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Jul 15th, 2010 by pedestrian
I have been travelling for the past few weeks …
On these adventures, I was surprised by how many times this happened:
random stranger/cab driver/salesman: “where are you from?”
Pedestrian: “Iran”
random stranger: “ah! Iran? so you’re green?!”
What could I do but smile?
And it happened as many times as this happened:
random stranger/cab driver/salesman: “where are you from?”
Pedestrian: “Iran”
random stranger: “ah! Ahmadinejad ROCKS” (substitute “rocks” with any synonym)
These latter folks were in for a serious lecture.
It is a hot summer in Iran, and the feeling of my skin burning under the sun, while usually painful, was welcoming. It reminds me of home, of the hot Khuzestan sun, and I stand there, under the scalding heat, like a stupid idiot, just happy that the sun is warm enough to take me home.
Because that is what I find the most awe inspiring about travel: despite the glare of “the other”, you are simultaneously confronted witht he most oddly familiar sights, sounds and smells …What I liked about the picture I’ve posted above is its familiarity. It could have have been anywhere in my hometown in Khuzestan, in Tehran or Kashan.
Goes to show that no matter where you’re from or what language you speak, “home” resonates with us all.
Hello, welcome back. This summer it seems hot everywhere.
christinA! thanks!
It’s super hot everywhere and I LOVE it!
Welcome back.
Your story reminded me of a scene my father told me of in Heinrich Böll’s 1961 book Irisches Tagebuch. I haven’t read the book, but here’s an account from The Irish Times of the German author meeting Irish people happy to say the Nazis weren’t so bad:
‘Chapters in this book have him in the pub, where he feels like a dentist extracting the tooth of ignorance about the war from some locals: “Hitler was, I said, and I said everything . . .”‘
I’ve been told Ahmadinejad rocks by several foreigners my self. What can I say to that really? I just pretend to agree with them usually; while amazed that despite how it seems to many of us Iranians and Westerners the IRI foreign policy does seem to resonate with many poor or the up and coming people in the world.
Its quite frustrating really because it always makes me feel that IRI is sacrificing Iranians interest to gain favor with the so called “Arab street” and it seems to work.
Anyway nice to see you back Ped, I can’t wait to go back to Iran my self after hopefully sorting out the Army enrollment thing with embassy.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Nancy Butters and Marthe Neda Gonthier, lissnup. lissnup said: Pedestrian » no matter where you’re from or what language you speak, “home” resonates with us all. http://bit.ly/aTOzaZ #Iran [...]
Thanks Kellie
Just googled the book!
Artanian, if I could spare just 5 minutes, I always try not to agree with them and explain my rationale. I have actually been able to convince a few people otherwise … sure, it’s not going to change the world, or Iran, but I felt quite proud of myself afterwards
Part of the reason they agreed in the end, is that just like the IRI promotes, they have this idea that any anti-ahmadinejad person is also anti-palestine, anti-muslim, pro-israel right, pro-US intervention etc. So I start with “I actually think Ahmadinejad is hurting these causes …..”
I hope you get the sarbazi thing straightened out soon enough!
Dear Pedestrian,
how nice/great/fantastic to hear from you
Publicola [German]
Dear Publicola [German],
right back atchya!
Did I miss you?
ddmmyyyyy, I was travelling in and around the Mediterranean … you weren’t there too?!