International House Berkeley

International House Times 7 As we continue to explore the impact of I-House, we would love to hear your story. Submit your photos, captions, stories, and/or videos online here: ihouse.berkeley.edu/stories or by email to alumni@ihouseberkeley.org. Select stories may be featured on the I-House website, social media, videos, or in the I-House Times newsletter. Share Your I-House Stories "It's not that I-House is without conflict or that everyone becomes best friends. There are definitely times when conversation can become heated," says Joseph Kouadio (IH 2023-24) from Côte d'Ivoire, a master's student in public policy and the 2023-24 Resident Community Council President. The Resident Council works together with the Robertson Resident Life and Intercultural Development Office to help develop community at I-House and create an inclusive and safe atmosphere. Joseph Kouadio "To me, I-House is the place for increasing cultural literacy and understanding—not just between cultures, but between different viewpoints, perspectives, and backgrounds more generally," says Evgenia Taranova (IH 2023-24), a student of medicine and psychology. Evgenia was born in Ukraine but moved to Norway when she was six years old. "I'm a Ukrainian-Norwegian. Both cultures are equally important to my identity. At I-House, people were curious about me as a person and about my background— where I come from and what I have experienced in terms of living in Norway, of course, also because of the war in Ukraine … "I feel that while living at I-House I have supported Ukraine by letting I-House residents know about what's going at home. Just sitting at the table in the Dining Commons, I spoke to people from all different parts of the world, including countries that do not openly support Ukraine. But everyone at I-House heartedly expressed their concern. I could see their kindness and their belief in justice for a better world." "I think the special thing about I-House is the people it attracts to live there." Evgenia also credits I-House for organizing programs and structured conversations about world issues and for offering a safe place to talk about war and conflict. "The coffee hours were important too. I-House gave us the time and support that allowed us to celebrate our countries and cultures. I helped put on the Ukrainian and the Norwegian coffee hours, of course. But I-House facilitates all of this sharing. I call it the 'I-House effect', which is really peace." Evgenia Taranova "With the conflict in Gaza, we had some residents who support Palestine sharing their concerns and, at the same time, we had people with connections to Israel. Of course, it is hard for these communities to talk openly about this topic. And there were protests on both sides of the conflict on the UC Berkeley campus and all over the place, actually. But inside of I-House, I was really happy for the way residents were respectfully sharing their thoughts, even though it wasn't always easy." "People seem to be intentional about remaining peaceful. That's what I really appreciated— things didn't escalate at I-House. We worked on it, and people understood that we are a community that needs to stay strong." Joseph also notes that while at I-House, people change and grow. "You could see that a deep change was happening inside. People were genuinely learning, becoming more flexible." He continues, "When you live in a community like I-House, surrounded by so much difference, so much diversity—language, culture, background, even social class—you cannot help but to be affected by the experience. The people who live here go back to their home countries and cultures, and there will certainly be a change in how they interact in the world. A change for the better. This is what gives me hope for a more peaceful world." n Margie Ryan (IH 1992-93) Director of Alumni Relations and Philanthropy

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