Greetings from Teheran!

Greetngs everyone,

It is already the end of our first week in Iran, which we have spent primarily in Teheran; the internet connection is back on at the hotel, and there's a little time to send a letter home.

The first impression I've had since settling in here is that Iran is so....normal. Comparisons aren't always the best way to describe things, but looking around, it's pretty relaxed compared to several other places I've been. I am reminded of Geneva more than a war zone; or even Minneapolis more than the movie set for Not Without My Daughter. There are mountains covered in snow, maple trees and evergreens, traffic circles and traffic jams, hardware stores and fashion districts. There's several churches, and also movie theaters. There aren't very many pictures of government officials or clerics all over the place. In fact, you don't really see a lot of soldiers or police monitoring the populace, at least to the extent of other countries (including Geneva, or Chicago!) There are an incredible amount of gardens and public parks and fountains and multiple world-class museums.

I could speak a little to the role of women here--again, it's more relaxed than you or I might imagine. There are a few women here and there who wear the full black shroud, or chador; however, most women wear knee-length coats of varying styles and colors, and wear their headscarves lightly--usually with beautifully-styled hair showing in front. I should also mention here that women don't really wear skirts, but designer jeans and slacks are the norm under the garb. Most wear far more makeup than I ever have. Overall, most look like hip urban women might in the West, especially so now that it's winter.

Women drive, and work, and go to university; we've actually been politely inundated with female students who are on field trips to most of the places we've visited. We met a class of third and fourth graders along with their English teacher at one stop; and we also visited with art students and engineering students along the way. My farsi is limping along, but is definitely helped by these frequent encounters with the curious students. I keep trying to use my Arabic, but it's useless here except for a few cognates. My few words of Turkish and some French are far more helpful.

A highlight so far has been visiting the Teheran Peace Museum, which is part of the international network of peace museums, including those in Hiroshima and Chicago. Much of it is dedicated to the Iran-Iraq war, especially the victims of chemical warfare--several of whom we met while visiting there. These memories still loom large in the national consciousness, and Iranians are sensitive to talk of life in Iraq, so I don't mention this often. Many do feel a common cause with the victims of Halabja and are angry that Saddam was not tried for the chemical attacks against Iranians. They feel forgotten.

Iran is primarily a Shi'a Muslim country, however, it gets expressed differently here than it does in Iraq or Lebanon or Syria. You don't see the pictures of the Shi'a patriarchs that cover all the buses and houses and walls of observers in the other countries. Many of the customs that are followed in Arab Shi'a populations are not observed here. Iranian Shi'a pray three times a day here rather than five; and there is a Friday mosque, similar to a cathedral, that is different than the small neighborhood mosque that you might go to the rest of the week. You don't hear the call to prayer here in central Teheran as clearly as you might in cities of the Middle East. Some locals have remakred that they consider Sunni Islam far more conservative.

But perhaps the most noticeable thing to mention is how much pride Iranians take in being Persian. We hear constant reminders that Persians are not Arabs; that Persians have had their own beautiful culture for centuries and also before Islam; that they consider themselves a Persian country before a Muslim one; and I believe this has much to do with the quality of museums and public works and art and architecture. Iranians are quick to point out also that they are not part of the Middle East, but of Central Asia, and their language and customs and histories are different. And this is true; the landscape is for the most part quite different from the Middle East, as noted above.

Otherwise, we've had several long days and I get back to my hotel room completely exhausted. The food is for the most part wonderful and I've eaten more here than I probably have all semester. Fortunately, I'm also walking a lot. Some days I wear my black abaya (a long, narrower robe), but Iast night I also bought a manteau (the knee length coat), which either makes me look chic with its pattern, or also perhaps like a couch, but the price was right. The weather has been mostly cool, but sunny except for today's chilly rains. Tonight we fly to Shiraz, then work our way back north over the next week to Esfahan, Qom, and finally back here to fly home. I'll try to write if I can, but expect that most of my stories will have to be saved for my return.

peace to you all, and hope to see you soon!

Le Anne