Over the last several months, residents have organized an ongoing series of in-house talks every Monday evening.  Relaxing on couches in the Great Hall, residents gather to benefit from one another’s expertise and experience.  The following provides brief summaries of the topics discussed:

The first talk featured a Uruguayan resident who provided a brief overview of his country. He specifically discussed President José Mujica, famously known as “the humblest president in the world,” for his modest lifestyle and donation of 90% of his salary. He described the significant social changes and progressive policies the president implemented and how they are clashing with a relatively conservative society. During another session, a Lebanese resident provided a similar overview of his country and its political history.

Another talk featured a resident working at Twitter’s Washington D.C. office.  She first provided a practical guide on how to utilize the website and what it can offer. She then explored some of the intersections between social media and policy/diplomacy. The following week, an Italian resident explained the historical and cultural roots of the Greek fiscal crisis—the subject of her economics thesis. She urged her fellow residents to consider the crisis as more than a monetary issue. She said that it is vital to remember the culture, thoughts and struggles of the Greek people while working towards viable economic solutions. Another resident spoke about the history of Native Americans and U.S. policies, highlighting historical treaties up to modern day issues facing their populations.

A Lebanese-American resident, who formerly led her university’s “toastmasters club,” provided advice on how to give a successful talk and not completely bore your audience. She emphasized that no matter what, one must always be prepared for the worst; if your slides don’t work, if your video doesn’t play, if you lose your written remarks, you must always be prepared to speak anyway. Afterward, she had residents participate in several fun improvisation activities where residents had to make a speech about a given topic without any preparation. The group discussed the general rule of improv of staying calm, remaining optimistic and working positively with your performance partners, which holds lessons for team activities of all kinds.

Most recently, a student working at the Federal Reserve spoke about big data. Big data is currently a source of much hype and concern, presenting many exciting technological innovations, especially for her work at the Reserve. However, as she pointed out, there are also tremendous risks and concerns, especially related to privacy. She described how big data presents a major policy challenge for the U.S. government because it must find a balance between regulation and not inhibiting innovation.

Current residents should regularly check the ISH facebook page for information on future sessions, which are held every Monday evening at 7:30pm.

On a windy autumn day in early October, a group of residents and board members traveled to the Smithsonian Biological Conservation Institute, located in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. The Institute houses the National Zoo’s research center and endangered animal breeding facilities. It only opens once a year to the public. While ISH board members had planned to bring a group of residents to the open house last fall, the Institute unfortunately canceled the event due to the government shutdown.

We learned that the land was originally the site of a U.S. Army Remount Service depot, where horses were trained for service in both World Wars. After World War II, the site was transferred to the Department of Agriculture and eventually given to the Smithsonian in 1975. In contrast to the National Zoo’s enormous diversity of animals, the Institute houses a small collection of endangered species, including red pandas, snow leopards, maned wolves, and kiwis. There were also many scientists exhibiting their research projects. One particularly interesting Smithsonian initiative uses satellite imagery to map forest destruction around the world. Overall, it was a pleasant, interesting day and refreshing to breathe fresh mountain air outside the city.

On a separate note, one of the best parts of living at ISH is the chance to partake in interesting conversations at dinner every night. I participated in a compelling discussion last week with two Chinese residents, a Finnish student and several American residents. It started when one resident brought up the recent pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

The Chinese residents remarked that in their personal experiences, American students too quickly assume that democracy is the best form of government. One of the Chinese residents suggested that this has to do with upbringing, such as the reverence of the American Revolution as taught in American classrooms. She said that other systems are too quickly denounced, arguing that the Chinese system, while heavily criticized in Western media, has been beneficial for the country. China has experienced unprecedented economic and social growth over the last several decades under its current political system. Additionally, recent government initiatives are attempting to root out corruption and improve educational standards.

The Finnish and American residents responded that while its recent growth is undeniable and admirable, China still has a long way to go in regard to human rights. One resident mentioned the Chinese government’s censoring of the Internet and the persecution of outspoken citizens, such as artist Ai Wei Wei. Additionally, the Finnish resident noted, the U.S. Constitution and democratic system is one of the most stable political systems ever created.

The Chinese residents countered that most people know how to easily access blocked websites, though indeed, the government does place restrictions on the population’s access. Perhaps their strongest counterargument, however, was their point that China isn’t ready for democracy. Its people do not yet have an adequate educational level to make informed decisions. Given China’s economic situation of the 20^th century and today, a top-down government has been most effective. This has allowed for rapid implementation of national policies. Furthermore, though the government may limit rights to free speech and expression, it is continuing to provide greater social welfare programs. It is therefore not fair to equate the government of China with much harsher totalitarian regimes like those that exist in the Middle East. Perhaps one-day China could gradually transition into a democracy, but it is not ready yet. If China shifted to democracy today, it would be disastrous.

The Chinese residents shrewdly observed that lately, democracy is not working so effectively in the United States. An American resident pointed out that democracy is designed to be “messy,” and that the U.S. is not a direct democracy, but a democratic republic. I added that the political problems the U.S. faces today are not necessarily due to problems with the political system; gerrymandering and flexible campaign finance laws, for instance, have distorted the vision of our founding fathers, rendering citizens powerless in the face of political gridlock.

The debate continued for about an hour, long past the completion of our meals. We seemed to reach a consensus that in an ideal world removed from political and economic constraints, democracy would be favorable; it gives citizens a high level of control over the future of their country and ubiquitous civil rights. Yet given the complexities of the world today, the implementation of democratic systems may be too idealistic. Moreover, the conversation ended with everyone questioning their own beliefs, which is exactly what ISH is all about.

You’ve seen the National Mall. You’ve experienced the magnificent glory of the Lincoln Memorial, visited Obama’s house, navigated the loud and crowded bars of Dupont Circle and tried your first real American double bacon cheeseburger.

At a certain point, you will have inevitably seen all the main tourist attractions of Washington. I’m here to tell you that there are a ton of awesome (and often free) things to do that your Fodor’s guide to DC forgot to mention. Some of my favorite memories over my past year at ISH have been made pursuing unique events and unusual activities around the city. It takes a bit of work and research, but it often pays off.

There are a number of highly useful websites that you can check every week to learn what’s happening around the city:

• Washington Post Going-out Guide  Around Thursday night/Friday morning, the Washington Post publishes the top 10 things happening in Washington for the upcoming weekend.
• http://www.dcfreeculture.com  I found this on the Washington DC reddit page. Someone’s 88-year-old grandfather compiles cultural events around DC and posts them every week. It’s actually really good! Thanks, Grandpa.
• DC Culture capital  Lists upcoming arts, music and theater events.
• Thrillist DC  Useful for a wide variety of DC related information (website is also useful for many other cities). It’s particularly good for food recommendations.
• Linktank  Another useful website for finding free think-tank events around Washington based on your subject of interest.

Consistent Free Events

• The Library of Congress offers a lot of great and free events throughout the year, including concerts, lectures and movies.
• The Kennedy Center Millennium Stage offers free concerts every single day of the year at 6pm. Even on Christmas.
• Smithsonian offers a huge variety of events. Some do have fees but there are a lot of free ones as well. You can filter the list by museum, event type and other factors.
• Politics and Prose bookstore (Van Ness metro stop on the red line) has author readings and signings every day. In the past, I’ve gone with residents to see David Sedaris, Michio Kaku and other popular writers. Kramerbooks, that awesome bookstore down the street from us, also has occasional readings and live music.
• Cultural Tourism DC often hosts unique events around the city and the DC meetup.com page has groups for almost every activity you can think of.
• Young Professionals in Foreign Policy has a lot of great talks (and often hosts them at ISH!) and the International Club of DC offers many activities (occasionally free) as well.
• There are a ton of smaller organizations that are too many to list here. For instance, as I am interested in science, I’ve found several organizations that offer interesting events, such as DC Science Art Evening Rendezvous, Science Café and ThirstDC.
• This may sound obvious, but search on Google “free event Washington DC [your interest here]” and you might get lucky.

Here are a few things to see you might not be aware of that are within close walking distance of ISH.

• Mansion on O Street  100 rooms, 70 secret passages that you must find yourself, thousands of books/random crazy items for sale. On a rainy day, pay a few dollars for a self-guided tour and get lost in this amazing place for a few hours. 5 minute walk from the house.
• Society of the Cincinnati headquarters  Beautiful mansion that belongs to an organization founded in 1783 by officers of the Continental Army and their French counterparts who served together in the American Revolution. Also a 5 minute walk from the house and free to visit.
• Embassy Row—Take a nice walk and see all the embassies. Many offer free events and art exhibits throughout the year if you check their websites. Walk all the way to the top and check out the National Cathedral (and check out the Cathedral’s lower level to see the moderately creepy crypt below).
• Dumbarton Oaks  Beautiful mansion, grounds and free museum. Also, check out the Heurich House Museum, another cool mansion near the house, as well as the Woodrow Wilson House.

A Few Cool Nearby Local Restaurants/Bars

• Artjamz—Have a glass of wine and paint at the same time.
• Bier Baron—Fitting for ISH, this bar has hundreds of beers from around the world. It’s also quiet and good for conversation. A nice place to go for a resident’s last night goodbye party.
• Board Room—Drinks and board games. Always fun.
• Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe—Great café for late night food and desserts.
• Le Diplomate—When you’re feeling classy, this restaurant is close as you are going to get to authentic French cuisine in the district.
• Yogato—Fun frozen yogurt place where you can answer trivia questions for discounts.
• Rose’s Luxury- This isn’t in our neighborhood (it’s located near Capitol Hill), but it’s worth a mention. I haven’t actually tried it yet; you usually have to wait 1-2 hours for a table. That’s because it was recently voted the best restaurant in America (literally). I’ve heard it’s worth the wait. After your meal, check out Harold Black—a secret 1920’s themed speakeasy—located nearby.
• Soho Café—Chill atmosphere to get your work done and support a local coffee shop that isn’t Starbucks.
• Teaism—Tasty and moderately priced Asian food and a wide variety of tea (as evidenced by the name).
• Thai Chef Sushi bar—Offers a good sushi/drink happy hour.
• Thai Crossing—If you walk down 17^th street around 5pm, you might see a line-up of people in front of an unmarked door. They are waiting for the best Thai food in the city (the restaurant only seats 16 people at a time).

Washington is great for running and biking (or a leisurely walk). Here are a few routes to explore near the house:

• Rock Creek Park trail (starting on the trail below P Street bridge)—Follow this trail 1 mile south to Georgetown or take it all the way up to the zoo and eventually into the full Rock Creek Park. There you will find Beach Drive—a beautiful road that runs through the woods alongside a river. It is closed to cars on the weekends.
• C/O Canal trail—Starting in Georgetown, this flat dirt trail runs parallel to the Potomac River up to Maryland. Good for long-distance.
• Follow Q Street west through the beautiful homes of northern Georgetown. Cut across to R Street to Montrose Park and Dumbarton Oaks Park. Continue north to S Street until Wisconsin Avenue, which leads to Glover Park.
• Pro-tip: Download the TapIt smartphone application to locate free tap water all over the city.

While this is a small sample of many awesome things to do in Washington, I’ve already surpassed the word limit for this blog post. Now get out of the TV room and go experience Washington!