Fit right back in...

On my way to Iran, I was stuck in between two old ladies on the plane. On my left hand side was an old Iraqi women who was going back home to Iraq from Mecca; on my right was an Iranian who lived in Washington DC and was on her way to Iran to see her family. Sitting in between these two women was very Ironic because I have always felt that I belonged to both sides (not necessarily Iraqi but Arab), but the problem is that Arabs and Iranians don’t necessarily get along very well. It was funny that in the airplane there were Arabs and Iranians and both of them thought they were better than the other and both of them commented on what each other was doing wrong and made fun of the other in their own language.

The Iraqi woman one my left for some reason was very interested in me, she kept asking me question like what I studied? If I was married? How old I was? Where I lived etc; turned out this was not just out of curiosity but because she wanted me for her son who lived and worked in Iraq!! She even asked me for my cell number which I don’t know why in the world I gave her (I guess it doesn’t matter because I will rarely be using that cell phone since I keep on jumping from country to country). After having an extensive conversation with the Iraqi about my life and her life back in Iraq, I moved on to the Iranian. One of her first obvious questions was if I was Iranian. I told her that my mother was Iranian which in return she concluded that I am Iranian. I then told her that my father was Bahraini and I have lived my whole life in Bahrain and therefore I am stuck in between. With this woman we talked about life in the US and the life of Iranians living and getting married outside the US (funny enough both women opened up the conversation about marriage).

When I got out, four of my cousins were waiting for me and for some reason felt like I was just with them. Driving through the streets of Shiraz felt like I never left this place. We dropped by my Uncle’s house to say hi and drop off one of my cousins; then we moved on to our house. We arrived home had dinner, showed them some pictures of my trips and the family back home and went to sleep at around 3 am. Next morning I visited my grandmother; it was as if they had preserved her for me, she looked exactly the same as the last time I left her. Same hair, same wrinkles, same smile, same attitude…I love her; she annoys me at times but I love her dearly. After staying there for a while two of my aunts dropped by to say hi and I loved it. For lunch we moved on to my favorite aunt’s house; for some reason I get along with this aunt quiet well and everyone back home tells me that we have a lot in common. I love her. We had lunch, washed the dishes and chilled out together. My cousins all slept (as this is something everyone does after lunch) Me and my aunt sat and talked for 3 hours, she told me stories of the family, who got married, who died, how they died, what happened in their mourning; stories of random people she met on the streets or while waiting for doctor’s appointments, stories of when she was a kid and much more.

In the evening me, my cousins and their friends went out for dinner; I had the usual Iranian pizza which was fabulous. After laughing all night, we came back to my aunt’s house and I slept there for the night.

This trip has been easy for me so far; I fit in very easily as if I never left this place. Doesn’t really feel like home but feels so good with my family. I love the random laughing, the stories, the weather, the food, the family gatherings, the everything.

Mixed Feelings...

The last three days in Turkey were a lot of fun. I got to hang out with the girls and have some really deep talk. Also I got to know Mariam Kamal much better and realized that we have a lot I common. I’m glad I spent the extra days with these wonderful people from Bahrain. The streets of Istanbul were full of life yet for some reason I felt so lonely.

Tonight I’m leaving to Iran; meeting my family after two years is going to be very exciting. I’m sure I won’t be able to satisfy everyone with such a short time. Everyone would want me to go either for lunch or dinner at their house which will be impossible since the family is huge.

I will also be spending Ramadan there which is something new. I have always wanted to see what Ramadan was like in Iran and this year I will have the freedom to experience that. I will also have the time and space to fill in my application to Abu Dhabi more contentedly.

Mixed feelings…