Linda's Memorable Move to Iran

Linda walked into the house after a day at school. She was feeling good about her day. She had lived in Ukiah for 2 years, but was attending her second elementary school there. Making friends always took time and effort, and today it had paid off. She had been invited to Eva's birthday party next Saturday and she was very excited.

Linda's parents were in the living room whispering and when she entered, the conversation abruptly stopped. Suddenly her heart fell into her stomach. Time stood still. The situation had an eerie deja-vu feeling to it. She knew right away that soon she would hear her father announce, "We're moving again."

It happened at the dinner table that night. Her dad cleared his throat and in an excited voice said, "We're moving again. This time it'll be a real adventure because we'll be moving half-way around the world to Tehran, Iran!" Linda's first reaction was anger and she yelled, "Not again. Why do we always have to move just when I'm beginning to make friends? I hate you!" She jumped up from the table and ran into her room, slamming the door to make her point. She cried into her pillow until she could cry no more.

The day for moving had arrived. Linda's dad had left about 3 months before. He had written and sent pictures about Iran, which helped Linda's anger to subside slowly and she decided to make the best of a bad situation. She was beginning to look forward to the adventure with reserved anticipation. It was her mother's responsibility to pack up the house and travel to the Middle East with three young children. This didn't seem overwhelming to Linda's mother, as she had spent her childhood moving back and forth from the United States to China and the Philippines.

The trip to Iran was long even though it was broken up by a visit to her mother's friend in Paris, France. The family arrived in Tehran on an oppressively hot July afternoon. The minute they walked out of the plane, Linda realized that this would truly be an adventure. The sights, sounds and smells were totally different than anything she had experienced before. She was wide-eyed as she looked around at the busy airport terminal. She saw men, women and children bustling around lugging suitcases wrapped with tape, clothing falling from paper bags. She immediately noticed that most women were wrapped in black cloaks, only their eyes visible. Linda stared in amazement at the way they could carry bags and children, still holding onto the cloak to keep covered.

Their chauffeur drove the family to the Vanack Hotel. On the way Linda soaked in the unusual sights. She saw women washing their food and clothing in the wide gutters. These were wide trenches on the sides of the street, which were filled twice a day. The water came from a huge reservoir situated in the hills above Tehran. She stared in disbelief as she saw a man urinating against the wall of a store. Having never been in such a large city, Linda was frightened by the driving habits she witnessed. Drivers seemed to ignore all traffic rules, weaving in and out of nondescript lanes and honking their horns relentlessly. There were several minor accidents, where the car's occupants were standing outside their vehicles flailing their arms and yelling in a language Linda couldn't understand. Along the sidewalks she saw people begging. She had never seen this before and was very saddened by the sight They were mostly women and children. They were dressed in ragged clothes and looked as if they hadn't bathed in months, their hair matted to their heads. Some were deformed; one in particular with no legs, scooting around on a board with wheels, using his hands to travel.

The car pulled through two huge gates into a beautiful, serene complex, which housed the hotel. The grounds were lush and green, beautiful flowers blooming everywhere. There was a huge pool with sparkling clean water. On the patio by the pool were tables with bleach-white starched tablecloths, set with shiny silver. The hotel staff was dressed in crisp white uniforms that look as if they had just come back from the cleaners. Linda could not get over the sharp contrast between this and what lay outside the compound.

After a few weeks living in the hotel Linda and her family finally moved into a house owned by the uncle of the Shah. It was a beautiful home surrounded by tall a stone fence, complete with pool, servant quarters, and a large manicured garden. Linda felt like a princess when she walked through the front door. The floors were made of marble that had a cooling effect from the hot air outside. There was a sweeping spiral staircase to the right, which led to the upstairs bedrooms. The whole scene reminded her of the entry to the house in "Gone With the Wind".

Linda had always had to share a room with her sister so she was excited to see the room she would have all to herself. She ran up the winding staircase and entered what would be her own haven. The room was huge and almost empty except for the temporary mattress on the floor, as the furniture had not yet arrived. What she noticed immediately were the wide French doors, which opened to a huge stone deck, which overlooked the beautiful gardens. She could picture having her own things in the room and silently planned how she would arrange them when her belongings arrived. Linda realized right then that this move would not be so bad after all and that it certainly would be an adventure.