May 3, 2008 Journal Entry

Susan lands in Iran

The conversations we have are the most important reason for being here. As we started to climb the highest mountain in Iran yesterday, an intense young man came up to us. "Do you think all Iranians are terrorists?" he asked. "NO!" we spontaneously shouted. He was beyond delighted--gleeful to see people from the United States not hating him as a young man. Constantly people tell us, "We love the American people. It is only the governments that disagree." Today at the museum complex which originally was the Shah's palace and grounds and buildings for three wives, the young children who were touring delighted in practicing their English lessons with us. Shining faces sounds too--everyone says children have shining faces, but how else to describe the joy, the blushes, and the excitement of saying to someone from the United States, "My name is Fatima." The tour guide at the fascinating, but hot, carpet museum, when she read our statement, said that she was certain the people could get along and she wished us good luck with our mission.

We have now had two traditional meals with many courses. We start with sweets--dates, chocolate, white raspberries (amazing!), nuts, saffron candy, tea. Sometimes the hookah (a smoking pipe designed with a long tube passing through a jar of water that cools the smoke) comes at the beginning, sometimes at the end, with flavored tobacco of apricot, cantaloupe, plum, or mint. (Of course, I take others' word for the flavors!) Then come yogurts, sometimes savory-flavored, flat breads, once we had potato chips and pretzel sticks and pistachios, then the salad--lettuce, cucumber, corn, pickled beats, lettuce, tomatoes, and today we had various kinds of Baba Ghanoush (an eggplant dish) and a dumpling around either a potato or a cauliflower piece. Then comes the real food--rice, some of it saffron; and many kabobs--chicken, lamb, beef. One time we had amazing lamb with piles of dill. One restaurant then tried to serve ice cream parfaits--chocolate or coffee--and pistachio ice cream, but ran out after serving the smaller of our two tables.

Yesterday we visited the Jewish hospital, which had about as much equipment in the laboratory as my father's office--well, a bit more. They do mostly charity cases, since there aren't so many Jewish folk around.

In this hotel, we have three computers, dial-up service, so I'll stop so others can send notes home. Wish you all could be here--and I am very sincere in that!