Students poured coffee and ironed Perler Beads at San José State’s International Houses’ dining room during a weekly “Coffee Night” event on Tuesday.
Coffee Night, which is sometimes themed, is meant to serve as a relaxed social gathering to bring together I-House residents, alumni and visitors according to an SJSU webpage.
Kuyik Effiong, engineering graduate student and the I-House’s head resident, said the gathering has been a staple at the residence, and that one of his fondest memories of the I-House tradition came during a karaoke-themed event.
“Just seeing everyone be so comfortable, be able to sing … you know there’s some people in a big group setting you’ve not seen them talk at all and then you hear them sing and it’s like ‘OK, I see you, I see what you do,’ ’’ he said.
Mary Wang, graphic design senior and German exchange student said the event has not only given her the opportunity to connect with her housemates, but also with the broader SJSU community.
She said people often invite their friends over for Coffee Night, and it presents a nice forum to extend her connections outside the house.
“You get to meet a lot of different people, invite friends from their classes and it’s a nice way to hang out with people outside the house that you meet in classes,” Wang said.
International business junior Kai Lim said while he doesn’t live in the I-House, he enjoys coming to the residence and talking to people from various countries and gaining insight on different cultures.
Lim, a self-proclaimed “social animal” also said it’s simply in his nature to put himself out there, and that he thrives in socially engaging environments.
In addition to conversation over a cup of joe, attendees were also able to design their own Perler Bead crafts.
The beads, which are made out of plastic, are fusible and formed on pegboards and ironed to finalize the creation, according to an article by Craft Warehouse, a website offering tips on how to better a person’s arts and crafts skills.
Lim said having additional activities to do alongside peers can help catalyze conversation.
“When you have an activity … I feel like conversations happen when people are doing something else,” he said. “Like when they’re playing sports or when they’re doing drawings or making friendship bracelets or the other things … they (I-House resident advisers) always do something alongside coffee.”
Kuyik Effiong said the themes and activities for Coffee Nights also take into account the novelty of being in a different country, and overall progression of the semester.
He said the first few Coffee Nights had SJSU-centric Jeopardy games that gave I-House residents some knowledge on what San José has to offer, while the last couple of will be more study oriented, helping students prepare for finals.
Effiong also said in addition to giving attendees activities to do and a setting for people to interact with one another, the event is also meant to give SJSU students a break from the fast-paced nature of college life.
“We always try to take a ‘let’s see’ approach at first, we’re going to create the environment and we’re going to let those conversations and those community-building (activities) happen organically,” Effiong said. “Because that is the best way (to) have an event where everyone can always let their hair down.”
Effiong said major events held at the I-House, like Coffee Night and its internationally inspired pancake breakfast that he said has been held for nearly 40 years, are ways the community tries to broaden its connection with students living outside the residence.
