I'm taking a Trip

I’m taking a trip to where I was born. I’ll be looking at this land from a unique perspective: as an Iranian-American who loves his people and the traditions and cultures which have been passed on to him.

My first priority will be family. Being that this is my first time in Iran as an adult (I was ten years old that last time i went), I have a duty, an obligation to see my family. And this duty for me is an honor and something I deeply have wanted to do for a long time now. I see videos coming back from Iran when other family members of mine go back. I see the faces and the characters of my family members there and am astonished at the immediate connection I feel with them just by seeing their picture and their movements. It takes years to develop friendships with previous strangers, but with family, there is this immediate connection that I feel.

But will I feel that with all my family members? Probably not, but that is to be expected as well. I’m from a different cultural upbringing than they are, so my habits and my attitudes may surprise them and be strange to them. This is cool though, in fact its the best way to learn more about how I think, by reflecting off of others and our differences. Diversity of thought is something to be cherished.

Two more weeks, and I’m gone.