Days 20 and 21 - Returning home

The last couple of days in Iran were fairly low-key; mostly spent with last-minute shopping, visiting with friends and family and preparing for our return trip. Although I always look forward in many ways to being home in Seattle again, with everything that is familiar and comfortable to me, it is also always very difficult to leave, first and foremost because we are leaving our family knowing it may be a couple of years before we can see them again.

The whole family came again to mom and dad's house for the afternoon and evening. Mom made Ash-e-Reshteh, a noodle, bean and herb soup which is traditionally made and then given away to neighbors after a loved one has already set out on their journey. But because mom knows how much I love Ash-e-Reshteh, she always makes it for us ahead of time, so that we can eat it as well!

The last couple of days, mom has also spent a great deal of time preparing and cooking nearly 50 pounds of herbs for us - the base of a couple of different Persian dishes which we both like. After the herbs were cooked for several hours, she put together several individual portions into freezer bags. They stayed mostly frozen, or at least cold until we reached Seattle. Each time we have a meal with one of these little packets, it will also remind us of mom and home in Iran. I was a bit worried about the little bags of chopped herbs making it through customs in the US, so I clearly labeled the bags with the ingredients - leeks, parsley, cilantro, etc.

There is no easy way to say goodbye at the end; we literally have to tear ourselves away and force ourselves to get in the cars to go to the airport. Akram, Mariam, Mahsheed, Behrooz and Massoud all came with us, and we had a long wait before we could finally board our flight and take off at 2 am. We were surprised to find at the security check-point a large number of Americans traveling on American passports - something I've never seen in Tehran before. We came to find out they were not only Americans, but also mostly from Seattle. They were part of a UN-sponsored delegation to build bridges between the Iranian and American people. They had been in Iran and had the same two-week itinerary that Rick Steeves had followed during his recent visit there. All of them reported having a wonderful time, and were planning on hosting talks and presentations about their experiences once they returned to the States.

After about 26 hours of travel time, we landed back in Seattle around noon on Sunday. Neither of us slept much during the flights, which meant we'd been up about 40 hours or so by the time we landed. However, in order to deal with the jet lag, we forced ourselves to stay up until 5 pm. I took a walk to the store, and found my senses overwhelmed by springtime in Seattle. Granted, Seattle on a sunny day in May is always spectacular, with the multi-hued rhodies and azaleas, the various shades of green everywhere, and the bright blue, clear skies above. But after being in Tehran, where there is less greenery, and most of the cars and buildings are fairly neutral colors, I felt somewhat like Dorothy stepping into the land of Oz for the first time. I noticed how many colors of cars we have - a yellow Volvo here, a red Toyota there - as well as how quiet and empty the streets were after the hustle and bustle of Tehran. And I felt extremely fortunate - to be living here, to have this paradise surrounding me, and to have so many freedoms that others around the world don't have. At the same time, I feel a piece of me is back in Tehran, with our family, in a land I have come to love.