I regarded it as another display of excellent planning and organizing by the Council.

The final DiversiTEA of the year honored Norway. The Great Hall flooded with residents all lining up to taste the waffles and distinct brown cheese flavors. There were fun activities and music from Scandinavia which kept the residents engaged and entertained for the entire hour.

The International Cultural Festival was an auditory and visual delight, with performances from residents and groups from outside of I-House. A large number of residents also set up booths for the event, featuring Spain, Cameroon, Moldova, Romania, Denmark, and China, amongst others. There were activities, food, and drink at all the booths. Residents turned out in large numbers to enjoy the three hours of performances and interaction.

The last event of the year was the I-House Prom. The event included music, awards, and like all I-House events, a collection of finely dressed residents. The event included a spinning 360-degree photo booth outside the auditorium. Residents had the opportunity to dance, socialize, and cement their memories with photographs at the event. The prom went on for two and a half hours, shortly after which residents went to Kip’s in customary manner for the final Kip’s night organized by the Resident Community Council. It was the last weekend and the last event before Reading Week would come into full swing and I could hear the anxious and excited commotion late into the night.

The year drew to a close with the inevitable email message from I-House administration about the extended quiet hours, the dining timing extensions, and the beginning of reading week. I found myself feeling sadder still, with thoughts finding their way to planning and packing for leaving I-House. The reality struck me on one of my last days in the Communications office, working on the yearbook when my supervisor asked me if I was staying back in the summer and what my plans were. I believe I hadn’t said it out loud to anyone at I-House and that made it all the more real. I told her that I was planning my stay elsewhere and studying for the dreaded California Bar exam. It caused my heart to sink and I realized it would be a while before I found my way back into these halls, if at all. 

I will sign off, for now, with this as my last blog, and likely my last contribution to this space. I couldn’t have dreamt of a more beautiful or enriching place to be during my ephemeral Berkeley Law stint. No matter where I go from here, I know that I will continue to hope life brings me here again, to run again through the Berkeley streets, to eat some Top Dog and Artichoke Basille’s after a night at Kip’s, to hike up Grizzly Peak and Berkeley Hills, to walk up to the steps of I-House smiling, to know I’m home.