2008-2009 Border Crossing Essay Contest Award Winners

Living Outside of the Box: Experiencing the Cross-Cultural Phenomena

            The moment that my overloaded suitcase thumped up the stairs and I walked into the sliding glass doors of the International House, I experienced a release of tension - I had found my second home, my home away from home.  I was shocked when I opened the door to my room for the first time: A cell hardly bigger than my closet at home – filled with a bunk bed and already occupied by a complete stranger.  However, it was actually the small and intimate room that ultimately helped to form my deep connections and life long friendships. 

            I quickly learned that Karen, my boisterous and tiny roommate from Cologne, Germany, is not your typical German girl.  Standing at only five feet tall, Karen could be easily missed; however, what she lacks in height, she definitely makes up for in sweetness, charm, and charisma.  Karen idolized California and was very excited to have a native of California for a roommate. At first, I felt nervous if I would live up to her high expectations. Despite having lived in France before, I felt anxious that being an American might not live up to her suave European lifestyle.  However, my fears only lasted for a short moment and were ended by a move I would never have expected from a German: A simple, yet powerful hug! I couldn’t believe it!  A complete stranger had hugged me and I, the American who was bred to hug every living thing that moved, could only stand there in utter amazement!  It was this first act of acceptance that instantly relieved the tension in the room and we both knew we would become good friends.

           The anxiety finally eased itself because I realized that she and I really needed one another in order to make I-House truly our new home.  We were both determined to share our cultures with one another and I felt that it was my responsibility to make her feel welcome by buying and mounting a German flag and asking her questions about her hometown.  Karen and I, you could say, clicked because we both possessed a passion for learning about other cultures.  She and I have both spent time in other countries where our objectives were to meet as many people as possible.  You could even call us your international sponges, waiting to soak up new cultures, language, and people. 

            During the first few weeks at I-house, we began to experience the quintessential quirks of the massive eight-floor building.  Our experiences range from a variety of fun and funky activities such as feeling stupid for getting lost in the hallway maze on the 3rd floor, taking another series of pictures of the breathtakingly beautiful sunset from the 7th floor lounge, the daily ritual of complaining about the food quality in the dining hall (most of the time unjustified, but an important unifying bonding ritual), growing old together while waiting for the elevator (maybe the elevators at I-House are deliberately slow to give the residents the opportunity to get to know each other), the fancy I-House Sunday suppers, (which never failed to surprise with formerly unknown talents of fellow residents), the mysterious life cycle of dining hall food: from entrée to salad to casserole to soup, wondering why not more residents eat in the serene courtyard instead of the sunless dining hall (while at the same time being glad that not more people discovered this oasis), enjoying an après-ski experience in front of the open-fire in the magnificent (but unimaginatively named) Great Hall.  There are so many of these memories that I cherish and will remember as a vital part of my I-house experience.

            During our first few months, we found out exactly how unique the International House is, along with the timeless and eccentric character that the building offers its residents.  Nightly, we spent hours in the library retaining new information from economics to statistics to Melville.  We quickly found out that the library, while full of Macs and the occasional PC, has a major temperature issue.  The incredible heating system in the library has yet to be relieved by the thundering air conditioning that continuously pounds and sends a cold rush of air into the room.  The library became our second home after our cramped, yet cozy room upstairs on the seventh floor.  This brings me to my next quirk at the I-House.  Everyday, Karen and I had a difficult decision to make:  wait half of a century for the old, rickety elevators to it make it down to the laundry room, or undertake the strenuous climb up to the seventh floor and risk sweating through our newly laundered t-shirts.  I for one am not a fan of waiting as I become impatient with idleness, but Karen insisted that we wait for the elevator.  I have to say that these moments of foot tapping and watch staring were some of the most memorable times at the International House because we laughed and joked about our funny situation until our eyes watered and mouths became sore. 

            When taking the stairs, much to Karen’s chagrin, we often made a pit stop on the fifth floor where many of our new international friends lived.  I have so many found memories of the fifth floor because that is where I not only made so many new international and American friends, but I also made a personal cross cultural connection my befriending and soon dating my partner and love, Beat.  Although I originally did not come to the International House to meet a handsome foreigner, I cannot say that the perk is all that bad.  Beat has opened my eyes to new perspectives about international customs as well as his own Swiss culture, a country that I did not know much about before our initial meeting.  Our new connection, both as an international and American as well as a couple has created so many interesting conversations ranging from: “Why do Americans screw up the order of the month and date and why can’t the Americans switch to the metric system like everyone else on the planet?” as well as “Why does Switzerland need an Army if they have been neutral for the past two hundred years!?” 

            Beat and I have learned and grown as individuals (American and International) because we have acquired a never-ending curiosity about other cultures of the world that are represented at I-house.  It is undeniable how strong the I-house family continues to be; without my second home at I-House, I would feel lost and disconnected in Berkeley.  The I-House has certainly created an inviting atmosphere and has given me a second family that openly accepts, respects, and celebrates my culture, along with the cultures of so many others.  The sense of validation and tolerance in the I-House has successfully brought a diverse group together, a group that has certainly taught me so much about the world and about humanity itself.