4
September
Featured Local Events, Groups and People
Summer in Iran provides unbelievable cultural experience
jtoya at Iran______________ B
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After their senior year
in Iran, students take a
placement test like the SAT
to tell what universities they
may attend. Getting a good
placement means everything
to their future. My 19-year-
old cousin, Mooshgan,
studied months in advance
to get her placement of 310
out of the 2 million who took
the test. Mooshgan is now
going to Gazven University
to become a dentist. My
other cousin, Shagagh, got a
placement of 517 and is now
studying to be a buisness
major at Tehran University.
One of the scariest things
about Iran is the traffic.
Always in gridlock, it's
very much like the traffic
in Los Angeles. Unlike Los
Angeles though, there are
no enforced traffic rules. The
lanes painted in the streets
are merely guidelines that no
one chooses to use.
Driving is like a huge
race, cars weave in and out
and motorcycles nearly miss
getting hit by a fast moving
car. The streets sometimes
narrow making for one huge
traffic jam with everyone
trying to move away at the
same time.
Surprisingly, this type of
traffic works for Iran because
the number of accidents is
way lower than one would
expect. Driving tests in Iran
are very hard and only the
best drivers are allowed
to obtain a liscence. It still
was a stressful situation for
me even when we just had
to drive to the market 10
minutes away.
My whole trip in Iran
turned out to be one
amazing experience after
another. My 22-year-old
cousin, Kavan, acted as our
tour guide and took us to see
the sights. We had the chance
to explore the Shah's palace
the way he left it before his
exile. His mansion is filled
with important and historical
Iranian artifacts.
We also took many trips
to the famous Tehran Bazaar.
Equivalent to five Portland
Saturday Markets, the
Tehran Bazaar happens every
day and is traditionally split
into corridors. Historically
the five corridors were
for carpets, paper, spices,
copper, and jewelry, but now
include more sections such
as those for clothes and food
stands.
Kian and I had a mission
to try out the fast food
places. They did have
traditional Iranian fast food
such as kabobs, but Iranians
also have a love for pizza
and hamburgers. With no
copyright laws in Iran,
business owners just take
two American restaurants
and combine them. My
favorite was one we went
to called Superstar Fried
Chicken. With the Carl's Jr
logo, the fast food place was
a true mixture of Carl's Jr
and Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Unlike the U.S., fast food
restaurants are very clean
in Iran and also very nicely
decorated. It felt as if we
were really in a true sit down
restaurant and the fast food
was of better quality better
than what the American
restaurants have. The
"CocaCola" product they
have in Iran was ten times
better than here.
The real Iranian cuisine
was also much better that
what I was expecting. My
grandmother would cook
three meals a day and all of
them were delicious. She is
known by friends and family
as the one who can cook a
good traditional meal that
can bring people together.
Roya and Kian Elizeh stand outside the main street in the village
Laijon. It was the first time traveling to Iran for the siblings and they
both hope to visit their family again soon.
Photo submitted by Roya Elizeh
The fruit in Iran is very fresh
and is much smaller than the
fruit we have in the United
States because they don't use
any type of chemicals.
Tea is the coffee of Iran
and at every meal it is
offered to drink. Although it
is said that the tap water is
safe to drink in Tehran, my
grandmother still
boiled it because
she didn't want us
to get sick.
Walking allowed
me to see the
different types of
people in Iran and
also gave me a first
hand experience
of seeing how
people lived. Little
girls under the
age of nine are not
required to wear
a montage and
scarf, but would
if their family
happened to be
Most street circles in Tehran, Iran have their own mosque. The mosque of the very traditionally
Kachj Circle is known for its beautiful architecture. Iranians pray in their mosque based. The
up to five time in a day. The most common times of prayer in the Mosque are at
women wear
sunrise, noon, sundown and around 10 p.m.
the traditional montage,
which covers the whole
body with one long piece
of black fabric. Having to
Photo by Kian Elizeh
constantly hold it together,
the traditional montage
is usually not worn by
teenagers and women of the
"new generation." Fashion
is very important to the
modern Iranian women and
there are many four story
malls in which to shop.
The people of Iran were
always so nice to us. Street
vendors would chuckle
when we'd try to speak Farsi
and everyone we visited
tried to make us feel at
home. A custom we learned
was that when you have
someone visit your house,
you must return the favor
and visit them at their house.
Another custom is that
if you mention you like
something of theirs, they
will immediately offer to
give it to you. This got me in
trouble once when we went
to visit my second cousin's
house in the city of Rasht.
I mentioned that I liked
the silverware and before
you know it, the family
had it wrapped it up and
were presenting me with
their silverware. With some
persistence on my part, they
kept the beautiful silverware
and I learned the important
lesson about complimenting
something without saying
you like it.
Not once did I ever felt
threatened or that I was
in any type of danger in
Iran. Although the extreme
government owns the
country's television stations,
Iranians like my grandfather
own satellites, which
broadcast news from the
massive Iranian population
in Los Angeles. It's these
new programs where they
get unbiased news programs
about the war in Iraq, the
United States, and their own
country of Iran.
They have music
programs just like MTV but
featuring Iranian and Arabic
artists. Though they weren't
meant to be humorous, Kian
and I loved watching the
videos and had a good laugh
about how they portray
American life.
The most memorable part
of my 18-day stay in Iran
was visiting the birthplace
of my dad, grandmother
and grandfather. The village
of Elizeh is about a four-
hour drive away from the
capital of Tehran. Tucked
away in the mountains and
right along a river, the town
of Elizeh is famous for its
olives. Although most of the
olive trees were damaged by
an earthquake years ago, the
olive business is still in full
bloom.
Like other civilizations of
the past, many Iranians take
the name of their birthplace
as the second part of their
last name. Take for instance
my full last name "Ghorbani-
Elizeh" the Elizeh stands for
the birthplace of my dad.
Kian and I loved hearing
about these old traditions
and stories of my father's
childhood and seeing exactly
where they happened.
Moving to the United
States as an 18-year-old,
my dad has accomplished
more than he ever thought
he could. Going to Iran
allowed me to understand
where I come from and to
meet the family that I always
knew I had. While most
will travel to the beach this
spring break, I hopefully will
be going back to Iran with
my Iranian family. Again, I
will enjoy the country that
accepted this American with
open arms.