yesteryears

i kind of like this blog’s ability to let me escape into the realm of yesteryear and compare stuff like what the hell i was doing a year ago today. around this time last year i was planning a party. it was fun. i was skipping work. this time around i’m trying to tie up a million loose ends here before i fly out in three weeks! (also, i love that i can indulge in such gratuitous anticipation of events.) i’m leaving here at the time when the country pretty much shuts down for 3-4 weeks for the norooze (norooz = start of spring = persian/iranian new year). official offices are closed and everyone is on vacation so it’s not like i would be able to get any work done if i were here but that puts more pressure on getting stuff in order before the lock down. i have no idea how all the files that have to be completed in the next three weeks will actually get done.

being here for the past couple of months has enabled me to peer into the lives of a people that are very complex. i’ve generally avoided talking about it here because i feel like presenting a society must be done thoroughly so snippets of bitching or glorifying would just make me sound one sided and give everyone the impression that i’m a total amateur (which i am, but that’s another story). without passing judgment here i can still vouch for the fact that traveling really does a lot to broaden one’s horizons and increases understanding of the “other”... while i find it hard to understand the rut this society is stuck in at least i have seen the kind of lives they live, the challenges they face, the occasions they celebrate, and have come to understand what makes them tick (i don’t think i fully understand this, but i’ve come to recognize the major categories people fall in). also, being here at this tense time had made me realize and appreciate the peace of mind that i’ve enjoyed for most of my life. no threat of war, sanctions, cholera (that was just absurd), earth quakes, traffic accidents.

all that said, it’s kind of a shame that i won’t be here on the night of norooz. i reckon it would have been an interesting time to watch the people shopping, and setting up their houses for all the guests that will start pouring in. people here are overly generous in certain situations, especially when it comes to social guests... i’m consoled by the fact that my parents are amazing hosts.