International House Berkeley

97 I found out about I-House through my brother who was living at I-House before the war. He came to the States with my parents, attended the University, and, before he went into the army, lived at the I-House. I just wanted to follow in his footsteps. I applied, in 1950, with all kinds of recommendations and, because I had started an International Relations Club at the Marin Junior College, I got good recommendations. I was accepted — not as a graduate student, but as a junior, which was nice. I did not know how restricted it was — it was mainly for graduate students, though my roommate was an undergraduate as well, a senior in architecture; he was an American. My first impression of I-House was quite overwhelming! The immediate impression was of a multitude of people — people who did not hate each other. There is one thing you should know about me in India — I spent two-and-a-half years in India, in Ceylon — I did not make a single Indian friend. I didn't care about those people down there! I was so steeped in the British Raj. You know, I was a superman; I was an overlord. I did not even have a rank or anything — I wasn't even a corporal – but nevertheless, I was it! I stepped over the people lying on the street. After India, I-House was such a revelation; it took me a while to realize what I was doing. The discussions? I remember the discussions, political and otherwise. It was right after the Korean War. Also the Arabs and the Israelis had an armistice, so the arguments were quite heated, and what I marveled at, and still remember, is that at 10 o'clock in the evening, everybody went for coffee. Yes, at 10 o'clock, we would cut off all debate, and friendship was restored. There were hot feelings, but not bad feelings. There were, by the way, not many Germans in I-House, and those that were there, they were friendly. I think what made for the special atmosphere was that all of us had war experiences. We were glad to be alive, and we were older — five or six years older – than the students today, so we could appreciate the wonderful idea of I-House. Even though there is a fifty percent divorce rate in America, if you look at the I-House marriages, there are hardly any divorces. When people met, they had the same idea. There was love also, but there was familiarity. They saw each other for the first coffee in the morning. Of course, they never saw each other before coming down for the first coffee – men and women did not sleep together then. Men and women were quite separate, but they did see each other from the first coffee in the morning, and that made a difference. The next thing I remember was my roommate telling me about this Czech girl whom I really should meet. So I was waiting for her, and she was coming down from the dining room, and I was going up the stairs; I stopped there to introduce myself, and that was Lottie. I met her very shortly after I got to the I-House. She was madly in love with a Norwegian fellow at the time. But I was very obnoxious. Once they were sitting in a coffee shop at a table for two. I cheerfully said in English, "Oh, may I join you?" And she looked at me, and said in Czech, "Go get lost!" And I said, 'Oh, thank you so very much!" and sat down. There were other Czechs at I-House. Ivo Feierabend for instance – he was the son of a Czech Minister before the war. I did not share a room

• Cover