A Little Bit Persian....

I went in for a haircut the other day and found myself pondering the ethnicity of my new hairdresser. My old one apparently quit unexpectedly, but thankfully I wasn’t attached. Nanny Mary and her daughters asked me to let them know if they should visit this new person, as they are tired of traveling to another city to visit their current salon. I hesitated, but said sure. I hesitate as they have great taste, and Nanny Mary really feels safer visiting Persian professionals...

So, Goly, was giving me a new ‘do while I heard her speaking in another language to one of her colleagues. She appeared Middle-Eastern, but so do a lot of non-Middle-Easterners. Hearing “Joon..” perked my ears up and I heard a few other simple terms I recognized. I then asked her if she was speaking Farsi and I was right. I was also right in assuming her name is a derivative of “flower.” We talked about her history, and she was amazed at how much I knew about her culture. She moved here like many other Persians, following a Revolution in the late 1970’s. Clearly she’s perfect for Nanny Mary and her daughters – and I was so excited to refer Goly to them.

The encounter got me to thinking just how neat it is to integrate another culture into our lives. I hadn’t realized just how much it has become part of us. I could speak confidently about the food, making jokes about how us Caucasians don’t like to burn our food. Persian dishes have a burned bottom layer, which they consider to be a delicacy and purposefully include in each meal. There is Persian rivalry over who gets to eat the burned crunchy part! We talked about No Rooz (the New Year).

I told her about the Persian party we’d just attended. How I was amazed at the hospitality of the guests – who appeared to elevate us to a Guest of Honor status. Farsi conversations switched seamlessly into English any time we moved into the vicinity. I chuckled, as Nanny Mary had taken most of the week off to prepare for the party (which was truly in honor of her daughter, who immigrated from Iran a few weeks ago). At the time, I thought holy heck! I work full-time, am too hosting a party the SAME day...AND have to care for Kenzie simultaneously! Not fair! (This was my gut reaction; by the way, I’m wholly happy to give Mary a break whenever she wants it!) But, when we walked in to the party and saw the loads of food that would fill the bellies of an army – it all became clear. Persian parties are no small event. There are expectations. Nanny Mary lived up to the expectations, and it was a grand scale event that included full tummies for all.

It appears that we are indeed becoming a little bit Persian. The Persian culture has added a bit more color to our lives in so many ways. I’ve always considered us very welcoming of other cultures, but I can now appreciate that there is truly more about them that we can all celebrate! Aside from Mary incorrectly labeling bruises as “dents,” there’s so much grace, warmth, and love that she bestows upon us. We’ve learned from her (& her daughters), and we’ve enjoyed the lessons. I think we need to make a conscious effort to learn even more. We can start with the hardest part...the language.

This is my pathetic attempt at maintaining our very own Farsi Dictionary, as Kenzie teaches us the words:
(**Spellings are likely incorrect as they are phonetic).

Seeb-Apple
Portugal-Orange
Gol - flower
Ob – Water
Cavar-Black bird
Joon – term of endearment, Said: Mama Joon... or, Ah Joon! Or, Kenzie-joon... Etc.
Anjun – grape
Haft -seven