International House

HI iHOUSE!!!

We are still experiencing email difficulties with all tamu.edu and neo.tamu.edu email addresses. If you have not been receiving an email from us in over a month, this is likely the problem, and we do apologize for it! We are working with TAMU’s help desk to solve the problem. In the meantime, if you would like to switch your email address from a tamu.edu or neo.tamu.edu to another email provider (gmail, hotmail, yahoo) that you check often, please email Traci (wherestraci@gmail.com).

Just in case you didn’t get this week’s email, here are the current iHouse Happenings for this week…

DINNER TOMORROW IN CALDWELL
No plans for dinner tomorrow? Come with us to Mas Fajitas (tex-mex cuisine) in Caldwell, TX. We’ll meet at the iHouse at 5:45pm and travel together to Caldwell, about 20-25 min away from CS. We’ll enjoy dinner and then be back in Aggieland between 8:30-9pm. Our purpose for going is to meet a new Nepalese friend of iHouse. His name is Das and he lives in Caldwell. Join us in welcoming Das to iHouse plus enjoy delicious food with friends. For vehicle planning purposes, please email Traci if you are available to go. Thanks!

SUMMER STUDY BREAKS START NEXT WEEK
Summer is HERE, and it’s hang out time! Take a break from your studies, your research and your work, and join us on Thursday nights at the iHouse, 7pm. We’ll start the summer off right…with an iHouse potluck! It’s easy and delicious. So come, bring some food and a friend, and take a study break!

POTENTIAL SHOPPING TRIP ON JUNE 6
We are blessed to live so close to so many wonderful cities, many of which offer great activities and shopping. Just one hour away is the new Houston Premium Outlet in the smaller town of Cypress. Just two hours away, in San Marcos, is a huge outlet mall, which is actually two malls: Tanger Outlet and Prime Outlet. It is one of the best places to shop in Texas. If you are interested in taking a day trip to one of these two malls on Sat, June 6, email Traci indicating which of the two you prefer.

SURVEY FOR CONVERSATION CLUSTER PARTICIPANTS
If you participated in iHouse Conversation Clusters this year, please take a moment to complete this survey. It will only take about 5 minutes of your time. Thanks so much for your feedback!!

THANK YOU CHASE & ELLIOT for cooking such delicious chicken kabobs and bulgogi for us! It was all delicious!! To see more photos from Saturday’s cookout, click on the photo above.

Yuping & Tracey w/ the field in the background

Robert, Yuping, Jessica, Curtis and Katelyn hanging out in the stands

Traci, Chase and Qinghe enjoying the game

Although we lost to Houston, we still had a great time talking baseball, eating popcorn (Qinghe shared his with the whole front row of the stands), and learning A&M baseball traditions. Thanks to our coordinators for planning the event!

The Easter holiday is an important time of year in the U.S.

Here are a few of the reasons why…

1) Christians believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection happened around this time of year. Good Friday (April 10, this year) is when Jesus death is commemorated and Easter Sunday (April 12, this year) is when His defeat over death and His resurrection are remembered and celebrated. This holiday is an extension of the Passover holiday observed by the Jews and early Christians. The holiday is not a fixed holiday, but is always scheduled on the first Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon (see wiki article). Thus the holiday can occur anywhere from late March to late April.

*Here’s a short, 4 minute video about the history of Easter:

2) Easter provides an opportunity for families to gather for a long weekend.

3) The tradition of hunting easter eggs is fun for children of all ages. Also, the Easter Bunny (parents) often leaves an easter basket full of goodies for children, much like Santa Claus leaves gifts for them at Christmastime.

*Click here for a printable Easter colorpage for kids.

4) In the fashion world, spring colors — that is, bright and white — can now be worn. Fashion divas put away their black shoes and dark clothing and bring out their white shoes and bright clothing. [Note: Our generation has faded these fashion lines to bring freedom to wearing whatever color you want at any time of year.]

Hope you have a blessed Easter weekend!!!