Updated: 11 September 2022It was inevitable that this day would come. The day that I’ve been in Iran for so long that it’s actually things in the US that shock me, or else I don’t know what’s culturally appropriate or not anymore. To some degree, it’s always been like this. For you hyphenated folks reading this, you can probably relate. I think there’s always been a sense of this limbo. As kids, my friends and I would stare at our…
Updated: 4 January 2022When people ask me why I like Iran, I never have a solid answer. To tell you the truth, the question itself (along with the tone it’s usually…
My students were doing a reading activity the other day when one of them was reading out loud to himself. The other whispered, “Read in your heart.” Then she looked at…
At this point, I’ve written quite a few of these posts, so I’m not even sure what to call them anymore. Are they quirks? Customs? Endearing differences? Culture shock? Who knows!…
When I was a writer for Culture Trip, I was commissioned to write Cultural Reasons to Visit Esfahan Before Tehran. Despite the fact that I love Tehran and actually take PERSONAL…
A confession: This file has been in my drafts folder for upwards of a year. It seems that every time I come to write or edit it, I go down such…
When I posted the first part of 10 Persian Words With Unsatisfactory English Translations, I got a comment from a student reminding me that once upon a time, I didn’t know…
It’s hard to believe that it was this very week last year that I went on my road trip through central Iran. Time flies, yes, but that’s not what I mean.…