Image 1: Both my parents originally grew up in the city of Tehran, Iran. Life for them was completely and utterly different to say the least. My father decided to move to Sunnyvale, California when he was merely 18 years old with nothing but a few sets of clothes, little understanding of english, and some money his parents gave him. He couldn't even call home for the first few months because international phone calls were just too expensive. I bring this up because I have an immeasurable respect for my dad's decision to make a better life for his family in the United States. Today, my dad is a proud Stanford graduate and the CEO/Founder of his own fin-tech company. He may just sound like another cliche struggle story that ends well, but if it wasn't for his perseverance I would not be here. My mother joined him shortly after his graduation from Stanford, they met in Iran and fell in love immediately. While they've both adopted the tradition and norms of the US, they felt it was imperative to instill Iranian culture in my younger brother and I. My first language was Farsi, which sparked my love for learning other languages such as French, Italian, and German. I love Persian food, which is not always everyone's favorite, but expanded my tolerance of other worldly foods. Most importantly, good manners are a crucial element in the Iranian culture. My parents worked so hard to teach this to my brother and I, considering there is quite a lack of manners in the US from what I've seen. The basics include: Always say please and thank you, wash your dishes when eating at a friends house, be a giving host when having people over, and never be greedy or selfish. All these elements make up a large part of my character.
Image 2: Another aspect of Iranian culture that I admire is the notion that close friends are family. Calling your parents' closest friends names like "aunt" or "uncle" is common, and considered words of admiration. Family friends are family, and often times it gets hard to tell who I'm actually related to. I already have quite a large family, my grandfather on my mom's side had 11 siblings. However, I still love that many of my friends have become family. It allowed me to understand that family doesn't just mean blood relation - it's simply those who would do anything and everything for you. Once I was able to see it that way, it felt like I had the biggest support system behind me at all times. In the same way that I would call my parents' friends "aunt" and "uncle", I call my closest friends "sis" and "bro". I feel like this has become much more common in United States culture as well, which I really like. I do consider my best friends family and thus my large "family" is the most important thing in my life. We work together like one big team, never hesitating to help one another out when needed. An example of this would be the fact that my parents understand how difficult it is to make a life here out of Iran. Therefore, my father finds jobs at his company fitting for his family that come to move here in order to help them make some money before they get on their feet. I am so thankful to have so many supporters in my life and am excited to continue building my family,
Image 3: What are the advantages of being Iranian? Well, that's easy... Persian New Year or "Nowruz". Like many other cultures, my family celebrates certain holidays that majority of other Americans do not. The biggest one being Persian New Year. Unlike the US, Persian New Year is not just one day and doesn't occur when the clock strikes 12. Persian New Year is a 13-day long celebration, each day with a different activity and occasion. In the picture you see above, this is what we call a "Haft-sin," pronounced "Haft-Seen". A Haft-sin is a special table that must be set on the first day of Persian New Year and kept until the last. On the table there are 7 symbolic items representative of new beginnings. Those 7 items include grown lentil sprouts, wheat germ pudding, olives, vinegar, apple, garlic, and sumac spice. None of these are meant to be eaten, they are representative of ancient Persian holy spirits. As a fun touch, my mom likes to add a goldfish to the table as a symbol of life. Throughout the 13-day celebration, we take part in various events. The most popular being "Chaharshanbeh Soori" or "The Festival of Fire," and "Sizdah Be-dar" or "Nature's Day". The Festival of Fire is celebrated the Wednesday night before Persian New Year - which is usually on the first day of spring. You light 3 small and contained fires on the ground and take turns jumping over each one, symbolically burning away the negative energy of last year. On Nature's Day, my entire family goes to a large local park that hosts this event for all the persians in the area. It's basically an Iranian festival, with paddle boats to rent and take out to the lake, tons of food and drink stands, Persian ice cream made with saffron and rose water, live Iranian music, etc. There are sometimes as many as 5,000 people that show up. Eventhough these events are amusing, nothing beats actual Persian New Year. I'll give you one reason why... money! On Persian New Year it is tradition for parents or elders to give the children of the family money. The best part is that I qualify as a child until the day that I give birth to my own, so even though I'm now 18, I'll still be so much richer come March 21st.
