The 9th Anniversary

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As the sun sets, it will be nine years since I left my birthplace. While it seems a long time ago, it is not that long either. I do not have a clear memory of all those days that flew by so fast. All the details are somehow fuzzy. So much has happened and so much has changed. The stress of those early days has long gone and replaced by other types of uncertainties. I guess that is the nature of life. No one knows about the future and what will happen eventually. At least I think I am in peace with myself (most of the time). I consider this as a blessing since I have never been easy on myself- like most of the people I know. At least I like where I am and I love the fact that I am surrounded by so many wonderful people.

I used to dislike immigration, all aspects of it; the strange feeling of homesickness, being away from people I love, and the pain of being a foreigner in a strange land. By the time I got used to my adapted country, adjusted to new environment, and found new friends, I realized that I no longer belong to any place. That is what immigration does to you. Sometimes you have to compromise to adapt. If my non-Iranian friends are talking about their favourite childhood cartoons, I have to sit back and listen. On the other hand, when I am among my newly arrived Iranian friends, I am puzzled by what Barbardeh is. But should this be an issue? Does it really matter that I believe it is not accurate to write down a name of a city as my hometown on Facebook? As Nazy says I like to think “I am a citizen of this planet”. Why should geographical boundaries matter so much?

I have been exposed to so many different cultures. I have experienced some of them in depth. I am happy to see myself as someone who has the ability to communicate and interact with different people independent of their ethnic backgrounds and their nationalities. When I see someone, I see a person. I do not see their skin/hair colour, etc.

Comments

Azita said…
I know exactly what you mean and I feel the same way too. I am a citizen of where I was born and a citizen of where I live now. Moreover, I am a citizen of plant earth. I am concerned and care about the issues affecting us all on this planet. Bottom line is that we all want happiness, love and peace no matter where we’ve been born.

Lovely post.
October 11, 2008
Daisy said…
Thanks very much for your comment. I hope for better days and better world.
October 13, 2008
Behdokht said…
Hi daisy, I feel very similar to what you've brought in this post and it hasn't been a very long time since I left Iran compared to you. The thing that comes to me sometimes is that if I'm really going to leave my home-country for good and visit my parents once or twice a year for a very limited time. That bothers me when I think and finding an approach that could ease this "not seeing part" is not an easy job to me. In the best case scenario we accept this part and go on with life but it doesn't make the bitterness of this reality any less I think.

Be happy :)
October 13, 2008
Reza Mahani said…
It becomes worse after visiting Iran, I do not have the experience yet, but many of my friends come back from Iran more disappointed, feeling that they really do not belong to either place ...
October 15, 2008
Daisy said…
I know this post has uncovered some bitter truth about our current situation but I try to focus on positive aspects of it. Right before I moved here, one of my friends, a very dear friend, told me that you can never have everything at the same time. I think the question everyone of us needs to ask ourselves is that what is the possibility of getting what we want by leaving our love ones behind? What do we seek in life and what is that ultimate goal?

I'm just glad that I'm not the only one with such sort of feelings. As my dad always jokes, the tough part of life is only the first 100 years. It'll get easier :)
take care
October 16, 2008
Anonymous said…
Actually I think migration gives me the opportunity to explore myself as a person and more importantly as woman, also allows me not to live in a preset frame of culture.
I am happy of who I am and this would have not happened if I stayed in my birth place.
October 20, 2008
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