Dear I-House alumni, friends and supporters:
When I graduated from UC Berkeley 35 years ago, my eyes were set on seeing the world beyond I-House, the world I had encountered as an exchange student in Italy. As a student at the Università di Padova, I seized every opportunity to visit Italy. I am still awed by the tolerance and respect
my Italian hosts accorded my youthful Californian sensibilities.
 Late one winter night I found myself rattling across rural Sicily in a train. I was tired of traveling and longing for home. The gentleman sitting next to me asked:
Where are you from?
--I am an American exchange student from California. I replied.
California! How is it you speak Italian?
--Well, my mother’s father is from Tuscany and is named Puccini.
Puccini! Are you by chance related to the great Giacomo Puccini?
--There are stories to that effect, but our branch of the Puccini family tree is musical deadwood.
Ah, my distinguished guest, this calls for an aria!
And with that he unleashed his baritone. Other passengers joined in and soon transformed our humble train into an opera hall. La Boheme never sounded so good. I knew something had changed in my life.
As a diplomat in Africa, Asia and Europe, I witnessed the power of cross-cultural respect. I came to appreciate how sworn enemies can bridge chasms of mistrust and misunderstanding. I learned also, however, that cross cultural harmony does not simply envelop us like the evening fog of San Francisco. Life-changing encounters of a cross cultural kind flow from living diversity day-to-day.
As many alumni attest, I-House is a powerful catalyst for cross-cultural connection. The pull of this powerful force for a more tolerant and peaceful world is what attracted me to I-House. I am deeply grateful to have been chosen to serve as I-House's fourth Executive Director in 77 years.
Thanks to Joe Lurie’s talented leadership, a dedicated Board of Directors, generous and supportive alumni and a committed staff, I-House is doing well. As we look to the future, I would like to invite you to join me in writing the next chapter of I-House’s history. I am particularly interested in how we might take the lessons from inside our hallowed hallways to the campus, community at large, and to share them worldwide. Since the Internet allows us to live globally in real time, perhaps we should take advantage of this new virtual reality. I sincerely welcome your ideas on how I-House can continue to refine our work in service to fostering cross-cultural respect, understanding, lifelong friendships and leadership skills for the promotion of a more tolerant and peaceful world.
Please contact me by e-mail at brennanm@berkeley.edu, or, if you prefer, by the traditional
route c/o International House, 2299 Piedmont Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94702.
It is wonderful to be home again. I look forward to welcoming you one day soon.
Sincerely,
Martin Brennan
Executive Director
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