I am now in Tehran, Iran.
It is my second day. I slept most of the day yesterday, and spent the evening being with my cousins whom I hadn't met in 24 years. The connections were made instantly, and I had a lot of fun.
I also met my near-90 year old former-colonel, good-looking grand father. I will write more about this interesting man in future posts.
What has struck me so far is the warmth of family, the wonderful taste of the food, the modernity of Tehran, and the heat of summer. One can also see just by looking around that this is a country under embargo, even though in general, the standard of living is quite high. Among my relatives (which are part of the upper-middle class), the standard of living is on par with middle class Western living (first-hand cars, nice condos, AC, really good food, good clothes, mobile phones with SMS, DSL Internet connections...).
However, I'm sure that for many in Tehran, life is a struggle in a way that I personally have not experienced.
Now, I am heading out for a ride on the Tehran Metro with my mum, sister, grandmother, and aunt... towards the city's grand baazaar.
2 comments:
Hi Saeed, I didn't know that you would be in Tehran so soon. I hope you enjoy you time there. Keep updating your blog. And hope to see you soon in Toronto.
Ya hagh
Ali
Hello Saeed,
thanks for eloquently expressing your feelings, in this initial phase of your trip. you write like a charm: i can easily understand how you feel and what you mean.
Do so regularly, it's so enjoyable for those of us who follow you from abroad.
if i may give you one piece of advice about this first return to the country of your roots, try not to analyse too much, try not to live this experience too "brainly" as a sociologist would do...
and tell me about the Caspian Sea, and the magnifiscent gardens of Iran, baghs, and the spellbounding mascheds of Mashad, etc...
thanks,
Shirin
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