The Vocabulary of Rejection
I held myself perfectly still as he approached as if movement might scare off or encourage him. He was now so close that I could
I held myself perfectly still as he approached as if movement might scare off or encourage him. He was now so close that I could
After a quiet drive back into the city, we stopped at a famous pastry shop that I had visited a few days before. I had
“I have asked about where the camel butcher is. We have to go to a place about 30 kilometres outside of the city. I will
Vahid was waiting for me as he promised, at a grimy, smoggy roundabout where Yazd’s minibuses and taxis were beginning to fill with the first
I prefer the company of men. Their smoking dens, their workmen’s clubs, the places where they eat tripe soup. These are the places I like
Vahid’s question was probably not so strange. For someone who had never had sex, and had the idea that Western women had sex at every
“Can I ask you a question?” said Vahid. “How are you going to manage for one month in Iran without having sex? I mean won’t
This morning I arrived for another session of cooking, eating and napping to find Vahid alone at home. “My mom teaches Arabic lessons on Wednesday
Every evening Vahid is tasked with taking me back to my hotel. Unlike the morning journey that I make alone, the return is a series
Vahid’s mother and I have begun what has become a daily ritual. I take my morning’s thrill-seeking taxi ride through the crowded streets of Yazd,
My attempts at reading the address out to the taxi driver fell short, so I passed him my phone and let him enjoy a few
I met two Iranians today. Both have kind of freaked me out. The first was a young student called Azadeh. ‘Azi’ was studying English translation
I want to eat that most famous of Iranian delicacies: tahdig. Lots of tahdig. I am so committed I nearly wrote it down on
I am going to tell you a story and I want you to remember the sentence: Should I have kissed him? Your answers at the
Tea drinking in Iran is a little like learning to play the clarinet. It is all about moisture and airflow. And sugar. When you order
“You’ve got to help hide me.” I was sitting on the plane next to a chiropractor from Glasgow called Hooman who called himself ‘Dr Hoo’.
Let’s play a little game of true or false, shall we? I’ll begin. TRUE OR FALSE: Iranian women are timid, shy and socially repressed creatures.
I am almost ready. I believe that I have mastered demure yet stylish hijab with duly painted eyelashes, painstakingly breezily draped scarf and perfectly placed
I’m not proud of what happened. Not ashamed, but not proud. I’m going to write it off as a blip in character. I like to
I spent an hour this morning googling and analysing modern Iranian street fashion and soon realised that the interpretation of ‘modest’ is subject to wide
I am researching the hijab or ‘enforced standard of dress for ladies in the Islamic Republic of Iran’ with the zeal a PH.D student. My