{"id":1382,"date":"2019-02-12T10:31:55","date_gmt":"2019-02-12T15:31:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/?p=1382"},"modified":"2019-02-12T10:33:31","modified_gmt":"2019-02-12T15:33:31","slug":"new-home-old-friends-oiss-new-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/2019\/02\/12\/new-home-old-friends-oiss-new-space\/","title":{"rendered":"New Home, Old Friends&#8211;OIS&#8217;s new space"},"content":{"rendered":"<script>fsg_json['fsg_post_1382'] = [\n{id: 1383, image: 'http:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/files\/2019\/02\/new-office.jpg', extlink: '', thumb: 'https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/files\/2019\/02\/new-office-290x290.jpg', permalink: '<div class=\"galleria-layeritem\"><a title=\"Permalink\" href=\"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/2019\/02\/12\/new-home-old-friends-oiss-new-space\/new-office\/#0\"><div class=\"galleria-link-bookmark\"><\/div><\/a><\/div>', layer: '<div class=\"galleria-infolayer\"><div class=\"galleria-layeritem\" style=\"padding-right: 20px;\"><h1>new office<\/h1><\/div><div class=\"galleria-layeritem\"><a title=\"Permalink\" href=\"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/2019\/02\/12\/new-home-old-friends-oiss-new-space\/new-office\/#0\"><div class=\"galleria-link-bookmark\"><\/div><\/a><\/div><div class=\"galleria-layeritem\" style=\"padding-right: 20px;\"><\/div>'},\n{id: 1384, image: 'http:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/files\/2019\/02\/open-house.jpg', extlink: '', thumb: 'https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/files\/2019\/02\/open-house-290x290.jpg', permalink: '<div class=\"galleria-layeritem\"><a title=\"Permalink\" href=\"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/2019\/02\/12\/new-home-old-friends-oiss-new-space\/open-house\/#0\"><div class=\"galleria-link-bookmark\"><\/div><\/a><\/div>', layer: '<div class=\"galleria-infolayer\"><div class=\"galleria-layeritem\" style=\"padding-right: 20px;\"><h1>open house<\/h1><\/div><div class=\"galleria-layeritem\"><a title=\"Permalink\" href=\"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/2019\/02\/12\/new-home-old-friends-oiss-new-space\/open-house\/#0\"><div class=\"galleria-link-bookmark\"><\/div><\/a><\/div><div class=\"galleria-layeritem\" style=\"padding-right: 20px;\"><\/div>'}\n];<\/script>\n<article id=\"post-25368\" class=\"post-single post-25368 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-features\">\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<div class=\"page\" title=\"Page 11\">\n<div class=\"section\">\n<div class=\"layoutArea\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<p>OIS is on Misc!!! The link is attached and the article is copied below.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/miscellanynews.org\/2019\/02\/06\/features\/international-office-creates-new-home-for-old-friends\/?fbclid=IwAR1mSVuED_8f844M52BGlwyH8yLFQ00feu3vp3sSXYNaxjhJPy5taFrckhE\">http:\/\/miscellanynews.org\/2019\/02\/06\/features\/international-office-creates-new-home-for-old-friends\/?fbclid=IwAR1mSVuED_8f844M52BGlwyH8yLFQ00feu3vp3sSXYNaxjhJPy5taFrckhE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Also check out this amazing video about the new international space done by our very own intern Alice Marbach~!~!~!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/OISVassarCollege\/videos\/988047921391721\/?acontext=%7B%22ref%22%3A%2222%22%2C%22feed_story_type%22%3A%2222%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22%5B%7B%5C%22surface%5C%22%3A%5C%22timeline%5C%22%2C%5C%22mechanism%5C%22%3A%5C%22main_list%5C%22%2C%5C%22extra_data%5C%22%3A%5B%5D%7D%5D%22%7D\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/OISVassarCollege\/videos\/988047921391721\/?acontext=%7B%22ref%22%3A%2222%22%2C%22feed_story_type%22%3A%2222%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22%5B%7B%5C%22surface%5C%22%3A%5C%22timeline%5C%22%2C%5C%22mechanism%5C%22%3A%5C%22main_list%5C%22%2C%5C%22extra_data%5C%22%3A%5B%5D%7D%5D%22%7D<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h1><\/h1>\n<h1>International Office creates new home for old friends<\/h1>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: right\">By Kaiqing Annabell Su<\/p>\n<p>While Poughkeepsie was windy, cold and a mess outdoors on Jan. 30, the Office of International Services (OIS) was having an open house for its new office\u2014complete with hot chocolate, tea and brownies. On the same day, I got to see a lot of international friends after break. We hugged, chatted and hugged again, as per usual. This time, however, the reunion did not happen on the way to class or at rush hour in the Deece, but in CC237, the beautiful new space for OIS.<\/p>\n<p>I remember being in an intern meeting at the beginning of last semester, when Assistant Dean of the College for Campus Life and Director of International Services Andrew Meade proudly announced, \u201cWe are going to have a new space!\u201d For a long time, Meade had been asking (if not fighting) for a space for internationals\u2014not only for interns to work in, but also for the general international student body to spend time with each other. With the capacity to host more events in our own designated space and the chance to create a more accessible environment for students to simply step into, OIS\u2019s new office is likely to help internationals solidify their presence on campus. So this was definitely an exciting piece of news.<\/p>\n<p><a data-postid=\"fsg_post_1382\" data-imgid=\"1383\" href=\"http:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/files\/2019\/02\/new-office.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1383 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/files\/2019\/02\/new-office-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/files\/2019\/02\/new-office-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/files\/2019\/02\/new-office-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/files\/2019\/02\/new-office.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>However, euphoric excitement often comes with some degree of disappointment. As all of us took a trip to CC237, we quickly realized that we had a lot of work to do: come up with a floor plan, brainstorm ideas for furniture and engage in a great deal of heavy lifting and moving (from the old office at Main South 185) before we could call the space our own. Facing this empty expanse, I simply couldn\u2019t envision a new office.<\/p>\n<p>My second time in CC237, it had officially become the new space for international students. A week before the semester started, Meade sent an email, subject-lined \u201cOIS past, present, and future.\u201d With the help of two students over winter break\u2014 Ivy Chen \u201921 and Anne-Marie Abban \u201921\u2014 everything from the old office got boxed up and moved into the new one. \u201cMoving was not super stressful,\u201d Abban later informed me, \u201cbut what was stressful was packing and finding boxes to use.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"column\">\n<p>After winter break, all the interns were responsible for unpacking the boxes and figuring out where the stuff should go. So there we were, with the past memories of OIS settled in boxes filled with various trinkets\u2014from fairy lights and files to sharpies and photo albums\u2014lying in front of us. As we tried to decide where to begin, scattered and disoriented questions flew across the room: \u201cShould we start with stationery?\u201d \u201cWow, we should put up these nice posters on the wall!\u201d \u201cWhy do we have 10 file stands? They should go away.\u201d \u201cI am going to put this Romanian doll here!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Going through one box after another, wiping off the dust and occasionally throwing items away, we found ourselves reminiscing over the history of our office and the nostalgic time spent with the many faces of the international student body. The colorful posters took me on a world tour of the successful Around-the-World series we\u2019ve done, featuring food and culture in different parts of the world. The four extra packages of graham crackers transported me to international orientation nights with s\u2019mores. The files of people that have already graduated made me wonder: Where were they from? How did they like Vassar? How was OIS back then?<\/p>\n<p>Picking up, organizing or throwing away belongings is itself a process of remembering and forgetting. It was then that I realized that the \u201cstuff\u201d was not only stuff, and \u201cmoving\u201d was not merely moving\u2014 but transforming, changing and growing. In this process of dealing with the past, I also started to think: what do we want the future to be like? With a larger space that is more well-connected to students, what do we want to create?<\/p>\n<div class=\"page\" title=\"Page 11\">\n<div class=\"section\">\n<div class=\"layoutArea\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<p><a data-postid=\"fsg_post_1382\" data-imgid=\"1384\" href=\"http:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/files\/2019\/02\/open-house.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1384 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/files\/2019\/02\/open-house-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/files\/2019\/02\/open-house-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/files\/2019\/02\/open-house-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/files\/2019\/02\/open-house.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>For international students, \u201chome\u201d is always the answer\u2014not only in the sense of where we are from, but also in the sense of where we are connected and rooted, where we feel comfortable and safe. One of OIS\u2019s goals is to create such a home for internationals. Currently, we are in the midst of conceptualizing a community bookshelf that welcomes literature in a variety of languages. We have cultural artifacts on display from all over the world (a lot of them donated by internationals in the past) and there will be a picture and postcard wall filled with students\u2019 experiences from across the globe.<\/p>\n<p>Other than creating a sense of home by adding our own touches, we want all internationals to be part of building this \u201chome.\u201d So we welcome cultural organizations to hold meetings here, we hope to hold various kinds of events and we look forward to exploring other possibilities. Overall, this new center is a space that welcomes international students to spend time with each other, to escape from stress and to bond over good music, good snacks and most importantly, good conversations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"column\">\n<p>Day by day, the new space feels increasingly like home. Interns no longer work in the rarely-visited, arguably less welcoming office we had prior to this one; people come in to study and chat on the couch while drinking hot chocolate. Meade sometimes walks in from his office next door and catches up with students he might\u2019ve met only once during events. As of now, we are still deciding on new furniture, a better layout of the room and some operational rules for the common space. Meanwhile, even though it will be a while until the next official \u201copen house,\u201d OIS is always open.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/files\/2019\/02\/2018-2019-intern-missing-viraj-nadkarni-20-who-went-to-jya.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1385 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/files\/2019\/02\/2018-2019-intern-missing-viraj-nadkarni-20-who-went-to-jya-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Video made by Alice Marbach 21&#8242;<\/p>\n<p>Article written by Annabell (Kaiqing) Su 21&#8242;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>OIS is on Misc!!! The link is attached and the article is copied below. http:\/\/miscellanynews.org\/2019\/02\/06\/features\/international-office-creates-new-home-for-old-friends\/?fbclid=IwAR1mSVuED_8f844M52BGlwyH8yLFQ00feu3vp3sSXYNaxjhJPy5taFrckhE Also check out this amazing video about the new international space done by our very&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7592,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7592"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1382"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1382\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1388,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1382\/revisions\/1388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/international-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}