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Cross-Cultural Weddings Sara Bakhtary & Giovanni Gonzalez Dubois Giovanni is from Guatemala and Sara is of Iranian background. Their two cultures were reflected on their wedding day through the mix of Latino and Persian music on the dance floor, the kabob served for dinner, and the international guests present speaking Spanish, Farsi, and English. Sylvia Saltzstein & Cliff Ho Cliff and Sylvia met in the I-House Café, hit it off immediately, and fell in love. I-House brought so much joy to their lives that when they decided to get married, Joe Lurie was their first choice to officiate the marriage! As an official "Deputy Marriage Commissioner for a Day," Joe made the ceremony wonderfully special. Juliet Estrella & Mark Spencer Love is in the air at I-House! On Valentine's Day 2013, I-House launched a new webpage that features stories of couples and friends who met at I-House. The effort inspired more alumni to share their stories, so we kept the love alive by adding to the page and by featuring couples and friendships on our Facebook page! Here are just a few of these remarkable stories of cross-cultural love and friendship. See more at ihouse.berkeley.edu/love. Contribute your story via email ihalumni@berkeley.edu. Share the love! ♥ I-House Alumni Couple of the Year 2013 Ambassador Ken Taylor & Dr. Patricia Taylor "It was about 7 am and we were the only two residents in the dining hall for breakfast..." began Ken Taylor, when reminiscing about meeting his wife of 55 years, Pat, at I-House in October 1958. Ken and Pat were interviewed in April, 2013 as part of I-House's 25th Celebration and Awards Gala at which they were recognized as I-House Alumni Couple of the Year. "She was getting a PhD in bacteriology plus was a violinist and ballet dancer....I thought there must be three or four of her to be doing so many things," continued Ken, who at Cal earned his degree in Business at Haas. The couple then embarked on many overseas assignments linked to Ken's service in Canada's diplomatic corps, while Pat continued her scientific research. The recent Oscar-winning film Argo is a fictionalized account of their real-life heroism in Iran during the 1979 hostage crisis—while Ken was Canadian Ambassador to Iran—harboring American would-be hostages to safety in a Canadian-led rescue. "The lessons of I-House have been such an important part of our lives since—and of course we wouldn't have each other if it weren't for I-House," says Pat. Their inscribed brick on the I-House Café patio (pictured at right) says it all. Nicola Szibbo & Troy Reinhalter Nicola, a Canadian, and Troy, an American, met in 2008. They loved hanging out at I-House and attending holiday meals in the Dining Hall, Coffee Hour, formal dances, hiking and attending Cal games with other international students. In August 2012, Nicola and Troy married in San Francisco, where both their families from Vancouver, BC and from Washington, DC traveled for the big event. They attended the April 18th Gala and were excited that Ambassador Ken Taylor and Dr. Pat Taylor are "couple of the year," given the release of the movie Argo and the US-Canadian cooperation that led to the successful "Canadian Caper" in Iran. Momo Zheng & Raj Shekhar Singh Juliet and Mark met during their first week at I-House, in August 1988. Their wedding ceremony blended together Filipino, Catholic and Jewish traditions, which they continue to this day. They happily count themselves among the many cross-cultural couples, and enjoy visits back to I-House. 6 International House Times Raj writes, "I wanted to inform you about my love story too. I met my wife Momo Zheng at I-House in the summer of 2008. We immediately fell in love and got married as soon as I came to UC Berkeley again for my PhD study." Momo and Raj had a Chinese wedding in Momo's hometown in China at the beginning of the year, and will have an Indian wedding, hosted by Raj's parents, at the end of 2013.