My Life in Short Stories: 3. A Fairy Tale

Tehran, Iran
1965-1978

It was a beautiful and romantic evening in Tehran and I was happily getting ready to go to a big dinner party which was being hosted by the AUB Alumni Association for the new graduates. I looked in the mirror one last time and rushed to the door to join my friend who was driving me to the party.

Alborz Mountain surrounding Tehran

I had recently returned to Iran after graduation and I was still busy with my credential evaluation and other formalities related to my employment with the Ministry of Health. Tonight was my first night of outing after returning to Tehran.

In the car I was thinking about the information that my mother had shared with me the night before. She told me that the son of her best friend who is very handsome and educated will be at the party and she wanted me to be nice to him.

The party was at a big hotel and I was very excited to meet the other AUB graduates. Upon arrival I was greeted by one of the organizers who in turn introduced me to a group of graduates who were engaged in conversation. Soon after, I was approached by a well dressed and handsome gentleman who introduced himself as Javad and said that he graduated from AUB in 1958 and earned a Ph.D. in Agronomy from the School Agriculture.

I told him a little bit about myself and before we knew it we were eating dinner together and dancing and enjoying the evening. Everything happened rather quickly after that night. We dated for three to four months, we met each others’ family members and we got engaged on my birthday. Four months latter we got married in a beautiful ceremony and we moved into a small apartment.

Wedding Picture

Wedding Picture

Wedding Pictures

My son Behrad was born in 1966 and my daughter Lily in 1971 adding to our joy and the joy of the whole family.

Behrad

Lily

I was offered a job by the largest medical and research center of Tehran which was inaugurated by the Shah. On the day of inauguration we were all standing in line to greet the Shah and when it was my turn to shake hands with him he looked at my badge and asked ” where did you get your education?” and I answered “The American University of Beirut”. He smiled and seemed to be very pleased. I was so proud to be among the first group of professionals who were hired by this brand new medical center. I loved my work environment, my colleagues, my boss, and everything that connected me to my job. In the meantime I continued my graduate education and worked in teaching jobs as well as managerial positions.

One day my best friend who is a nutritionist and had a teaching position at the same university that I worked told me that she has heard about an incredible Russian fortune teller who has impressed a lot of people with her accurate readings. I told her that I don’t believe in such things but if she is interested to go and see her, I can accompany her any time during lunch break.

The next day we went to this fortune teller and when she opened the door for us I noticed how tall and muscular she was. She did not seem interested in talking with us but eventually said that she can do the reading for one person only. I looked at my friend and wanted to say something but she practically pushed me in and said that it is OK, she can do the reading for me only.

I went in and she offered me a cup of coffee to drink, looked at the palm of my right hand and opened her Tarot cards without talking. After a few minutes she started telling me her readings.

She told me that she sees me oceans apart from my family and my country, I will lose three woman in my family that are very dear to me, I will be a very successful woman but I will have to remove a lot of obstacles and I will become extremely rich in the latter part of my life.

As we left the place I was thinking about the nonsense that I had just heard. I said to my friend "how is it possible for me to leave my husband and my children behind and go some where so far away?" To me that seemed absolutely impossible.

I was counting on a prolonged and happily ever after fairy tale. Was my fairy tale about to come to an end?


To be continued....

My Life in Short Stories: 2. The University

Beirut, Lebanon
1961-1964

The night was young and there was an air of celebration in Tehran International Airport. I was there to meet my family and to say goodbye to them before leaving for Beirut, Lebanon in order to continue my education at the American University of Beirut.

I was surrounded by family members from both my mother and father’s side and I was being showered with their love and good wishes, but there was no sign of my father, my step mother, or any of my siblings. I concluded that they are still holding on to their grudges and their lack of understanding in relation to the fact that I had met my real mother without their knowledge.

When the plane took off I was anxiously looking down from the window to see the lights of the city and to say goodbye to the place where I was born and had spent the most sensitive years of my life.

The Tower of Freedom the symbol of  Tehran

I was overcome with mixed emotions of happiness, sadness, anxiety and fear of unknown. It was my first overseas travel and I did not know what to expect. All I can remember is that we had a smooth flight and when we arrived I was welcomed by the university personnel and taken to the assigned dormitory right away. In the darkness of night I could not quite see the university or the city of Beirut but I knew that I could expect to see a beautiful city known as “The Paris of the Middle East”.

The American University of Beirut (AUB) was founded in 1866 and is located on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. As you can see in the pictures, the campus holds historical buildings and breath taking sceneries.

AUB Campus

AUB Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea

The University Hall

I loved AUB and the host country Lebanon and I appreciated the people, the culture and their wonderful culinary traditions. I also cherished my classmates and the whole international community.

Before we knew it we were already busy with our classes, labs and clinical practice and we had to study and work really hard. There were forty one students in our class from all over the world but towards the end of the first academic year only nineteen of us remained in the program.

Working on a Project

Six months into my education I wrote a long letter to my father and complained about my years of suffering while living with them. I also told him that he had no right to separate us from our mother, and that I can not forget or forgive him for what he did.

A couple of weeks later I received a letter from him saying that the night I left the country they had come to the airport to see me and to say goodbye but because of the crowd around me they kept their distance and they did not come forward. He asked for my forgiveness and offered his blessings and good wishes. He also requested me to go and see them during my summer vacation.

I was too busy to think about his letter or to respond to it. I felt that my heart is closed and I had nothing more to say or to give. I put that letter in a safe place and continued with my busy life.

One day I was informed that I am expected to call the Dean’s office and make an appointment to go and see her. I felt uneasy and a bit nervous but when I finally met her I found her to be a very kind and sweet lady. She put me at ease right away and asked me if I am happy and satisfied with my life at the university. My response was a positive one and I thanked her for her concern. She was delighted but went on to say that it has been brought to her attention that I am mostly alone in my room and I rarely go out to have fun. She concluded that this is not considered healthy for a young girl like me.

International Student Event

I was pleasantly surprised because in my own culture parents and families did not encourage the girls to socialize but supported the boys' freedom. The girls were oppressed in the name of protection and consequently they grew up with no social skills to protect themselves when they needed to.

This was a wake up call for me. I thanked our Dean and I promised her that I will consciously work on myself and reach out to my friends and classmates. In the process of doing so I realized how difficult it is for me to leave my comfort zone and to unlearn what I had learned before. I was particularly clumsy and naïve in relation to boys and I did not have an easy communication with them when participating in social activities.

It was summer time and those of us who had scholarships were each given a plane ticket to go home and visit their families. My older brother suggested that I go home and visit my father and make peace with every one and I did just that. In time our relationship improved and my step mother became my best friend and a strong supporter of me.

My Step Mother and Me

Graduation

I went home again at the end of my second year of education and also after graduation. I completed my education and went back to Iran to start a new chapter in my life.



To be continued….