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Welcome. Khooneh-ye khodetooneh.... consider me a good friend -- or
a kind aunt if you prefer. Tell me what's on your mind. I'll listen carefully
to whatever is bothering you and try to give you some honest advice. Let's
have a chat... email me at kkhanom@yahoo.com
Messages from July 2001
Tuesday
July 31, 2001
* Understanding Iranian girls
Dear Kobra Khanoum,
I read your advice column every day. It's like a soap opera, only
they're true. They remind me of my own family. I am 23 and I have been in
the states since the end of the Iran Iraq war. I was very young then and
my years in American schools and my new friends have changed me a lot. I
can't speak Farsi very well any more and I'm too embarrassed to even try.
But at the same time I prefer going out with Iranian girls because
they seem to be able to understand me better. I'm not sure though. I haven't
been with an Iranian girl long enough to really understand what they're
like. I get the feeling that you cannot communicate with them the same as
American girls. Is this true or just my imagination?
I mean I can be pretty straight forward with my American girl friends
even if its our first meeting. But with Iranian girls there's this invisible
wall like when you go to the bank and talk to a teller. I'm not sure what's
behind that wall and I don't know how to get over it and be comfortable
with the "real" person behind it.
I was wondering if I'm just making all this up in my head or if there's
some truth to it? I'd love to hear your views about this.
Thanks,
F
Dear F,
Iranian girls maybe more difficult for you to talk to than American girls
because you came here when you were very young. In our culture we are not
as straight forward or blunt about our wishes and desires and women especially
are admonished to act like "khanoms" and not be too candid and
"shame less" (bee haya) in their conversational style.
I remember when I was a teenager how I spoke very little in mixed company
because I thought it was not sexy -- silence left more possibilities. But
if you managed to open my heart I would not stop talking!
So maybe you should give these girls a chance and they too will open
up. Also do not get too bogged down with stereotyping it will only limit
you. I am sure that there are many Iranian women who, like you, came here
very young and who are more comfortable speaking in English but who do also
appreciate tahdig. Just give them a chance.
May you find the best match for you,
Kobra Khanom
Monday
July 30, 2001
* Boyfriend or parents?
Dear Kobra Khanoom,
I so desperately need your advice... I have been dating a man for
the past five years. He is not Persian and he is of a different religion
than myself. My parents will never give me their blessings. In fact they
have made me choose either him or them! Because of my deep respect for my
parents I can not choose him, but because of my deep love for him, I can
not choose them. I am so lost.
I have been carrying this burden for five years. I have lied so much
to my parents, my heart and mind are exhausted. Then to make the situation
worse I met this guy, he IS Persian, and we get along really well.
Sometimes I just fantasize about how my parents would adore him, how
we could share the same culture and religion. So I get turned on by this
whole idea and I want to think again about my current relationship with
my boyfriend. I love him so dearly my life would be empty without him, but
at the same time my life would be so empty without my family, culture and
religion. I don't know who to choose?
So sad...
Lost
Dear Lost,
Yours is a hard decision to make. It is always awful to have to choose
between loved ones. I would not want to choose between my parents and the
man I love and I would resent both of them if they made me do it! But it
seems to me that if you even have to ask the question then you may not really
be madly "in love." You should first ascertain if this is the
man whom you want to live with for the rest of your life.
I truly believe that a marriage between people from two different cultures
can work. But it is going to be hard if your family rejects you. If you
do not marry this man you may always feel resentful towards your parents
and their rubber-stamped groom. So either way you are in a difficult situation.
When you have a life-defining decision to make you should always begin
by telling yourself to slow down, pause. Take a break from everyone and
weigh things out before you do anything.
Do not start anything serious with the new Iranian guy until you are
sure of how you feel about your present boyfriend. It is a bad idea to start
an affair with someone when you still have a foot in a previous relationship
-- it blurs your judgement. Make sure that you are not "in love"
with your present boyfriend because he is forbidden.
Often parents help kindle the fire of their children's romances by too
adamantly opposing them. If you do realize that you are really madly in
love with your boyfriend and that he is the one for you then just gather
your courage and tell your parents. You will not lose your religion or culture
or "Iranianess" by marrying a non-Iranian but you will lose your
sense of individuality and dignity if you let your parents bully you into
leaving the man you love. The world would be an awful place if everyone
did what their parents asked them!
But remember rebellion is a lonely place carved with one-way streets
and dead-end exits. It takes courage and resolve to live there but the air
you breathe will be ever so pure. So my advice to you is to slow down take
a deep look at this man and see if your happiness depends on being with
him always. If he is your one and true love then tell your parents, stick
to your decision and soldier the difficulties. If you are not sure that
he is the one, then see other people and see what happens, maybe the matter
will be resolved by the sheer luck.
Remember that you can keep your sense of who you are and where you come
from regardless of the blessing of your parents. Losing them will not make
you any less Iranian. But losing your ability to choose your own soul-mate
will be a huge leap towards making you less of a complete human being.
Be omid-e movafaghiyate shomaa, Wishing you clarity of mind and heart,
Kobra Khanom
Friday
July 27, 2001
* Finishing early
Salam & ba tashakkor.
Mohkele man inast ke hangaame hambestari khily zood tamaam misheh.
In masale kheyli naaraahat konande ast. Lotfan agar raahi baraaye toolaani
shodan hast yaa daarooi mishe masraf kard be man begoid. Baayad be che doctory
(takhassosi) beravam? Ayaa doctory dar in mored dar Tehran mishenaasid?
Mamnoon.
Masalehdaar
Masalehdaare aziz,
Massalehye shomaa baa daaroo dorost shodani ast. Shomaa baayad baa yek
doctor-e motekhasese majaarie edraar moraaje'eh konid. Oo meetavaanad
Tashkhis bedahad keh massaleye shomaa tebbi ast yaa rvaani, yaa hardo,
taa be shomaa daarooye lazem raa bedahad.
Khaili as aaghaayoon be in massaleh greftaar hastand va man as yek doosti
daaram keh shoharash een masaleh raa daasht va baa ghors makhsoos khoob
should.
Be omid movafagheeyate shomaa
Kobra Khanom
Thursday
July 26, 2001
* Yearning for love
Dear Kobra khanoom,
I wonder if you can help me. I am at the end of my tether. I am a
35-year-old woman, single, and yearning to find love. I have only had one
relationship in my life, and that ended 8-years ago and it only lasted for
under a year. I am very inexperienced, and have tried to be open to meeting
someone in the last couple of years but with little success.
Last time I got pretty badly burnt. It was my one and only sexual
relationship and I couldn't trust anyone after it ended. The guy was not
Persian, and he had affairs on me, gave me a STD, which resulted in invasive
gynecological surgery, and in the end left me for someone else. I ran into
him a few days ago, and he has recently married the woman he left me for
and they are expecting their first baby (not his, he has two teenage daughters
from his previous marriage -- he was 10-years older than me).
Anyway, it was painful, although I handled seeing him fairly well.
I think I have forgiven him, for it was so long ago, but I have little hope
about meeting anyone else. I tried the internet meeting personals columns,
but with no luck. I feel that as a 35-year-old Iranian woman I have little
choices left to me and that makes me angry. All I want is to find love,
but it seems as if being older, and perhaps not a model type precludes me
from happiness.
I don't know what to do. How does one meet people these days? Should
I give up on meeting someone Iranian because of my age or is it still possible
that I may be attractive to someone from my own culture? I swing from anger
to hopelessness, and I wish I was more open to meeting someone when I was
younger. You see I never did the dating thing, and was extremely closed
to meeting guys, so at 26 I threw myself into the worst kind of relationship
because of desperation.
I just wish I could get rid of this ridiculous block, and be like
other people. Is there anything I am not doing and should be?
Ghamghin
Dear Ghamgin,
Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Men smell it from many miles away and
do a quick retreat. You should stop feeling like 35 is old. I think it is
the best time of life when you have your experiences to guide you and are
still young enough to enjoy your life. So begin by looking at 35 as good.
It is unfortunate that you had bad experience with your one and only
guy but at least you've seen the worse and it is OVER. If you are still
angry it is okay but try to keep a sense of humor and cultivate an ability
to laugh at yourself.
Try to expose yourself to different pleasures of life and don't make
finding a man your one and only, most important goal. Because if you do
men sense it and take it as neediness and flee.
I sincerely believe that in the affairs of the heart the less you plan
the better. Men prefer women who do not need them. So work on your self-esteem
and try to have fun with your still youthful years. If you come to believe
in your own worth some lucky guy will too. But first you have to be happy
with who you are and not afraid of not finding a mate. Fear devours the
soul.
See friends, join societies and clubs, travel, take a course, have fun,
help someone in need and you will feel better. None of these things need
to be done with a man. Get over your desperate need to have a man -- it
is a turn off. Be open to different kinds of people, a good companion in
bed does not have to be a doctor or mohandes! However, please make sure
you use a condom next time you sleep with a man. That way if he is a jerk
you won't have a disease with which to remember him.
Make sure you build your self-esteem, seek therapy if think you need
it, and try to learn to feel good about yourself. I believe the inner confidence
a woman exudes is the greatest aphrodisiac. Search for that inner confidence
and be proud of your 35 years.
Keep your chin up and chase that gham away,
Kobra Khanom
Wednesday
July 25, 2001
* How can I live like this?
Dear Kobra Khanoom,
I am young and married to a man any Iranian girl would die for. He
is highly educated , talented in every aspect of life, he loves me with
all my faults and my strengths, we are from the same town in Iran. Everything
is as if we where meant to be. I met him when I was 14. Who would have thought
I would marry him when I was 25 in a different country, all the way from
Iran to Canada.
My problem is this: I fell in love when I was 21. I gave this man
everything -- my heart soul. We faced various problems and after I slept
with this man he and I broke up and our problems began. For almost 4 years
with an on again off again relationship, I thought if I gave him whatever
he wanted, he would believe that I truly loved him and that I would never
do anything to hurt him and realize that type of loyalty and love was rare.
It turns out I was too simple and blind to have realized what had
happened. I had spent 4 years of my life with a playboy that used me and
enjoyed seeing me in pain. Everyone saw it but me. I kept thinking that
he was a good person. The problem is the other night I dreamt that he touched
my face and told me he was sorry and I woke up the next morning crying and
crying.
Kobra khanoom I am married and I love my husband. I couldn't even
wash my face because I thought I could feel his hand on my face the dream
was so real. My husband held me and kept kissing my face and telling me
it was only a dream. I felt like my insides were being ripped apart. He
came home early that day with flowers and took me to dinner and said he
had never seen me so sad. God how can I live like this? I can't forget all
this pain.
Afsorde
Dear Afsorde,
You are, in your own words, very happily married. The fact that some
guy hurt you before you got married should not make you feel guilty or depressed.
You should accept that you made a mistake and try to learn from it.
Do not be ashamed of what you call your simplicity. I believe it was
your neediness towards that man. Do not dwell on it in your head either.
Just, pause, take a look at it, see what you did wrong, and try not to do
that again -- with anybody. Decide that you will never play the victim again
-- do not be afraid of being happy.
You have a husband who loves you relax and enjoy it! Do not feel bad
that you still have bad dreams about that nightmare of a relationship before
your marriage. No one can be unfaithful in a dream -- if your husband is
understanding and kind do not reject it. Be open to his kindness and let
him heal you.
I think that sometimes we get so used to being treated badly that we
almost crave it. If we are not exposed to it we feel like we are missing
something like a junkie's fix. We forget how to enjoy the kindness that
is around us here and now, in the present tense, because we get too bogged
down feeling sorry for ourselves because of some ancient wrong.
Live for today my dear young lady and remember donyaa dowrouzeh. Remember
the sea of kindness that is your husband and let your nightmares drown in
it.
In the hope of sweeter dreams tonight,
Kobra Khanom
Tuesday
July 24, 2001
* My mom doesn't understand
Hello dear Kobra Khanom,
I am a 19-year-old girl who lives in Vancouver, Canada. I have a problem
and I don't really know how solve it. I am a bit different with my family's
beliefs and I love them but they are different. I love to go to parties,
invite my friends to my house, hang around and have fun. But my mom doesn't
believe in this. She sees everything in education (I am a good student too,
my marks are 88% just my physics mark was low which I am upgrading to go
straight to university).
I like to be an educated person too but I like to enjoy my life. Whenever
I go to party once a blue moon (maybe every three months) my mother just
nags and makes a grumpy face which I hate a lot. I am 19!
On night I asked her to let me go to a club. She was in shock and
she told me go ask my dad ("Chesmeh baabaat roshan").
I don't' see anything wrong by going to a club. I don't' know. Maybe
I am wrong but I only go with my friends. She is just too worried about
me. I know she loves me but I don't like this kind of love. I want her to
understand me. She understands me but she expects a lot from everyone.
I hope u know what I am trying to tell you. When I start talking to
her about a guy, she says no don't! I am 19! I am supposed to hang around
with guys around 21, 20,19, but she says they will just play with me; they
don't know anything; don't waste your time with them; wait a little bit
then you will hang around with much better guys than those. Or she says
20 or 21-year-old guys don't have anything; they have not finished university
yet; they just want to use girls.
In some ways she might be right but I know how to take care of myself,
and you know, I want to go to a club with my friends and I don't want to
hide anything from her I want her to know everything about me but I can't
when she shows these reactions. She is not narrow-minded, she is an educated
woman and she is a perfect mother most of the time but this is my only problem
with her.
I am not comfortable with my dad, I can't talk about anything with
my dad. I love him but I don't know how to communicate with him about some
problems. I am shy. I really respect him, but I can't tell him that I want
to go to a club with my friends (he works in Iran and he comes here every
four months).
Iran has changed a lot. When I compare myself with some of my relatives
in Iran I see that they've changed more than me who lives abroad. Anyway
I really don't' know what I should do, how to cope with my mother.
Also I like a guy. He is 22. I want to tell my mom about him but the
problem is that I don't' know about him too much and I want to go out with
him and know him more but I don't know how I should explain it to my mom
because I don't even know the guy (but we go to places together with my
friends and his friends).
I can talk with guys on the phone or dance with them in the party
but I don't' know about dating someone. The problem is that my mother expects
a lot from everyone . Dating is not a problem with her but she wants me
to go with the best, maybe that person is the best for me but she doesn't
want to understand it.
Can you please advise me, what should I do that would not hurt her
and enjoy my life? To be honest I like to go out on weekends with my friends
in the summer and sometimes in during school but she doesn't agree with
this.
Van
Dear Van,
You should know that the intentions of your mother are pure. She wants
the best future for you and she, having seen more of this sometimes unfair
life than you, knows that who you date and who you befriend can be great
determinants of how happy you will be later on.
You have to realize that she comes from a background which is very different
from yours and that in the context of her homeland, when she was growing
up, a girl's future comfort depended much more on the man with whom she
ended up. So be kind and do not force your honesty down her throat.
You are nineteen-years old and should be responsible for your own choices.
Sit her down and tell her you need to go out once in a while. Let her decide
for how long and when. You do not need to tell her the details of where
you go and with whom.
If she asks tell her that you will only tell her if she promises not
to make it a big deal. If she does, then explain to her that her over-reaction
will push you towards dishonesty. Tell her that in Canada it is not normal
for a girl your age to not date. You just want to be normal in this environment
(moheet.)
But remember as far as the education goes, Kobra Khanom is 100% behind
what your mother thinks. Nothing is more important than a good education.
Young hearts do not need encouragement but young minds do! So make sure
that the club you go to with that guy, does not come between you and your
studies. Because that guy may leave you, and that club will be outmoded
soon, but your mind will forever feed you.
Remember the best way to negotiate with parents is through logical, mature,
persistence rather than senseless nagging. Also, once allowed to go out,
make sure you show your appreciation and maturity by not abusing your new
found freedom and showing up a few minutes earlier than expected.
Be omid-e khoshbakhtiye shomaa
Kobra Khanom
Monday
July 23, 2001
* Should I tell him?
Dear Kobra Khanom,
Two years ago or so, I met this guy through an acquaintance at work.
He was Persian, and he seemed like everything I'd ever wanted in a man -
-accomplished, brilliant, fun and funny, handsome, passionate, and crazy
about me. I'd never met anyone like him before, and I let myself be swept
away by it all.
As I spent more and more time with him, I started to suspect that
he was not a man of integrity, and wondered if he was lying to me. By that
time, I was kind of addicted to him, in a really unhealthy way. However,
a friend found out more about him for me, and confirmed that he was lying
to me, in so many ways. I was able to break away, and haven't seen him since.
He still keeps calling occasionally in the middle of the night, though
(I'm positive it's him), and hanging up. Now that I'm clear of the haze
of addiction for him, I'm actually kind of frightened of him...
Anyway, after I broke up with him, my brother introduced me to this
wonderful, sweet, kind, loving man, a friend of his, who is also Persian.
He is a man of great integrity, honour, and great kindness, and is definitely
the most wonderful man I've ever known. I've been dating him for about 10
months now, and he's asked me to marry him. He knows about my past, including
this other guy, except I didn't tell him that this other guy was Persian.
For some reason, I think that it will freak him out.
He knows I have a past (and so does he), and is not really jealous
of any relationship except the most recent, because he thinks that the guy
was such a manipulative jerk and hates that sort of guy. He also wonders
how I could've been stupid enough to fall for someone like that (and in
retrospect, so do I, now that I know what I know), but he looked great at
the time, and was great at telling me what I wanted to hear...
Anyway, should I tell him the whole, complete truth? I'm afraid it
might wreck things, but I don't want him to somehow find out later, and
feel I was dishonest (which I have been, in the passive sense). Oh Kobra,
what should I do?
Thank you,
LA
Dear LA,
In my opinion, which is just that, you should tell your fiance about
your previous affair. Even if it recks things. You do not want to start
your life with this man feeling like you have not told him the truth. Do
not be apologetic (every one makes mistakes and your 'past' has nothing
to do with your fiance really) about it and spare him the details but do
tell him about this guy being Iranian.
You should act on your own principles if you too want to be a person
of honor and integrity. Your fiance deserves no less. Hiding even a silly
part of the truth will make you feel weak and dishonest. That feeling of
dishonesty will act as a poison in your relationship. You may have once
chose the wrong boyfriend but that is not a crime. Nor is it in anyway immoral.
Lying to your future husband is immoral. It will make you feel dirty from
the start.
If your fiance is going to act possessive and jealous of someone in your
past then it is better you know this before you marry. If my fiancee had
a problem with me having been with another Iranian before him I would not
marry him. A man should love you for who you are not who he thinks you are.
A lie, however small, is a bad way to start a partnership which, I believe,
should be one of friendship and honesty before anything else, if it is to
last long. If your fiance is a man of honor and integrity he will understand.
Do not underestimate his capacity for understanding. If he is the type
who will break-up because of some guy in your past then he does not deserve
you. Be proud keep your chin up. Tell him the truth but do not apologize!
Once you have told him, explain to him that the other guy was a mistake
in the past, and that you do not want to dwell on it anymore.
If you are really 'afraid' of the previous guy, and feel like he can
harm you in any way, you should notify the authorities as soon as possible
and talk to a lawyer. He should not be able to pester you with calls or
make you feel afraid in anyway. Fear devours the soul. Do not be afraid
of being who you are and expect people to love you for it.
Wishing you the best outcome,
Kobra Khanom
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Friday
July 20, 2001
* My mom hits me
First of all I would like to thank you for the wonderful column you
have made on the iranian.com website. I can see that your advice will have
great effects on those seeking it.
It is very hard for me to tell you this. It has been happening for
a while now, and I'm not sure how to handle it. I am currently in my second
year of studying psychology, but on the way have failed a few of my subjects
and also during high school, I didn't do too well, on some studies.
I'm one of those people who has potential, yet needs to be pushed
in order to reach full potential. My parents, like many other Iranian parents,
moved here for me and my sisters to get a good education, and so when they
see me failing these subjects it hurts them, especially my mom, who yells
and shouts, and hits me, and this happens every time. She thinks that I
don't try but I do, and the thing is because it has happened a few times,
it's become hard for her to trust me.
Recently I received my grades for the four subjects I took , and I
failed one again!! But I didn't have the heart to tell my mom, so I lied
and told her I passed everything! And it's eating me up. I don't know what
to do.
You see, I'm a devout Muslim, and I pray. But ever since this has
happened, I can't even pray, knowing I have just lied to my mom! And I don't
know what to do, because I know she will be hurt. What can I do? Please
tell me.
Student
Dear student,
First of all you should stop feeling ashamed. Not everybody is good at
every subject. Your mother has no right to yell and scream at you, far less
strike you. So you really have two problems: one is the obvious academic
one the other is your mom's overreaction and abuse.
Here is what I would do. First I would go to the college counselor or
therapist and explain your situation. You have to find a way to stop your
mother from abusing you. Her reaction to your failing grades is bad for
your self-esteem. So try to come up with a strategy to deal with her wrath.
You are an adult and should not allow yourself to be a victim of any kind
of abuse even if it is your mother.
Second I would start pushing myself. Again, get the help of your college
advisors, get a tutor, lock yorself up and study non-stop until you pass
those classes. When you finish, it won't matter that you had to take some
again. Do not label yourself as a bad student and do not feel ashamed of
your F's. Just get back up and try again.
Maybe you need to change your major or modify it. Your college is full
of professionals who would be happy to help you. Do not be shy to seek their
help. Start with the counselor and then the academic advisor -- make appointments
to see them as soon as possible. When you do see them tell them the entire
truth. They will help you set reachable goals to get you through college
and to handle your mother.
Tell your mom,who wants the best for you really, never to strike you
again. Keep your chin up and remember that many great men and women had
brilliant careers despite a poor academic preformance in their youth. Be
strong, be proud and get the help you need.
Movafagh baashid,
Kobra Khanom
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Thursday
July 19, 2001
* All I think about is sex
Man mikhaastam beporsam ke man ye chand vaghtie ke hameye zendegim
shode sex. Nemidoonam cheraa. Vali harkaari mikonam az saram bendaazam nemitoonam.
Fekr mikonam ke kheyli bad chiziye. Vali nemidoonam tamrini nemishe daad.
Haalaa yaa har tor ke khodetoon salaah midoonin behem begin. Man 21 saale
hastam.
S.
S. Aziz salaam,
(Bebakhsheed keh javaab inghadr tool keshid. Vali meekhaastam baa aghaayoon
mashvarat konam va nazar aanhaa raa begeeram.)
Sorry it took so long to answer your question but I wanted to consult
some male friends and get their input. One of them told me that men think
about sex every thirty minutes. The other was a psychologist who claimed
it would be harmful to advise you without seeing you -- in other words several
sessions of expensive head-shrinking.
I would recommend therapy because you do show in your question that you
do have addictive tendencies. But if you live in Iran and there are no such
services then start by first not being ashamed of how you feel. Then try
to find some other preoccupation. If you do masturbate, which I think you
must, then start cutting back. Slowly reduce the dose of your masturbation.
If you are doing it three times a day cut back to two and then once a day
then once every two days etc.
Try picking up meditation and yoga. I know there are classes for meditation
and yoga in a number of 'new age' groups that have sprouted in Iran. If
you are Muslim then do the namaz which is very meditative. Read; that keeps
my mind off of sex! Try reading spiritual writings that have no 'turning
on' -- tahrik konandeh -- potential. Engage in charity work.
There is nothing better for putting a damper on your sexual desire than
helping the truly needy and destitute. A month with the jozaamis (lepers)
will, I am sure, do wonders for your sexual appetite. Often I think that
if we spent more time doing charity work we would have less problems with
addiction and depression. It would bring us out of this 'I, me ,mine' mode
of preoccupation with our own needs and desires.'
Do not be ashamed of your feelings but do take a step to curb your obsession
with sex. By admitting to it you have taken the first step.
Be omid movafaghiyat-e-shomaa,
Kobra Khanom
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Wednesday
July 18, 2001
* My wife won't go to Iran
Hi I hope you are doing ok. I been reading you column, and respect
your advice, at this time I facing a problem that made me to write to you.
I am 47-years-old man, married, been living in the U.S. since 1976.
About 10 years ago I went back home and married and my wife, who she
joined me 2 years after the marriage. The result of of marriage is my 7-year-old
beautiful daughter whom I dearly love, and can not live without. I always
wanted a second child, but my wife refued, (for some unacceptable answer,
such as it's hard to take care of 2 children when we don't have any relative
to help us).
My marriage was not perfect, and we have our problems, like any other
marriages, and at the time of marriage (khaastagari) I told the wife that
after living in the U.S. for a few years I like to go back and live in Iran,
or some neighboring country so we can see our family and friends as often
as we like. I had missed lots of things during all these years. I've been
visiting Iran every 10 years, but she had been back home 3 times ever since
she been in the U.S.
Any way right now she is not willing to go back to Iran or any neighboring
country to live. She loves America. That's leading me to believe that she
married me just to come to U.S., and during all these years she was insisting
on bringing her family here, and every time the subject of going back to
Iran comes up, she gives me different reason for not going back such as
not liking the regime or bad economy and things like that.
Needless to say, if we go back, I will not have financial problems
(from the savings that I have over the years, we can by a home, car, and
household items and put the rest in the bank and live with the interest,
or open a small business) or hopefully I can get a job in me field (software
engineer).
I even suggested that if for some reason we did not like living in
Iran, we always go to some country close to home, or at the most we can
always come back to the U.S., but still she is not excepting my idea, and
wants to stay right here.
Finally I decided to go back alone and if its necessary to end this
marriage, to do so, but the thought of leaving my daughter here in America
is killing me. Please help me finalize my decision.
Homesick
Dear Homesick,
I think it was Virginia Wolf who claimed that women are perpetual exiles
and their country is their body. Having had less of a decision making role
in the history of our respective nations, until recently at least, we are
less possessive of them. Being second class citizens we have less of a sense
of ownership about our country. Like leaving the home of a strict father,
leaving Iran is liberating for many Iranian women.
The reason you and your wife disagree about going to Iran is because
there are two Irans. One Iran for men and one Iran for women. If you look
at the Iran that is for women it is a much less pleasant place to live and
raise a daughter. So while I deeply understand your need to go back home,
I just as profoundly empathize with your wife's resistence to going back.
Look at it from a woman's and a mother's point of view and you may reach
the same conclusion as your wife. Not liking the place you live is not solid
ground for divorce when a child is involved! Many of us live where we are
not most happy becasue of our children. Now as to loving your daughter but
thinking of leaving her.
When you become a parent gender roles happily blur. A parent's country
is his/her children. Only near them, raising them, does one feel complete.
Notions of nationalism and belonging to a community seem like silly invetions
of the human mind compared to the instictive citizenship that one feels
towards the home which houses his/her children's.
You may be a homesick immigrant now but abandon your daughter and you
will be a childless father-- a man without a soul. Believe me the pain you
will feel in missing her will pale before your longing to be called jenab-e
so and so, and your desire to be near family and friends back home. So as
another parent,I advise you to stay with your daughter and make her future
your number one priority. That is the only way to real happiness for you.
Do not question your wife's intentions when marrying you. Just because
she prefers the U.S to Iran does not mean she is a golddigger. If she is
a good mother then tolerate her problems. Besooz-o-besaz(burn and take it)!
An old fashioned Iranian notion but,I believe a totally relevant notion
when children are involved. Remember that you will only be truly fullfilled
and happy if you make your daughter your first priority.
When she is grown up and established then you can go back to Iran or
any where else you want. But the day you decided to have her you made a
decision and if you do not stick to your commitment to your child you will
have broken what is, in my opinion, the most sacred contract-the one between
a parent and a child.
Be omid movafaghiyat-e-shomaa,
Kobra Khanom
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Tuesday
July 17, 2001
* Should I marry an Iranian man?
Dear Kobra Khanom,
I've been reading your column in "The Iranian", and enjoy
and value your advice... I've been dating an Iranian man for a little more
than a year now. We love spending time together, enjoy many shared interests,
and both love each other very much. What's more, my family adores him, and
his family adores me. So what's the problem?
Well, no problem really, but since we're from different cultures,
I wonder if there are any cultural differences that we're not aware of now
that may trip us up later? Also, is it safe for me to go to Iran with him,
once (if) we're married?
Thank you for your thoughts and advice,
Lilli
Dear Lilli,
There are many cultural differences even between one Iranian and another
depending on background,upbringing, and education. For example those Iranians
educated in France are very different from those who have been educated
in the U.S. It is very hard for me as an Iranian woman to characterize Iranian
men and sound fair!
But here is what I think about Iranian men in vulgar generalization.
I will leave it up to you to see to what degree your man and his family
fit this over-generalization. You can use it as a barometer if you will.
Iranian men are of the more latin/passionate type. They are for the most
part extremely indulged by their mothers which are very much like Jewish
moms: overly protective to the point of suffocation.
Mean mother-in-laws are a solid fixture in the demonology of any Iranian
girl. But do not be afraid. These tales of mean mother-in-laws are all from
a time and place where women are far from this fifty/fifty paradise that
we enjoy in the West. (In fact I received a question from a woman in Iran,
not long ago, who was facing meanness from her mother-in-law and beatings
from her husband but could not do anything about it. This of course happens
here too. And that was an extreme case-- I sincerely hope)
So our men are usually much loved by their possessive mothers which makes
them spoiled. But all that maternal love and attention also makes them really
soft-hearted, kind and thirsty for love and attention. So even if they are
macho on the outside they are really like puppies inside. So if you indulge
them a little they will be all yours.
But a word of advice on their friends and relatives: be kind but keep
your distance. There is a word in Farsi which means nosy but sounds better,
more like its meaning, and that is fozool. Iranians are very sociable
and like to travel in packs. This living in extreme proximity to one another
makes them extremely fozool. So keep your smile but avoid too much
closeness until you know who to trust and then still be careful!
This is an incredibly Byzantine society you are going to enter. Largely
due to our subjection to centuries of arbitrary rule, our culture and language
are full of ways to say what you do not mean and to be who you really are
not. If you do not see what is beautiful about this characteristic or flaw,
then you should avoid Iranian society all together.
It would help greatly if you learned the language. It is not really that
difficult if you just focus on learning the spoken language. It will help
you understand your fiance, and be better accepted by his family. You will
also come to know what I believe is the most nuanced and poetic language.
Now I don't want to have scared you off! Iranian men can be the most
sensitive, loyal and caring partners and fathers. They are much more romantic
than their American counter parts. Iranian families are warm and generous.
I just wanted to expose you to an insiders vulgar- generalizations and for
you see the dirty laundry so you will be better prepared for the adventure
ahead.
As to the question about going to Iran with him. Unless you are with
a monster, that should be okay. As a general rule you should familiarize
yourself with the laws of any country you visit before going there.
Wishing you a bright future and welcoming you to our community,
Kobra Khanom
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Monday
July 16, 2001
* My aunt's abusive husband
Kobra Khanoom'eh aziz,
I have been in a long family dilemma, and thought who better to seek
advise from but Kobra Khanoom Jan. This letter actually pertains to my aunt,
whom I care deeply about and am very concerned for. My aunt came to the
states over 20 years ago, after accepting a proposal from a family acquintance.
Her husband lived in America, and she came here alone to be with him.
Anyhow, my aunt was unable to continue her education, for the fact
that her husband demanded she work alongside him to earn money. Through
the years she has worked very hard, enabling him to become a successful
business owner. It has been only a few years now, that she is staying home
as a homemaker.
Well, her husband suddenly went on a mid-life crisis about a year
ago, and decided that she is not "educated" enough for him. After
years of mentally and emotionally abusing her, he told her "he"
wanted to live apart. Therefore, our entire family encouraged her to seek
a divorce from him. My mother and I have been there for her with financial
and emotional support.
Though money is of no object, we have spent thousands of dollars for
her to obtain a good attorney and pay her expenses. Her husband has accumulated
great wealth, but has hid it well. In the end, my aunt may not get any money
from him. Through this period, he has been manipulating her by coming back
and asking for forgiveness and saying he will change, "if she drops
the divorce case".
I know this is a very frightening and difficult time for her because
she is unsure of her and her child's future. However, she has not tried
to seek her independence. I have encouraged her to start a part-time job
and take some educational classes. Yet she is so filled with worry and stress,
she can do nothing, but wait. I think she feels that the only path for her
is to accept him back in her life, because she cannot make it on her own.
For 20+ years, she has looked up to him, and now she is scared to rely on
herself.
I am trying to understand. But I can't help but think all that time
and money went to waste, and nothing good came out of this situation. Is
there anything more for me to do? Should we support any decision she makes?
Merci baraayeh hamichi,
Negaran
Dear Negaran,
It seems to me as well-intended as your question is, it is really not
your place to steer your aunt in one direction or another. If she has been
"abused" then the best solution for her is to seek counseling
and therapy. She would also benefit from assertiveness training classes.
So I would tell you to give her support but let her make her own decision.
If you want to help try to steer her in the direction of seeking counseling.
Tell her that she should tell her husband that the only way she would consider
going back is if they go to a marriage counselor before they reconcile.
She needs professional help to muster up enough courage to stand up for
herself. If she does not have that, no amount of support from you or anyone
will really help.
If she divorces this guy, the next one will turn out the same because
she allows them that. Continue to be supportive but try to get her help
and let her make her own decisions. That is the best medicine for her: making
her own decisions. She needs to work on her self-esteem and other's making
decisions for her is not the best way to acheive that.
Tell her she needs to look deep inside, find what she likes, and nurture
that. Show her that you trust her give her courage by believing in whatever
choice she makes. And by all means always be there for her so that she knows
that if she goes back to him and it fails she still has some family to count
on.
Wishing you the best outcome for your aunt,
Kobra Khanom
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Friday
July 13, 2001
* Humiliated by boyfriend
Kobra Khanome aziz,
I have fallen out with my best friend about 10 days ago. Just to give
you a brief description: I have never been in love before. I met him about
2 years ago, and we became extremely close for the past 6 months.
Anyway, to cut the long story short, we start having sex about two
months ago, but actually never talked about it. We were so close and talked
about everything apart from the sex. Slowly, slowly I felt in love with
him. Suddenly, people came between us and he did something horrible and
I never want to have anything to do with him again.
He has done horrible things in the past but promised that it will
never happen again. As painful as it is, I let go of him this time, but
he hasn't. He is bitching about me to everyone and doesn't seem to let go.
I have been really patient for the past days and told all our common friends
that I don't want to know what he is saying.
I need to completely erase him out of my mind and life and the only
way is by not having any contacts to him. I am so frustrated as never before
in my whole life. I just can't believe that the first time I fall in love,
it all had to end like this.
Kobra Khanom, please tell me what to do? I am almost sure that if
I speak to him we will make up again, but I want him out of my life. It
is just so hard to loose a very special person and being humiliated by him
at the same time.
Tanha
Dear Tanha,
Re-read your letter to me and you will find your answer. You should stick
to what you think is best for you. You think this guy is no good and will
hurt you again -- I agree with you by all means. Stay away from him. Especially
if he is bad mouthing you and whining to your mutual friends.
There is nothing worse than a man who sleeps around AND whines! Talk
about lack of character. You expect the guy who is unfaithful (which seems
to me to be what he is from reading between your lines? )to be at least
"manly" enough, not to whine. Real men don't whine when they get
caught screwing around. Just ignore him and whoever takes up his cause.
Do not be rude or emotional that won't help in strenghtening your will
to stick to your decision. If he is your "first love" then you
certainly do not want it to be the last! Plus, it seems to me an unhealthy
pattern has already developed between the two of you where he hurts you
(betrays you?) and comes back asking for forgiveness.
Unless you are above forty, with your biological clock ticking like mad
and desperately want to have kids, and feel like this is your last chance
at forming a family, you should stay away from this unfaithful whiner. He
is not good husband or long-term material. Later when you get over the pain
and find a real man, you may want to keep him as a friend. Be strong and
remember Kobra agrees with your decision!
Be omid movafaghiyat-e shomaa,
Kobra Khanom
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Thursday
July 12, 2001
* Should I tell dad?
Man ye dokhtari hastam 21 saale, do maah digeh mishe 22 saalam! moshkele
man ineh ke man alaan ye doost pessar daaram ke baahaash nazdike 2 saale
doostam. We live in different states though. Va eeshoon 30 saaleshooneh,
va baabaaye man hanooz nemidoonan ke man hamchin kassi tu zendegim hast.
Raabeteye maa kheili jedi hast. Hattaa tamaameh khaanevaadeye doost
pessaram tu iran mano mishnaasan! Maamaanam midoonan, vali baabaam nemidooneh,
vali man aslan room nemishe begam. Ye bar umadam begam, ke behem pareed
ke, na alaan to baayad fekre darset baashi!
maa nazdike 14 saale ke az iran umadim biroon... man taazeh az junior
college graduate shodam, va darsam ham mikhaam edaameh bedam. Doost pessare
man kheili az daste man shaaki hast ke cheraa man hanooz be baabaam chizi
nagoftam!
shomaa lotfan be man begin ke chi kaar konam? va chejori beram jolo?
kheili mamnoon.
Confused
Dear Confused Joon,
First of all you should know that your dad wants the best for you. His
advice to continue your education, having been repeated ad-infinitum, may
be annoying to you right now but believe me it is essentially good, sound
advice. He probably knows that if you get bogged down with a home and kids
your chances of making something of yourself become slimmer.
Your dad, like me, has probably seen many bright women throw away their
chance at professional or creative fullfillment because they or their, passionate
only until marriage, naamzads (fiances) were in a hurry to play house. He
is enlightened enough to know that love is not enough in a woman's life.
He believes in your potential enough to encourage your education. Your father
has come a long way from the traditional patriarch who sees marriage and
children as the best end to a daughter's career. You need to appreciate
this and give him a break.
Now as to whether or not you should tell him about your boyfriend. I
bet you he already knows, but is playing the old game of beroo-nayaavardan
(don't aknowlege it or it will get bigger) which has been skillfully played
by many Iranian Moms and Pops since forever. By not acknowledging your relationship
with this man, or not allowing you to discuss it, he is hoping to keep it
from getting too serious. He is also providing you with a way out, an excuse
of "my dad says no", if you ever choose to bail out of this relationship.
Your father does not want to let all the barriers down between you and
himself. This may sound a bit old fashioned but it serves the function of
protecting you by allowing you to use him as an excuse and by keeping the
relationship in a managable porportion.
I do not see any reason to confront your father unless your boyfriend
has proposed and you want to get married right away. If you do want to complete
your education, as I believe you should, before you get married, then wait
and tell him when you finish at least your bachelors degree and the boyfriend
has proposed to you.
Tell your boyfriend that he should not push you to mention him to your
father. Tell him that things are still different between men and women and
his telling his family is not as big a deal as you telling your father.
Tell him that if you dump him he has much less to lose vis-a-vis his family
in Iran than you would as a woman if he where to change his mind.
As long as your father is not an obstacle to your relationship in its
present form then he does not need to know. He can be told by both of you
when you are ready to get married. You should respect your father's sensiblities
and understand that his intentions are pure. Finish your education and by
then if you still love this man have him ask your Dad and Mom for your hand.
Be omid movafaghiyat-e Shomaa,
Kobra Khanom
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Wednesday
July 11, 2001
* Culture clash?
Kobra Kanoome aziz,
Thank you for a most interesting and addictive column! How you manage
this every day, I don't know! whenever I read it I remember my own problems,
which are more than a few! I have one particular problem which i would love
to get some advice from you about.
I have a twin sister (identical) who lives in Iran. when my mother
and father divorced, they each kept one of us. I got to come with mom to
New York, and my sister stayed with my dad in Tehran.
I have not seem my sister in about six years. We're both 17 now. When
I speak to her on the phone, she sounds like she has changed a lot. Or is
it a culture-clash, a result of separate lives in Iran and America? I just
feel we're growing apart. What can I do to keep our bond?
Keli momnoon!
Raz
Dear Raz,
It must have been difficult to have left father,country and identical
sister all at once. But you seem to have survived it -- the most difficult
part is behind you! It is great that you are in touch with your sister even
if you two do not always see things the same way.
In a way, maybe, the separation was a blessing and allowed each of you
a chance to become your own person. You would have had differences in outlook
and perception even if you lived in different houses in the same town far
less many miles and languages apart. But do not see that as a negative.
Difference is good. It is more productive and fun as long as you see it
as a blessing. Who wants a world where everyone thinks and acts the same
way!
So, the way you can strengthen the bond with your identical twin sister
is to begin by not expecting her to be like you. I mean even if she does
not share your values do not judge her. Then you can try to bridge the gap
on mutual terms of equal exchange. If one person begins by thinking that
their way is superior this won't work.
True caring is about wanting to genuinely understand the other person.
It entails a certain amount of humility. Any kind of cultural exchange has
to begin with this kind of objectivity even or especially if, it is between
twin sisters. I am sure if you take this approach things will bloom between
the two of you. Exchange ideas, stories and tastes without being shocked
if the other person doesn't share them.
Also I believe, for young people like yourself, borders are less and
less relevant. Insync and Brittany Spears have their place in many a young
Tehrani's cassette collection. The internet is making a joke of those trying
to block the free flow of ideas from entire geographic areas. Not wanting
to peddle my column... but you could try to connect with your sister by
telling her to log on to Iranian.com and Kobra Khanom do you share the same
daily read!
In hopes of a bright future for you and your sister,
Kobra Khanom
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Tuesday
July 10, 2001
* Girlfriend credit problems
Salam Kobra Khanoum,
Thanks for all your good words. It is my daily routine to read your
section, keep it up! I have a small issue and I could use your wise opinion.
I have recently met a very nice girl. We both feel we are in love. I really
love this person and I hope to have a future with her.
At the same time she recently told me that she has a lot of credit
issues (mainly because she had to support herself through school and help
her parents). She works hard but the credit cards keep accumulating interest
rates. I am very responsible in my expenses but I see that she is not.
I really want our relationship to work and help her. At the same time
I don't want to offend her by offering her money. Plus I feel that some
of her expenses might hurt her more. So basically what can I do to get the
best out of this or you think this can beacome a bigger probelm in our future
relationship? My main concern is should I loan her money (that she probably
does not accept) or leave this as her personal issue? Thanks again,
Confused
Dear Confused,
I think money is one of the biggest stumbling blocks for us Iranians
who live in the U.S. We do not know how to reconcile our Iranian attitude
towards money with our American ones. I for one was told, as I was growing
up in Iran, that it was not proper and ladylike to talk about money. Money
was somehow dirty, and if one had it, one had an almost communal obligation
to get rid of it by sharing it. It took me a while, and a few extra dollars,
to realize, when I first came here, that no one fights over the bill at
a restaurant.
We Iranians have a fatalistic attitude towards life -- what I call the
"donyaa do rouzeh" (life lasts only two days) syndrome-- which
is very difficult to reconcile to budgeting for mortgages and the very American
obsession with saving for retirement. We also have a spiritual history of
hippie-like rejection of money. We had no Protestant Reformation in Islam
to bring about an acceptable notion of interest to our Religion. Interest
is considered usuary and is still a problamatic notion today. Our literary
history is studded with heros who become such because they abandoned all
worldly belongings.
Add to our Iranian disdain for money, the consumer society's obssession
with buying and you get an explosive combination: a sufi shopoholic! Women
are more susceptible to this ethos for the added reason that in our, until
very recently, traditional society, they are not expected to handle their
own money. A woman who is business-like and taajer-ma'aab is, even today,
considered extraordinary, and a shir zan. I know women who are good in business
but play it down in mixed company. As if their acuity with money somehow
makes them less desirable.
While bad credit for a woman, is not a good sign, it is still not something
she is ashamed of as much as if she were a man and the roles were reversed.
So how do you,who want to be generous in the Iranian way and logical in
the American, approach the problem?
It seems to me that you are really asking me two questions. The first
is the obvious, literal one, which asks whether or not you should offer
her a loan. The second is the underlying and more important one which asks
is this the right woman for you?
I do not think it is your place, before you are married or even engaged,
to offer her money. You have only known her for a short while and bringing
money into the relationship will not help clarify any feelings or needs.
If she asks you then that is a different story. But if you think she may
be offended or refuse, then don't complicate things by throwing money into
it.
Now as to the underlying question. Is the financially irresponsible history
of this woman a terrible character flaw? As someone whose biggest problem
is balancing her check book, I have to tell you yes and no. It depends whether
you can afford her irresponsible attitude towars money or not? And I do
not mean only financially although that helps.
Even if you are a millionare but you are of the type who worries about
your retirement, then she is not the right one for you. If you are very
organized and very responsible and expect others to be the same, then stay
a way from the poor girl! Because, I believe, even if you eventually marry
this woman and pay off her debts she is not going to, and should not HAVE
to, fundamentaly change her attitude towards money.
Only if you think that you can handle this and not judge her attitude
towards money should you venture any much further with this woman. She may
have a lot of good characteristics to make up for her money problems but
if money is important to you: then watch out. With money she is irresponsible
-- she may, with help, become better organized but she won't change completely.
I don't think you would want to live in a world where partners had to
go through credit checks and no one got second chances. So if you love her
and have enough money then marry her and pay off her debts and enjoy your
life together. But never ever expect her to change. That will set you up
for disappointment. If she does change then all the better but do not expect
it of her.
Wishing you the best outcome,
Kobra Khanom
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Monday
July 9, 2001
* No more gambling
Kobra Khanum! Since that
day I wrote you I haven't played! I have been practising that thing
you told me to do in the front of miror and I thaink it works out for my
kind of person. Experessing myself is good. But I am not stopping yet. I
don't want to use any medication. I let you know.
Ghomarbaz
Dear Ghomarbaz,
I am very proud and happy for you. You are young and I am sure able to
make a resolve and follow through. It takes courage to face and verbalize
your biggests problem. You have done that. Remember to never stop doing
it-coming face to face with your demons. Remember to stay humble about the
step you have taken.
Do not forget to seek counseling and group therapy. Also like the advice
of the reader I sent to you, do try to get the help of colleagues and try
to write or do something creative with your problem to help you face it
better for the long run. If repeating does lines have helped then by all
means continue. I am glad to be of help.
Be omid movafaghiyat-e shomaa,
Kobra Khanom
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Friday
July 6, 2001
* How much can I take?
Kobra Khanom Salam,
I really don't know how to start this. It's very difficult having
to be very open about my life. I'm 22 , working , used to study but no longer
manage to do so because of the problem I'm gonna talk about now.
I live with my parents. My mom is a housewife and my dad a retired
manager in addition to my brother who has just found a job with a very low
salary. Basically I am the only person who's with almost a good salary that
can actually pay for all the bills. I'm not saying I'm doing everyone a
favor by working and paying bills it is part of my duty to satisfy my parents
but not at the expense of my youth and having to stop my education because
of them :(:(
I have become so depressed and I really don't know what to do. I start
crying as soon as I find myself alone at home. It gives me some relief.
I mean I can't just leave them and go on with my life I would feel very
bad doing that but I need a life too I don't know how much longer I have
to take this? How much more can I possibly take?
I also thought of getting married but that is not gonna solve my problem
as I said to myself I would still be thinking of my parents and what they
would go through without me! It just gets tougher and tougher each day,
I almost work all day and when I get home I don't wanna hear anyone talking
to me. I feel like my head is exploding. I only wanna stay at home and sleep
when I have my days off and I barely speak 10 words the whole day hoping
that no one would talk to me either :(
I am really stuck in the middle of all this and I feel like I'm all
alone. It actually is a fact cause nobody seems to care about my situation,
and if they do they don't really show it and it's like it's a must and I
have to be working to the end of my life paying their bills.
I hope you'd understand me cause I'm not trying to be selfish here,
only thinking about my needs and wants! I would really appreciate it if
you could try giving me some advice. It would mean a lot. I'd be looking
forward to your reply. Thanks so much in advance.
Tanha
Dear Tanha,
You should move out as soon as possible. The financial pressure on you
has resulted in your resentment towards your parents and sibling and caused
-- to a great degree -- your depression. If you stay it seems to me that
you will not have a chance to become a better bread winner and surely you
will be of no good to your family after a nervous break down!
So, if you possibly can, get away and get yourself an education. You
are young and healthy and should have to have a chance at building your
own life. If you were my son or daughter and I was in this situation I would
want what is best for you. I am sure that is what your parents want. It
is just that sometimes people lose hope and fail to believe in your dreams.
They get comfortably stuck in a low key routine.
You have to believe in yourself so that they can too. Get up, go after
making something of yourself so you can be better of help to yourself and
to them as well. It seems like you are the one who is the decision maker
in the house -- make the decision for them. Take your time, set a goal,
have a plan, make a list of things you need to do to accomplish your goal,
and go after it relentlessly and selfishly. It will make you a better person
-- more useful to your parents in the long run.
Be kind and polite, try to help and visit as often as possible but if
you can, get out of that house like your life depended on it. Come to their
help when they are sick. Keep in touch with them regularly. I assure you
that no parent worthy of the name wants their twenty something daughter/son
depressed, at home, and burdened with supporting the whole family.
You can live somewhere cheap, find a roomate, even work and study till
you are exhausted to death, to alleviate some of the guilt that you feel
about leaving home. In the end you will feel more able to be good to them
if you are doing what is best for you.
Do not be ashamed of crying; it is good for you. But do not feel sorry
for yourself because that is not an attitude that is conducive to making
a big change in your life. It is your turn to live. Make sure that you make
your flying away from the maternal nest worth the pain of seperation and
financial sacrifices that you and your parents will no doubt have to endure.
Make sure you do not end up having to feed more mouths before you have
finished your studies and made something of yourself. So cheer up and draw
a plan.
Be omid movafaghiyat-e shomaa,
Kobra Khanom
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Thurday
July 5, 2001
* Looking for a wife for my son
Baa salaam khedmate shomaa khaanume aziz va mehrabaan.
Az kaare ghashange shomaa aval az hame khaili mamnun. man maadary
hastam ke baraaye didane pesaram, be aamrikaa aamadam. pesaram az hamsarash
talaagh gerefte va besyaar afsorde va negaraan hast.
chand saale ghabl baa khaanomi iraani va be estelaah zibaaru ke hich
hosne digary nadaasht ezdevaaj kard -- az khod raazi bood o bad akhlaagh
o maghroor. dar aan moge maa mokhaalef bodim, vali ghoosh be harfe maa nadada.
khaanum jaan, aasheg shode bood. zibaaee ke tanhaa elat nemishavad.
man baraayash dokhtare kob va khanevaade daari dar nazar daashtam.
afsoos ke javaanhaa goosh be harfe vaaledain nemikonand. haalaa choobash
raa inchenin mikhorand va aan khaanom zibaaruy zeshttarin aadame donyaa
shode baraaye pesare man.
zibaaee baayad ghalbi baashad. aadam baayad baatene khoobi daashte
baashad, che zan che mard. aayaa shomaa fekr nemikonid elate inke talaagh
dar injaa ziaad hast be khaatere hamin baashad? dokhtar khaanomhaa be madrak
va pool va aaghaayaan be zaaher ahamiyat midahand. khanom jaan, zendegie
tohi va bimani... hamin honarpishehaaye haalivood baayad darse ebrat baashad
baraaye javaanhaa.
az shomaa raahnamaaee mikhaaham. aayaa moaseseh khaasy hast baraaye
iraanihaa be manzoore aashnaaee baraaye ezdevaaj? man alaan donbaale yek
dokhtar migardam baraaye pesaram. dar injaa chetor mishavad dokhtari ke
az khaanevaade khoob baashad shenaakht? agar shomaa jaaee mishenaasid lotfan
raahnamaaee befarmaaeed.
mibakhshid saretaan raa be dard aavardam. az mohabate shomaa ghablan
tashakor mikonam,
eradaatmand,
Fakhry
Fakhry Khanom-e aziz,
Vaalaaa man moteassefaaneh kessi raa nemishenaasam keh baraaye ezdevaaj
baa pesaretaan be shomaa moarefi konam. Vali shomaa nabaayad inghadr negaraane
pessaretaan baashid. Oo raa aazaad begozaarid va baa negaraaniye khod oo
raa afsoordehtar nakonid.
Heech cheezi badtar az in neest keh aadam ham afsordeh baasheh, ham negaraane
in baasheh keh in afsordegi maadarash raa ham mayoos kardeh! Shomaa be oo
mohabat bedaheed. Sa'y konid oo raa be haraf dar beeaavarid taa delash raa
khaali konad.
Oo raa dar baareye ezdevaaje ghablee sarzanesh nakonid taa oo tashveeq
shavad keh baa shomaa mashverat konad. Vali dar kaar oo dekhaalat-e nakonid.
Oo yek mard ast va ehtiaaj be zamaan daarad taa ezdevaaje ghabli raa faraamoosh
konad yaa khataayash raa bepazirad.
Vaghti keh aamaadehye in bood keh dobaareh be ezdevaaj fekr konad shomaa
meetavaanid oo raa raahnamaayee konid. Vali aan vaght ham baayad hagh entekhaab
baa oo baashad. Shomaa ghabool konid keh oo mardi baalegh ast va inghadr
negaraan nabaashid. Kami ham fekr khodetaan baashid!
Omidvaaram keh pesarataan zir-e saaye'e shomaa, zoodtar naaraahatiash
raf' shavad.
Kobra Khanom
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Tuesday
July 3, 2001
* Sex & PMS
Dear Kobra Khanoom,
I am a happily-married 30-year-old university lecturer with one daughter.
My wife and I have a very good relationship (both emotional and sexual)
until the time when she is having her period. During this time she does
not let me have proper sex with her.
The problem is that I used to have a girldfriend who enjoyed having
sex with me -- especially when she was having her period. This makes me
think that my wife is acting abnormally. We have beeing talking about this
problem for a long time but to no avail. She cannot even tell me what is
wrong with having sex when you are having your period.
I usually have a very bad time during this one bloody week. I get
headaches and become cholaric and all her efforts at masterbating me are
futile.
I was wondering if you could advise me on this matter. I have seen
two contradictory attitudes towards having sex while having your period.
I'd like to know which is the dominant attitude among women and would like
to know if there is any solution.
Let me thank you in advance for your advice. Keep up the good work.
Amoo Reza
Dear Amoo Reza,
First of all having a very good "emotional and sexual" relationship
with your wife three weeks out of four is pretty good. Don't act spoiled
and count your blessings. One week out of four of having to satisfy yourself
sexually is not so bad, I am sure, even by Swedish standards!
Your note reminded me of when I read a long time ago about some tribe
or another whose men took to bed sick, whenever their women menstruated.
Your headaches if caused by lack of ejaculation should be alieviated with
masturbation.
Now as to why your wife abstains from sex during her menstruation: There
are a myriad of answers to this question. Amongst the friends I have asked
it is usually the male partner who refrains from contact during that time
of the month! But they are hardly a represntative sample.
There is a religious history connected to menstruation which might help
enlighten you. Islam follows Jewish law in considering menstruation as pollution
and woman's menstural blood as unclean. A woman who has her period is prohibited
from preforming a number of religious duties such as praying or entering
a place of worship or fasting.
A man who sleeps with a mensturating woman is also considered unclean
until he has had a ghosl or ritual cleaning. So it might be that your wife
feels "unclean" and wants to avoid polluting you -- if not consciously
but on some deeper level.
Another good reason for your wife's behavior is that the hormonal changes
that she experiences during her menstruation might simply make her too grumpy
to feel like having sex. Or maybe she is not as sexually inclined as you
seem to be and is using this as an excuse.
My advice to you is to give her a break and let her have it her way one
week a month! Learn to cope with the situation instead of questioning it.
Be omid movafaghiyate shomaa,
Kobra Khanom
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Monday
July 2, 2001
* University problems
Salam Kobra Khanom,
A long time ago I decided to write to you about myself. I've seen
your great advice to others. Moreover, I heard a little about your background
and I think you will understand my situation.
ghabl az etmaam daaneshgaah va oomadan e be khaarej, ezdevaaj kardam.
Bad az hodoode 6 maah , baraaie doktoraa paziresh gereftam. Dar maahe avale
voroode be daaneshgah, shenidam pedaram sarataan daare. Tanhaa pesare khoonevaade
boodam. Az pedaram ejaaze gereftam ke be khaarej bargardam, Bishtar chon
khanomam dar maahe aakhare haamelegi bood va ham inke daneshjoo boodam.
Bargashtam khaarej. Pesaram be doniaa oomad va hamoon rooz shenidam
ke pedaram fot karde. khodam o kheili kontrol kardam. Darshaa ro be khoobi
pas kardam, va dar research ham khoob pish raftam . Vali hamash ie chizi
tooie dalam bood ke aaia nabaaiad pishe pedaram miboodam?
Bad az 6 mah voroode bedaaneshgaah, superviseram, goft ke moshkele
maali daare va nemitoone maa ro support kone. Yeki az bachehaa raft ye goroohe
dige va faghat man moondam o yeki dige. Ba ye ostaadi sohbat kardam ke beram
goroohe oon. Taa hodoodi ghaboolam kard vali man naraftam. Chon Ostaadam,
email zad ke mitoone maa ro support kone va moshkelesh hal shode.
Az oon moghe didam ke ozaa kheili ajib gharib shode. Dar nehaaiat,
in shod ke man majboor shodam bad az 4 mah enseraaf bedam (va halaa shenidam
ke nafare badi e gorooh ham majboore enseraaf bede). Haalaa fahmidam ke
kheili az daaneshjoohaa in tor sharaaieti baraashoon ijaad shode.
Ostaade sharaaiet o joori kardke man shadidan afsorde shodam. Raftam
baraaye second degree program sabte naam kardam. Haalam kheili bad bood.
Natoonestam dige, vaarede mohavateie daaneshgaah besham. Raftam, tooie ye
restaurant kaar gereftam ke kami az haal o havaaye daaneshgaa door baasham
va kami khodam o tajzie tahlil konam.
Modati pish, ke kami sare haal boodam, az tarighe yeki az doostaam
be kelisaa raftam. az tarighe ostaadaee ke oonja boodan, toonestam kami
az maajeraa sar dar biaaram, ke maajeraa aslan taghsire man naboode va ye
ekhtelaafi boode beyne ostaadaa.
Kheili baraam ehsaase taasof kardan. Va haalaa yeki az ostaadaa, ke
dar kelisaa baahaash aashnaa shodam daare komakam mikone ke ye jaaye khoobi
paziresh baraye doktoraa begiram.Vali alaan moondam, ke aslan mikhaam chekaar
bekonam. Bargardam Iran? ke aslan doost nadaaram in kaar o bekonam. Hamoon
second degree program o edaame bedam ke ye kharji baraaye khoonevaadam baashe?
Thank you very much for your time.
Kavir
Kavir Khan,
First of all do not feel guilty about not having been with your dad when
he passed away. You had no choice and had to go abroad to further your studies
and help your wife during her pregnancy. Your father would have wanted you
to be near your wife and son and continuing your education. Pass dar baareye
pedar heech ehsaas-e gonaah nakonid chon oo tarjih meedaad keh shomaa donbaal-e
zendegitaan beraveed.
I don't quite understand your problem with your ostaad (professor) and
department. If you withdrew yourself from the program then you can re-aply.
Anyway whatever your problem may have been, you do have the support of a
professor who is willing to help you get into a program to finish your PhD.
So you should take his offer and get on with it. Just make sure that you
work under an ostaad who is willing to help and who has hosn-e niat (goodwill)
towards you
The fact that you do not like the "moheet" (ambiance) of the
university should not stop you from finishing your degree! You have a young
son and a wife to support and you should not waste your time doing anything
other than what I presume you are good at. If you do not feel competent
enough in the field and feel like it is not possible for you to complete
the PhD, then by all means try the second degree in computer science. But
do not waste another minute brooding about your khodaa-biaa-morz pedar or
feeling sorry for yourself.
You are bright and young and have a little boy whose happiness depends
largely on you. I am sure that you can finish your PhD. If the ostaad in
the kelisaa is kind enough to help -- then by all means take it. Go back
to your program and avoid the moheet. This is the land of second chances.
Even if you committed a crime you can come back! Just concentrate on finishing.
You can always work in the restaurant on your days off or in the evening
if you need the money. But do not throw your brain and education away. Pick
yourself up, forget the past, and finish your degree. There is a bright
future for you ahead. Now it is your turn to be a father. You need to be
strong and driven.
Deletoon baray-e khodetoon nasoozeh. be gozashteh fekr nakoneen va aayandeh
raa neshaan konid. Shomaa baahoosh hasteed va meetavaanid doctoraatoon raa
begeereed. Hooshetan ra door nareezeed. Faraamoosh nakonid keh halla nobate-e
shomaast keh pedar bashid. Shomaa bayad ghavi bashid va baa tamarkorz fekri
va taslat roohi baa zendegi roo be roo shavid.
Be omid movafaghiat-e shomaa,
Kobra Khanom
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