Design on a Dime

When students are accepted into the Hawza (Shia universities), the single guys and gals will be placed in dorm rooms provided by the Hawza. There are also separate dorms for families provided, but from what I've seen, those are not always guaranteed to be quick in coming or even "ready" in terms of utilities (as seen in this video made by an adorable young married couple studying in Qom). Other Hawza students coming from abroad can also rent or buy their own home or apartment. We were on a waiting list for a family dorm, but time was running out, so my husband was able to find this apartment for a low rent.

Some may wonder how a family of 5 can afford to uproot itself and go across the world to start over, both financially and mentally. I'll get to the mental aspect in another post, but as far as financially, I'll just say it's due to donations, sponsorship, and charity. Students are usually on a tight budget with some income here and there, but of course, money and security take a huge hit with this lifestyle. 

The apartments there are usually unfurnished, with no appliances such refrigerators or stoves, so people have to purchase all these items themselves. In the Qom area there is a website similar to our Craigslist that offers used furniture and household items.

These are a few of the items that my husband has been able to buy so far. Of course, as a woman who once wanted to be an interior designer and still pins cool rooms from Apartment Therapy, it has been a test of letting go as I haven't been part of choosing items. But my husband has done a great job, especially considering the time crunch, his lack of transportation and his beginner Farsi! I'm glad that when we arrive in Iran after traveling 24 plus hours, we'll have lovely, roomy couches and beds to rest our weary selves, inshaaAllah.

Here you can see the cozy couch set that sits atop the 2 large Persian rugs that were bought (there is no carpet in most apartments there). The room's dimensions are measured and taken to the rug store to purchase large rugs such as these. The same is true for curtains.

So lovely, so huge. What is that show my husband has on the TV? Probably an Iranian drama. 

Authentic Persian rug, cool huh?

These carpets are measured to fit into the two bedrooms.

Several items were purchased from a family who was moving to the USA from Iran.

This washing machine was purchased new and is located in the kitchen. There are no dryer hook-ups and all clothes will air dry. There are drying racks (as seen in the above 2nd living room photo). This is going to take some getting used too. 

Bought a fridge. Not a perfect fit, but nice and familiar American size.

Sharp cornered TV stand. Good thing I don't have any babies with me. Although I'm clumsy so...

Good storage. 

I've never seen a microwave with a mirrored front, but now I own one. 

Can't wait to settle into our new place with our family together, and look forward to sharing it.

Where in the World?

I enjoy knowing my place in the world. It's fascinating to think about where I will be situated in the world when I settle in Iran. I'll be "near" the Caspian Sea. Near the holy city of Qom. Near Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan! It's a far cry from where I've lived most of my life in Texas, Florida & California. And though the trip there will be long and challenging, I find it exciting that I'll be over 30,000 ft in the air, flying over the Atlantic Ocean, Greenland, passing Iceland and parts of Europe into the Middle East.

Our intended flight path. First from Dallas to Dubai.

Then from Dubai to Tehran, Iran

Dallas to Tehran, across the world!

All the places I've lived...

Oh, the places, I'll go. Wish you could join me.

Get Outta Dodge

Growing up in America for nearly 40 years has been good. My parents gave me a comfortable life. And back before I wore hijab, I really felt like I belonged. I remember as a child learning about Martin Luther King Jr, and how America used to be a hostile place for minorities before the Civil Rights Movement. I was glad that was in the past.

Although my husband and I had made our plans to move to Iran before this 2016 election drama began, it DOES seem like a good thing to leave America for awhile (bigots rejoice!). This new Trump culture is unnerving, and I pray that when we are able to come back and live in America again, that the climate here and in the world is one closer to that of my childhood, when it felt like we were on the right track.

I'll admit, I'm glad I've got a ticket out for a bit. My condolences to those of you who can't just move to Canada. Be brave! Be good! There's still more light than darkness. Be the light you wish to see. Netflix and chill.

Life Begins at 40

InshaaAllah (God-willing), in 40 days from now I'll turn 40 years old. They say life begins at 40, so that means I will begin my life at the same time that I begin my life in Iran. Get it?  Yeah, that's deep, yo. What a place to start living!

Of course I am excited, but mostly very nervous. Those feelings do not really matter right now because I need to pack and travel first!

Once we arrive, I'll have to set up house (again!). After we feel "settled," I'm not sure how my children and I will pass our time. We will home-school them but hope to find other structured activities. Other than that, I'll just have to wait and see. I'd love to write a novel or something similarly concrete, but I don't know how practical that will be. Most likely, I'll try to maintain this blog with my experiences there. I'd like to do a post every day as sort of a 365 Challenge. I look forward to cooking so I'll probably post photographs of the salads I make, haha! I'd like to learn a few traditional Iranian recipes.

Back to packing and the long flight (we will be travelling 24 hours straight), I am stressed about what to put in those suitcases and what to take on the long flights.

My kids are thankfully mostly independent, so I don't need to pack stickers or crayons anymore.

But what about for their comfort?
Should I bring Melatonin to help them sleep?
Water and snacks?
I even started wondering if I should take a fold-able foot stool or two for my kids so they can put their feet up sometimes--is that crazy or what?
Any tips or suggestions? Let me know. 

We don't understand life any better at forty than at twenty, but we know it and admit it. - Jules Renard

How Do You Say?

Often I call one of my children over to me, but I end up going through all their names before I get to the right one. I also say things like, "Put it on the chair," when I mean to say, "Put it on the table." Some folks call this "Mommy brain," but others may say it's indicative of a short-circuit in the brain. Either way, it is what it is.

And why is it that I can remember exactly what my husband said to me years ago in a random conversation, but I cannot remember how to say "How are you?" in Farsi/Persian, the language of Iran. Why is it that I can only utter a few phrases in my parents' language of Urdu? I asked my linguistic teacher in college why it was that I had such a hard time with my "Mother Tongue," after all, isn't my parents' language naturally "in my blood"? He laughed and said, there's no such thing as Mother Tongue! Language is a linguist construct, not a matter of blood flowing through your veins.

I studied Latin in college and passed well enough with a B, but still had a difficult time tutoring others in Latin when they asked me for some 'tips and tricks' to memorize the words. Still, my mastery of the English language is really great. I can write and read and interpret it just fine. So what's the deal? Am I just lazy and stupid and incompetent when it comes to learning other languages? I don't know for sure, but all my life, plenty of people, friends and family included enjoyed joking about how it's not just one, but all, of those reasons. As did those humble braggers whose children are bi-lingual.

I know I can depend on my husband to navigate the perils of a new language when I get to Iran. He's already taking in depth Farsi courses. However, I have no ambition to learn Farsi except for a few helpful phrases.

I'm nervous and mentally preparing myself for those questions that people will ask me: "Did you learn Farsi yet? Why not? You should. You've lived there for that long and still can't speak it? HaHa!"

And since my husband will learn Farsi, do you think he'll be able to teach our children? I would like that. I'd hope so. Is it that easy? Well, ask him instead of me. And ask him in Farsi while you're at it.

Here's your first lesson:

House Hunters International: Iran

I told my husband to find us a house like this in Iran. Haha, that's not happening.

The Borujerdi House (Persian: خانهٔ بروجردی‌ها‎ Khāneh-ye Borujerdihā) is a historic house in Kashan, Iran.

The house was built in 1857 by architect Ustad Ali Maryam, for the bride of Haji Mehdi Borujerdi, a wealthy merchant. The bride came from the affluent Tabatabaei family, for whom Ali Maryam had built the Tabatabaei House some years earlier.

It consists of a rectangular beautiful courtyard, delightful wall paintings by the royal painter Kamal-ol-molk, and three 40 meter tall wind towers which help cool the house to unusually cool temperatures. It has 3 entrances, and all the classic signatures of traditional Persian residential architecture, such as biruni and daruni (andarun). The house took eighteen years to build using 150 craftsmen.

No? Well, how about one these then? 

Wait, what? 

You mean I'm not one of those filthy rich people seen on House Hunters? 

Well, ok, of course not. 

He's just a student there so we can't expect to live in the lap of luxury. We're more likely to find an apartment like in these complexes. 

And we're most likely to settle in Pardisan, Iran. 

And here are some photographs of an apartment located in Pardisan. It's two bedrooms, two bathrooms (1 Western and 1 Eastern), a living room area, a kitchen, and a balcony.

And here's a grainy video tour of the inside.

Snapshots of Daily Doings

My husband is due to return to Texas soon to collect me and the kids. He suggested I could travel to Iran by myself with the 3 children and our 8 suitcases, but I not-so-politely declined. So it's nearly 40 days until I leave for Iran...

Here are some photographs he sent me after I asked him to take some snapshots of daily doings such as shopping and walking around in Qom. The ignorant American side of me was glad to see a familiar looking grocery store with common items and clean, seemingly peaceful streets (although I've heard that the traffic is not so peaceful, but it works)!

This is the inside of a restaurant in Qom called Diyar "Home." Check out its Instagram @welcometodiyar for pics of the delicious American style dishes it offers. 

Yum, can't wait to eat there!

The prayer hall inside my husband's school

The library at my husband's school

A walk in Qom

A park and picnic area

At the big grocery store...

Until next time...