traveler
Volume 5 Winter Quarter 2015 ihouse.ucsd.edu
From Our Director’s Desk
About Our Cover Our photo was taken in Morocco by UCSD’s very own Logan Ma from Prospect Journal. Read more about Prospect Journal on p. 7.
Dear I-House, With this issue of The Traveler we want to focus on our students – present and past. With the beginning of winter quarter I-House welcomed 44 new students from 21 countries to our global community!! Please reach out and share our warm I-House spirit with these and all our residents. Early in January I received an email from I-House alumni Joseph Sherman. Joseph’s email started off saying: “A friend recently asked me ‘So many American students graduate college with a limited view of the world. How did you come out different?’ I answered I-House. I was a resident at I House in (‘01-‘02), and in the Spring of ‘04. I house transformed the way I saw the world.” This is a story we hear often here at I-House. Our current residents know how wonderful I-House is but truly appreciate how really exceptional it is only when they become I-House alumni. Having recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, I-House is beginning to reach to our many alumni around the world. I found out recently that the President of the UCSD-UK alumni club is an I-House graduate. As with Joseph, many of our I-House alumni have gone on to live very exciting and successful lives. Joseph went on to say that “after living in I-House, I was inspired to see the world. I studied abroad in Germany and Mexico. I earned an MBA in France, with modules in Lebanon, Morocco, and China. Now I live in Jerusalem, Israel. A lot of my work uses business models to help non-profit organizations and schools balance ancient values in a modern world. I-House was the best part of my education at UCSD.” Thank you for reaching out, staying connected and sharing your story with us, Joseph. Joseph was kind enough to write a brief article for this issue of the Traveler, which you can find on page 15. Get the most out of your time with I-House by getting involved in any of our many programs – from our weekly Global Forum (held each Monday evening) to our quarterly Faculty Fellow programs. This quarter our Faculty Fellow is Dr. Babak Rahimi – who is focusing his Fellowship on social justice. Our Faculty Fellow for spring will be Dr. Keith Pezzoli who will share his expertise on Healthy Place Making.
Henri Migala, Ed.D., M.P.H. Director, International House, UCSD
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How Well Do You Know I-House? Just some silly fun. Residential Life Programs Let’s Get Involved! Letter to I-House Community Malou Amparo
content
Table of
PROSPECT & Week of Photojournalism Marianne Zape Maz Jobrani at UCSD 2015 Faculty Fellows Introducing Keith Pezzoli Spring Faculty Fellow Global Forum at International House Christopher Moffat
Alumni Reflections Patrick Johnson and Joseph J. Sherman Nick and Christina Make Food Black Bean Corn Salsa Recipe Rebuilding a Generation with Lego Bricks Amr Kahhaleh
“
Sunday Supper: Once Upon a Winter Wesley Febrian One night, I was sitting with my friends [...]apartment. Everyone was talking about their culture, their favorite food, and what they loved most about their city. They asked me about Damascus and I didn’t know how to respond. I asked them to skip me as I didn’t feel like talking about Syria. They insisted I speak and tell them what’s going on. I started speaking, and went on for an hour. They listened closely, asked questions, and occasionally shed tears. It was the first time that I speak about my country to anyone in the US. I learned that night, that when informed correctly, people actually care and care a lot.
”
Rebuilding a Generation with Lego Bricks Amr Kahhaleh, p. 17
QuizFeed UCSD NEWS
OPINION
FEATURES
L
I-HOUSE
How well do you know International Hou
Because is there anything better than being a part of our vibrant comm
1. When did the first I-House open its doors? 3. Where’s the best place t
A. 1924
B. 1945
A. At Geisel studying for your next final
C. 1973
D. 2006
C. Standing at the back of the line for Panda Express
2. Which two UC Campuses have I-Houses? 4. Who was the first speak
A. UCB
B. UCSC
A. Me?
C. UCSD
D. UCI
C. John D. Rockefeller
g F LOL win om WT
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SPORTS
use?
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to be on campus?
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f facebook.com/ihouseUCSD @IHouseUCSD
B. Attending an I-House Program or event!
D. Waiting for the next Nobel/Arriba shuttle
ker at Sunday Supper ever?
B. Abraham Lincoln
D. Britney Spears
Residential Life Programs We offer a variety of public programs for all students, staff, community members to get involved in language practice, faculty-led activities, service-learning projects in the local community, and presentations about global issues. Engaging and connecting people are what I-House is all about. Whether it’s through resident activities, campus-wide programs or community programs, there are a number of different ways you can get involved. Let’s find the right program for you!
Culture
Volunteering
Sunday Supper Once a quarter we invite I-House residents and alumni as well as staff, faculty and community members to share a meal together, reconnect, and create new relationships. Contact the I-House Interns Trish & Wesley at ihouseintern@gmail.com to join the planning committee.
I-Cares is a volunteer service organization within the I-House community. Previous I-Cares projects have included on-campus projects, projects based in the San Diego community, and some based in Mexico. Past events include Green Week (environmental sustainability), trips to the U.S. Mexico border to volunteer with a local orphanage, and tutoring high school students.
Culture Nights recognize three major regions of the world where many of our residents come from: Europe, the Americas, and the Asia-Pacific region. Join a committee to plan the food, entertainment, and format of each culture night. Language and Culture Cafes highlight a specific culture and/or language from around the world in an effort to celebrate and share the diversity of languages and cultures represented in I-House. I-House residents prepare food, perform music and dances, and share other aspects of their culture to the rest of the community.
The Davis Projects for Peace is an initiative that encourages undergraduate students to design their own projects around the world that promote peace and address conflict. Applicants are encouraged to design projects that focus on conflict resolution, reconciliation, building understanding, breaking down barriers that cause conflict, and finding solutions for resolving conflict and maintaining peace. Selected projects are awarded $10,000 each to cover travel, materials and supplies, and other expenses related to the implementation of the project.
Health & Fitness
Arts
I-Sports works closely with the Recreation department and Outback Adventures to get the I-House community involved in sports and outdoor activities, including intramural sports, kayaking, and surfing. Pass your name over to Jared for more sports and fitness information. MyPlate is an initiative created by First Lady Michelle Obama to discuss dietary perspectives and bring a healthy, creative, and sustainable concept to the college student diet.
SLAM These programs bring residents together through music, dance, and other live performances hosted in I-House and around the campus. These programs create a fun and casual environment for residents to share their talents and interests.
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I-Publish produces the annual I-House calendar, yearbook, and other print media to commemorate residents’ experience in I-House. Check in with Summer to lend your photography and digital media skills.
Letter to I-House Community
L
iving in I-House is not a pas- year that I started working here, sive experience. From my we had the former Prime Minisperspective as a former res- ter of France speak at the Great ident, RA, and now the Program Hall. Almost all of the students Coordinator, I-House programs from France attended his talk are more than just events with and expressed how strange yet free food, let wonderful alone events it was to be that resiable to meet dents roll the Prime their eyes Minister of at and feel their home forced to go to. These programs country in I-House. Last quarprovide opportunities to put ter we invited a former resident yourself out there, connect with to share his experience volunother people, and be exposed to teering at a refugee camp in Jornew ideas. Some of my favor- dan after he commented on the ite memories facebook event These as a student page for the include cheer- provide opportunities to refugee film ing for our felscreening we low residents put yourself out there, were hosting whenever they (Read about his connect with other performed on people, and be exposed experience at SLAM and p. 17.) And as making masyou can see on to sive amounts page 9, we just of mango lassi had Maz Jobrawith every bowl we could get ni’s first ever book signing this our hands on for Asia Pacific past week after running with Culture Night. one of our Faculty Fellow’s wild Now that I’m on staff, my par- ideas. These are the kind of moticipation in programs and events ments that make me love my job has shifted. I see my role not as and remind me how lucky I am an event planner but more like to be part of I-House. a facilitator or connector of peoSo if there’s something that ple and ideas. Sometimes they you’re interested in or want to don’t work, but when they do make happen, let’s see what we it’s usually pretty great. The first can do!
I-House Programs are more than just events with free food.
programs
new ideas.
— Malou Amparo Program Coordinator
PROSPECT kicked off the school year with CONNECT, done in collaboration with the Global Forum at I-House. This quarter’s panel discussion, “Tackling Climate Change: Past Experiences and Future Insights” brought together climate science experts Professor Richard Somerville, Professor Ralph Keeling, and PhD candidate Deborah Seligsohn, to speak about what we know of climate change at present, and what this generation can do
to mitigate its effects in the future. Over 100 people were in attendance. This quarter, we will be doing our third annual “Week of Photojournals”, where we are showcasing several students’ photos and stories from their travels abroad on our website. We also hope to do a CONNECT event in the spring, with more details to follow.
Marianne Zape Prospect Editor-in-Chief
PROSPECT is a unique student organization that creates, writes and develops an international affairs journal at the University of California, San Diego. Our goal is to share works that inspire critical thought and action. We started in 2009, and we have not stopped working and improving since then. Our online journal serves as a forum for intelligent discourse by showcasing works created by students who wish to broaden their understanding of issues with contemporary and global relevance. By publishing online, we maintain our eco-friendly mission and provide a wider readership for our writers. With the exception of our advisor, our journal is entirely student-run: we provide the brainpower, writing, and marketing. By placing ourselves at the intersection of policy and the arts, we believe that we can better understand current affairs from a variety of vantage points. Want to add something to our narrative? Let us know. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PROSPECTJOURNAL
PHOTO BY DAVID DANNECKER
PHOTO BY HART PITCHER
PHOTO BY RACHEL GER
PHOTO BY LOGAN MA
PHOTO BY DAVID DANNECKER
PHOTO BY LOGAN MA
PHOTO BY HART PITCHER
Comedian Maz Jobrani
mazjobrani
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591 likes first got lost at my ms mazjobrani I #authorproble . er ev g nin book sig rorist er at ot #n oir #mazmem ··· Comment Like
This quarter we had the pleasure of hosting the famous comedian and actor Maz Jobrani. Special thanks to our Faculty Fellow this quarter, Babak Brahimi, PHD, Associate Professor of Communication, Culture and Religion at the Department of Literature and the Director of Third World Studies and our Program Coordinator Malou Amparo for coordinating this awesome events. Also, to our amazing sponsors: Programs for the Study of Religion, the Persianate Event Series and International House, UC San Diego.
I was really glad I went! Maz is one of my favorite comedians, so seeing him in person was terrific. There was more to attending his book talk than sharing a few laughs: A natural storyteller, Maz spoke of important events that shaped his youth as an immigrant to America. It was a pleasure to see him blend biography with some history and comedy. The best part about this fun book talk was being able to meet Maz and take pictures--a treat from my own International House. — Jad Rammah I-House Resident
Faculty Fellows 2014 - 2015 This year, the I-House Faculty Fellows are: Fall Quarter:
Wael K. Al-Delaimy, MD, PhD, is Professor and Chief, Division of Global Health in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, at the University of California, San Diego. His work is focused on environmental epidemiology and exposure assessment and in the US–Mexico border area he has worked on pesticide exposure among farm workers. Prior to coming to UCSD he was a scientist at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, and Post-Doctoral Research Associate at Harvard School of Public Health.
Winter Quarter:
Babak Rahimi, PhD, is Associate Professor of Communication, Culture and Religion at the Department of Literature, and the Director of Third World Studies. He has been a visiting scholar at the Internet Institute, University of Oxford, Berlin Graduate School Muslim Cultures and Societies, Freie Universität Berlin, and the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. Rahimi has also been the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Jean Monnet Fellowship at the European University Institute, and was a Senior Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace, Washington DC, 20052006. Rahimi’s work is focused on the relationship between culture, politics and religion. His current research project looks at digital technology, and the role of economic and political inequality in the way new media is appropriated in diverse contexts, in particularly the Global South.
Spring Quarter:
Keith Pezzoli, PhD, is Director of the Urban Studies and Planning Program at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Pezzoli leads the UCSD Superfund Research Center’s Community Engagement Core with projects focused on socioecological challenges and health along the US–Mexico border. Pezzoli founded The Global Action Research Center (The Global ARC), a not-for-profit organization that connects researchers to communities in pursuit of rooted community and resilient bioregional development.
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Introducing Keith Pezzoli Our Spring Faculty Fellow, Keith Pezzoli PhD, is the Director of the Urban Studies and Planning Program at UCSD. This Spring our Faculty Fellow will focus on Happy Place Making.
UC GFI Urban Agriculture & Food Disparities Research Critically analyze and evaluate urban agriculture (including community gardens, urban farms, food forests, aquaculture, and animal husbandry) in low-income and underserved neighborhoods to gauge urban agriculture's potential to reduce food disparities and increase food security.
1. Civic Engagement, Evaluation and Leadership Development Develop a network of community gardens, food forests and backyard growing spaces throughout the Mountain View neighborhoods of Southeast San Diego with the produce being available for distribution among local residents connected to the Ocean View Growing Grounds. Strengthen the leadership capacity of community residents and their organizations to articulate their challenges and bring them into public dialogue and to policy-making tables.
2. Community Economic Development and Microenterprise Investigate the linkages between emerging informal entrepreneurs and local networks for affordable and healthy food production and distribution. Collaborate with NGOs and residents in City Heights to identify the location, structure, and demographics of informal food networks in an effort to design policies and programs to both strengthen the availability of fresh and affordable food as well as provide opportunities for microentrepreneurs to scale up their work and move to a path of economic formalization that will ultimate contribute to individual and community wealth.
3. Participatory Spatial Analysis, Mapping and Communication Develop a set of GIS-based analytical and participatory scenario planning and visualization tools that can be used by researchers, students and community partners to evaluate real-life environmental, economic and social issues involving urban agriculture. Model the value of “green infrastructure” solutions (e.g., neighborhood parks, ecological restoration, community gardens, food forests, etc.) to address stormwater pollution and brownfield remediation requirements at a regional and local scale.
4. Measuring and Analyzing Safety of Edible Plant Tissues Grow in Urban Gardens Develop an edible plant tissue testing program to quantify and monitor over time any heavy metal accumulation that may be taking place in the edible tissues of plants and trees (e.g. fruits) people are growing for food in disadvantaged neighborhoods of San Diego. Toxic heavy metal and arsenic accumulation in edible plant tissues is a problem facing millions of people around the world leading to cancer and other diseases.
5. Bioretention, Natural Treatment Systems and Urban Ecological Restoration Conduct ecological research to determine ways in which we might improve the efficiency/ effectiveness of natural treatment systems (e.g., bioretention designs including bioswales, biofilters, rain gardens) in community gardens and food forests. Enhance public/community knowledge about the importance of healthy terrestrial ecosystems--including the vital role plants and microbial soil communities play in sustaining life, including food production in environments stressed by climate change.
Model United Nations is an organization in I-House that works to improve members’ understanding of international relations, as well as develop research, presentation and public speaking skills. Model United Nations simulates important global debates at our trainings,and we focus on discussing several contemporary issues, from ISIS and Charlie Hebdo to Ukraine’s civil war. We have just returned from UC Santa Barbara and UC Davis with several recognitions and awards. This quarter, we are competing at Berkeley in February and UC Los Angeles in April. If you are interested in traveling with us, come to our trainings (open to anyone) Thursdays from 7-9PM and Sundays from 1-3 PM in the Asante classrooms. Spring quarter, we are hosting our largest high school conference, TritonMUN, which will bring in over 300 high school students to discuss topics ranging from arctic militarization to the current campaign in the Middle East! If you’re interested in watching one of these debates unfold or if you want to gain insight into conference planning and logistics, apply at our website at modelun.ucsd.edu. We’re also hosting our first collegiate scrimmage, called SDIMUN, the first week of spring quarter. Our conference will be open to all UCSD students as we offer a free chance to compete against other universities to test knowledge of current events and abilities to make persuasive speeches. If you are interested in joining our team, traveling with us, learning about international decision-making, or getting involved, contact us at travelingtritons@gmail.com.
Triton MUN
Find us on Facebook: Facebook.com/ModelUnitedNationsAtUcsd
Since we changed our name this year to reflect our global scope, The Global Forum at I-House has had an eventful quarter and a half. During the fall, we kicked things off with a visit from the Consul-General of Azerbaijan to the Western United States and a panel discussion from Profs. Ralph Keeling, Richard Somerville, and Deborah Seligsohn on climate change. We’ve also hosted discussions on refugee populations in San Diego with Dr. Wael Al-Delaimy, informative discussions on the Kumeyaay tribe of Native American’s language and culture and a hard-hitting talks on Iran’s nuclear program and the ongoing P5+1 talks to deal with it. We’ve even partnered with on-campus research units such as the Center for Emerging and Pacific Economies and 21st Century China to co-host special guests like former Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Arturo Sarukhan. And at every one of these events I couldn’t be more proud of the thoughtful questions that our audience members have posed to our guests. Our
engaged audience from I-House, UCSD, and surrounding communities is the heart and soul of The Global Forum. Now as we pass the midway point of the winter quarter, The Global Forum is continuing to host great events like the most recent Voices of Islam event, where Muslim students from UCSD shared their experiences being a Muslim on campus and in their daily lives. We also have great events coming up on South East Asia and China that you will not want to miss out on. The Global Forum is meant to be a place where students and UCSD community members can gain a greater awareness of the world around them and, to that end, we strive to welcome everyone through our doors. So, don’t be shy, find us on Facebook or sign up for our e-newsletter to keep abreast of all our upcoming events and I hope to see you next time at the Forum. — Christopher Moffat Global Forum Fellow
Don’t miss out on Global Forum. Our mission statement is to heighten “our understanding of global issues and increasing our awareness of the world in which we live”. We achieve this by bringing experts to dispel stereotypical notions and provide us with in-depth factual information. We host events every week at the Great Hall, typically on Mondays at 7 p.m.
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iag.ucsd The Global Forum is always looking for volunteers and collaborators to help us achieve success in our program. If you believe you can contribute to the Global Forum feel free to contact Christopher Moffatt at iag.ucsd@gmail.com
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Alumni Reflections An Alumni Looks Back On graduation night, I cried. I think enough time has passed that I can say that without being embarrassed (What’s that? No? It’s still embarrassing? Shoot!!). It wasn’t so much that I was leaving UCSD, although that was certainly sad. It was that I was leaving I-House. Those four buildings held between them the vast majority of my college memories. Of course, we never really leave I-House. Thanks to an active Facebook group, I’ve been able to coordinate with “I-Housers” all over the planet. A coincidentally timed trip to Thailand meant a reunion with I-House veterans Elly Iverson and Allie Vogel. Shortly after, I met up with Jenny Lin in Tokyo after she flew in from San Diego. Oceans away, I-House manages to bring a little piece of home to an otherwise alien experience teaching English abroad. I don’t think I would have ever had the courage, nor even the idea, to teach English in Taiwan if it weren’t for I-House. The greatest gift I-House ever gave me was curiosity. A voracious appetite for the unknown is an almost inevitable outcome after meeting so many interesting individuals. I needed to know more about the cultures and languages that I had so briefly been exposed to. Towards the end of senior year I resolved to voyage to Taiwan to study Mandarin and teach English. This bold proposition would have never been attempted were it not for the steady encouragement of my fellow I-Housers These gifts of I-House, the worldwide community of friends and the instilled sense of curiosity are matched by a third very big attribute: tangible accomplishment. In the quickly descending fog of memory I have already begun to value the things I did and the people I impacted - more than academic successes. My roles within I-House and the successes achieved with those many groups of students stand as my greatest collegiate accomplishments. The Trashion Shows, the charity concerts, the Mexico trip, and the culture nights all mean so much more to me than a grade on my transcript. The curiosity, the people, and the accomplishments I experienced within I-House are part of what makes it such a special place within UCSD, and part of why I will miss it so much. Moving forward I plan to conclude my year teaching English in Taiwan and apply to law school. I’m confident that the passionate curiosity and global viewpoint cultivated in I-House will assist me in my application and my future education. Patrick Johnson
“How the I-House Changed my Life” Interviewed and Written by Elivra Derbovespian
Joseph J. Sherman is an American scholar, abstract expressionist painter and marketing strategist who converted to Judaism. Because of his decision to change direction in his religious stance, he is now a public lecturer about the religion and the Torah in Jerusalem, Israel. Before his teenage years, Sherman used to be an Evangelical Christian as well as a youth minister. One of the moments during his life that played a role in his desire to explore the change in religion was during a lecture at the Orthodox Union in Jerusalem. He has written for The Jerusalem Post and contributed plenty of his own artwork to spread awareness of his inspiration from the merging of his professional and spiritual life. He studied at UCSD and served on the Diversity Council. “I was a resident at I-House in 2001-2002, and in the Spring of 2004, I-House transformed the way I saw the world,” said Sherman of his experience at his alma mater. He studied abroad in Germany and Mexico, and earned an MBA from the KEDGE Business School in France with modules in
Lebanon, Morocco, and China. Sherman’s work has contributed to non-profit organizations and schools, such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in an effort “to balance ancient values in a modern world,” as stated by the artist and scholar. Aside from his business and religious approaches, Sherman has taken a whole new step toward the artistic study and influence of Judaism, crediting his influence to artists Marc Chagall and Joan Mitchell. He has a series of artworks that represent the Kotel, or the Western Wall; they were also featured on Jerusalem Online. One of his paintings on the newsletter is of the dove, which represents the peace that they stand for as stated in the Torah, which is why “it was important to artistically represent the Kotel through the lens of birds.” He is also proud to have presented one of his artworks at the Hungarian Embassy in Jerusalem. The inspiration he drew from the painting was when he was acquainted with an elderly man at a Shabbat meal; the man was the only surviving member of his family following the Holocaust, which brought Sherman to the realization that “the bravery of those few people who choose to stand up for what was right” should be just as acknowledged as the tragedy of the Holocaust. “People across the world have the challenge of staying silent during a time of persecution, or they can take action.” As a proud alumnus of UCSD, Sherman’s inspiration of traveling and learning about the world attributed to his experience at the I-House, essentially changing the initial purpose of his life and giving meaning to his professional, spiritual and artistic aspects of his life. Joseph J. Sherman
Hi I-HOUSE FRIENDS! Here’s a recipe we’d like to share with you from our food & foodstuffs website nathanandchristinamakefood.com, Black Bean Corn Salsa! Deliciously fresh and diverse, corn salsa goes well with several of our favorite recipes. This dish can be used as a stand-alone salad, an appetizer with chips, or used as the filler for tacos and enchiladas! You can toss in your favorite spices or add an extra jalapeno for extra zing! This is one of the first recipes Nathan and I made together while living at the UCSD International House and a forever favorite. It’s great for dinner parties, I-HOUSE parties, picnics, lunch, dinner-you name it. Just like the I-House community, this recipe combines unique ingredients to create a wonderful medley of flavor and fun. We hope you enjoy it! — Nathan and Christina nathanandchristinamakefood.com I-House Alumni
Black Bean Corn Salsa Recipe Ingredients o o o o o
3 roma tomatoes, diced 2 cans black beans 2 cups sweet yellow corn (or 2 cobs) 1 bell pepper, diced (or 2 bell pepper) 1 handful cilantro
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o 1 jalapeno o 1 lime, juiced o 1 avocado (optional) o 1/2 red onion (optional) o 2 grilled chicken breasts (optional)
Steps 1. Start with chopping up the tomatoes. Take your tomato and cut it in half. With the inside facing up, make downward “almost completely through but stopping right before the end” slices in one direction, then flip the tomato 90 degrees and make slices again in the other direction so that it looks like a grid or graph paper. Then place the tomato on its side and cut all the way through. You’ll notice they’ll end up in little cubes. Neat huh? I also cut tomatoes for recipes like our Classic Bruschetta and Tomato Basil Pasta with Chicken, both of which are on our website nathanandchristinamakefood. com Moving on… 2. Add the black beans (We recommend washing the beans first to get that weird can-goop off of them), and then toss them in a big bowl along with the tomatoes. 3. Next step, Corn. So there are a few ways to go about adding corn. Here’s our advice: Frozen (Follow the label. Delicious. We use it most every time), Canned (NEVER USE IT- it has a weird taste), Fresh (Go you! Win for the home team) prepare your fresh corn by boiling in salt water and slice the kernels off the cob. Add this in your black beans and corn to your tomatoes.
4. Time to chop again. Take your bell pepper (or bell peppers, we tend to use two) and dice it to bits about the size of your tomato slices. We have yet to find a crazy efficient way to cut these up, so if you’ve got one send us a message using our contact form on the website. At this time you can also chop your Jalapeno. We recommend finely chopping this one, and wash your hands after … too many a time have we wiped our eyes with jalapeno fingers—not fun. Add these ingredients to your bowl. 5. Cilantro and green onion are next to slice up. Cilantro should be cut finely. It’s awkward to take a bite of salsa with a huge chunk of leaf in it. For the green onion, take your stalk and chop off the rooted end but try to keep as much of the white as you can. From that point cut slivers of circles all the way up to the half-waypoint of the stalk (then further up you go the less flavor there is). Add these ingredients to your bowl. 6. Lime. This one is easy. Slice your lime in half and squeeze the juices of one of the halves over your black bean corn salsa. Add your salt, pepper, and other spices to your mix and WHABAM. You just made black bean corn salsa, my friends.
Rebuilding a Generation with Lego It was Noon, September 21st, 2014. Northern Jordan, Zaatari Camp for Syrian Refugee. Sitting on the floor of a big brown tent, surrounded by kids and mosquitos. I was excited, confused, and emotional. “Kids…” I shouted out loud only to have my voice silence the 25 kids who rambled and chatted on. I said: “If I gave you a magical wand and asked you to build something with it, right now, what would you build?” -
“A hospital with metallic walls and roofs” one said. “A pink school with classrooms, doors, grass, and also slides” said another. “An armed chair for my grandma to sit on” one voiced. “An ambulance that could both drive down the narrow alleys of Homs, and also fly like a jet to a hospital to rescue my neighbors” one pleaded. - “I’d build a tank and go fight with it” said another. - One child asked, “Sir Sir Sir! Can I use the wand to get a soccer ball instead of building something?” My name is Amr Kahhaleh, and I’m a Syrian American student at UCSD. I was raised in lovely Damascus, Syria until I finished high school, and then moved to the U.S. for college. I left before the revolution began. Unfortunately, the peaceful revolution in Syria turned into a deadly war. The civil war has caused millions of Syrians to seek refuge in every country around the world. Last winter, I was living here in I-House while my family’s neighborhood in Damascus was bombarded everyday. It was the revolution’s third anniversary and the death toll was reaching two hundred thousands. Refugees in Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon, exposed to the elements, died from the cold. Constantly, I was worrying about my family. During this time, I often times felt down, and had trouble finding hope. One night, I was sitting with my friends at our Spanish friend Noelia’s apartment. My friends talked about their culture, their favorite food, and what they loved most about their city. They asked me about Damascus. Honestly, I didn’t know how to respond. I asked them to skip me as I didn’t feel like talking about Syria. They insisted on me speaking; they wanted me to tell them what’s going on. I then started speaking, and went on for an hour. They listened closely, asked questions, and occasionally shed tears. It was the first time that I spoke about my country to anyone in the US. I learned that night: when people know the reality, they actually care and they care a lot. I’ve always known that rebuilding Syria relies on an educated generation. The process begins with educating the 3 million Syrian refugee children that currently reside around Syria, in tents and without proper education. Every second of everyday, they dream of going back to their country and rebuilding it. When I was a kid, I loved building and learning with Legos. I found great pleasure in building things. Legos expanded my imagination. I explored new boundaries. It was a source of inspiration that made me dedicate my time to become an Engineer. A few months ago, I visited a Lego store here in the US, where there are tens of thousands of pieces that are available for kids to play with. I saw in their eyes the same passion I had when I was a child. At that point, I knew that that was exactly what is needed for those refugee camps. I decided to establish a few Lego workshops in refugee camps for the children to come and build Lego’s whenever they wish. At first I thought that such a project requires a lot of money. I soon realized that a lot of Lego pieces are all that is needed, not money. I decided to pilot my own project within Zaatari Refugee Camp and film it. I decided that after I return to the US, I would make a compilation of the videos and start a campaign, asking parents and children to donate their old Lego pieces covered in dust sitting in their attics. I spent the money in my
Bricks Savings account to buy a few hundred Lego pieces and I traveled to Jordan in September. I contacted the local teachers in the camp, and asked them to spend a week with their kids to pilot this workshop and see how it goes. The response I got from those kids was astonishing. They were passionately engaged. They were building homes, hospitals, schools, police stations, cars, roads, bridges. All of these things didn’t exist within their refugee camp. They came in early every day, and refused to go back to their tents at night. Now that I’m back in San Diego for school, I’m working on the video compilation and I’m planning to start the campaign very soon. I hope to gather enough Lego pieces by June, to head back to Zaatari and establish a second, and maybe third Lego workshop. I miss those kids, their cheers, and their smiles. I believe in them and I believe that they’re the generation in which our hope in returning home resides. Amr Kahhaleh akahhale@ucsd.edu
Sunday Supper: Once Upon a W PRESENTED BY INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
ONCE UPON A
Winter
SUNDAY SUPPER
JAN. 25TH, 2015 AT 6PM AT THE GREAT HALL $25 TICKETS SOLD AT
CAFE VENTANAS
"Once upon a Winter", a theme for winter quarter's Sunday Supper brought I-House residents together with festivities and joy. We invited Stan Rodriguez, who is a fluent Kumeyaay language speaker, gave a very informative talk about the native Indian population in San Diego while raising awareness at the same time to preserve culture. Speaking about culture, I-House is rich and diverse not only in terms of nationalities and origins, but also in terms of talents. We were really excited to have performances ranging from piano performance to singing invarious genres. This Sunday Supper was very engaging as attendees sang along all together. At the end, after enjoying the talk and all the food and the festivities, all I-House residents were dancing happily and celebrating the night. Indeed, a vibrant community of I-House. — Wesley Febrian Programs Intern
18
Winter
Contact Us
Come stop by! Our offices are located under the Great Hall, in Eleanor Roosevelt College. Mailing Address We love reading letters, send us one! Please note: This is not a physical location, for mail only. For directions, please see below. 9500 Gilman Drive, #0550 La Jolla, CA 92093-0550 United States Phone 858-822-1791 Fax 858-822-1791
Visit Our Website ihouse.ucsd.edu Email ihouse@ucsd.edu We publish a new issue of the Traveler every quarter. Have any contributions or ideas? Please share them with us! We are always open to your suggestions and input. Email Our Interns ihouseintern@gmail.com
Supporting International House
Supporting International House International House awards scholarships to deserving undergraduates every year that run on donations from generous sponsors. Also, alumni, parents, and members of the community support programs that bridge classroom experiences with the wider world, such as Model United Nations, Language Conversation Tables and Global Forum. You can help sustain our vision of by giving. Give now and help support at ihouse.ucsd.edu/giving.