Day 101 Goodbye Iran
SYNOPSIS: The inevitable happened – my time here is over. A few reflections on the Iran experience. And my thanks to all who made this trip possible and to all of you who read this blog. The good and the bad, the expected and the unexpected and much gratitude. On the way down the hall, I took out my hairpins and slowly, the headscarf slipped down. Strictly speaking, I was still on Iranian territory and breaking the law. But a few steps down, on board of the Lufthansa aircraft I was part of the free world again. I was the first with the scarf off, but within minutes, many of them disappeared. A few of the older ladies never took it off, not even after we landed in Germany and that is how it should be: Do what is comfortable.That scarf had been on my mind for a full two months. I accepted it as an inevitable part of the Iranian experience but I never adjusted to it. It was uncomfortable, it often was hot, but most of all, it was demeaning. It was a constant reminder of who was in charge and that I was subjected to an extreme interpretation of a religious law as a non-religious person, a law that has no basis even in the Koran. I think that much of our negative image of traveling in Iran stems from this rigorous enforcement of the dress code for women.But the same powers responsible for this law, did seem interested in making sure that we visitors had an otherwise wonderful experience. The passport and customs exit control was swift and without incident for all of the foreigners in line that I saw. I had so worried about it and the possibility of being checked and questioned. Were all my photographs going to be safe? Would I be asked about my blog? Would my purchases by scrutinized? None of it. So much I was ready for, did not happen: I did not get sick, or lost, or pick pocketed. But so much I was hoping for, did happen: I had a wonderful experience seeing some of the most amazing cultural sights anywhere in the world. I did meet many wonderful people, and I had a safe and smooth journey.Before I set out on this trip I heard over and over from people how brave I was. Even as I was on the road, I heard that comment from natives, from fellow travelers who traveled in groups, or from single male travelers. Nothing could be further from brave. I had exactly one moment of bravery, which was also a moment of despair. It was the day before my journey started. I had kept myself busy with setting up a 3.5 months absence – getting down to the details of making arrangements with every bank and utilities company; anticipating every deadline at school and upcoming duty in advance, took weeks of tedious work. I was not thinking about the actual trip until there was no way around it any more. That was the day before I left and that’s when I panicked. What on earth was I up to?!I remember sitting down, looking over my tentative itineraries, trying to get through this panic attack. That’s when Scheherazade crossed my mind. I held onto her like a straw. Instead of packing I wrote one of my first blogs about her. If she could survive 1001 nights, I could survive 101. I think I understand her secret now. She just put one word in front of the other, spinning her story and before she or the king realized it, months and years had passed. She faced a situation, she had a plan, and she dared to get started. I put one foot before the other. That is not bravery. I just had to dare to get going. Everything fell into place from there. It was easy. That first step though, was not. By now 3.5 months have passed and I don’t know how many miles I put behind me. But I know now that I can go anywhere and things will be OK. And in shahallah, I will keep traveling more in coming years.The reality of having been able to do this incredible trip has not yet fully sunk in. So many things had to come together. My biggest thanks go to the administrators at Washtenaw Community College who allowed me to leave during the winter and teach during the summer semester this year. I could not have done this trip during the hot summer months.My gratitude goes to all of the people on the way like Mozaffar, Akbar and Parvin and all the many strangers who talked to me, took me in for tea or food, and even to those who just stared at me. My trip reinforced the notion that people do still reach out to each other in deep humanity and friendliness. The photos of today are all about the people of Iran. Some I met, some I just saw along the way.My thanks go also to all of you faithful and valued readers! Knowing that you would look in kept me on track. Keeping the blog going through thick and thin was the hardest and one of the most time-consuming things to do on this trip. I thank you for your loyalty and your interest. Without you, I might have slacked off as I have on previous trips where I started to take enthusiastic notes for a few days or weeks, only to fizzle out soon after…Every night I said thanks to my travel pantheon. I am not religious, but I know full well, that the failure or the success of this trip and of my life, for that matter, depends on factors that go way beyond my control.And so I will end this blog with a prayer of gratitude the same way I have ended every night on this 101 day long journey:Thanks, Scheherazade, for giving me the courage to go. Thanks, Ganesh, for removing all obstacles. Thanks, St. Christopher, for holding your hand over me. Thanks, Baishayaguru, for keeping me well. THE END.