Valentine Unwrapped

So I've been absent for two weeks and, who am I kidding? I know nobody reads this, at least now! I've been busy with an urgent work project, and I just sent out the files today and feel free for the first time in 22 days. Lol...
Sweet husband has been here since last Wednesday, so there's another full-time occupation I've had. Oh God I love it when he is home. He just brightens up everything! The way he smiles, the way he looks at me, holds me and kisses me, and even the way he breathes when he is asleep is a blessing.
We met on 2009, two days after Valentine's day. It was a rainy day, and as it was inappropriate to meet an unknown boy in a public place ( and still is in our type of society, somehow!!) I just told him that I would ask him one question and leave. As you may know, Persain parents are mostly strict about this type of stuff. In the majority of the country, boys and girls are not allowed to be friends and specially be boyfriends and girlfriends! Families don't like it that way, and prefer to meet the guy and set an engagement date or let the engagement happen before they can allow the young couple to appear in public places, but that is changing quite fast right now. My generation had to keep everything under a wrap! We had to stay private, not even telling our parents because if they knew we were seeing someone, it would be hell unleashed!
Personally, I told my mother about us to make her let us see each other sonetimes, and as I was the most stubborn girl ever, I managed to keep our relationship going private and just as boyfriend and girlfriend for a few years before we got hitched. But I know people who have been together for more than seven years now, and have managed to keep it secret. Congrats, I can't imagine how they do it!! :/

He is the sweetest, most gentle man I've ever met, and I thank God for him every single day, even when we've had a little bit of disagreement on some stuff and aren't exactly in the most happy place, which happens so rarely. And by the way, all couples have disagreements, that's what makes us human, right, being different?
Anyway, he is asleep right now, and I've been planning to take a shower and wash my hair and tidy up the house a bit, and then take some time to paint my nails and stuff like that... But actually the sound of his breathing is so relaxing that I'm feeling an urge to fall asleep right here, right now!!! I just managed to get out of the bed and try to get up and do all the things I was planning to do. Good day to you all! :)

The Tale of a Girl

Today was such a beautiful day with wonderfully pleasant weather, so I decided to find an excuse for a long walk. Fortunately, I needed to buy a few things for my mom and then I added a few items for my own to the shopping list. The result was a 7 km walk from mom's house to the center of the town and I loved it. I went to visit my freind, too, and we walked a few blocks together, although she was out of breath bu the time we separated our ways. It was fun.
As you may know, Persian New Year, which we call Norooz (the new day), starts on March 20th and I aim to lose a few more pounds by then, So I try to walk as much as I can. I bought myself a really cute Victoria notebook, which I actually have no idea how I should use, but I just wanted it so I got it.

I've tried so many times to start writing about my life or discribe what it'jjs like here in Iran, but it's funny that when it comes to these things, I don't know how I should start!
I was born on October 20th, 1988, in Bandar Anzali. Anzali is literally my paradise. I know almost every corner, every alley, every street. I walk here for hours and hours without feeling tired. Anzali is one of the safest cities I've been to. One of the interesting things about Iran is that most of the shops are open until 9 p.m., so if I mentioned that, don't be surprised. Anzali is a small city, too, so most of the people know each other somehow. That's one of the other reasons for the safety we feel here. Also, it's a great city for women. Here we are not bounded to our houses. Most of the women here can go out as much as they want and have a good time. For us, girls are human beings, not property. This is true almost everywhere in Oran nowadays, but I can say that Anzali, and Guilan province in general, are great places for women in Iran.
My parents were really young when they got married, and they lived with my father's parents. It was kind of customary to live with the man's parents at that time. Grandma didn't get along well with my mom, and she made mom upset a lot. I suppose at least half of Persian mother-in-laws are like this in Iran. It's because of their emotional dependence on their sons. In old days, most of Persian men didn't show their emotions to their wives, so they became kind of dependent on the love and affection they received from their sons. But my grandma wasn't like this. She was a control freak. Mom was young and quiet, and she couldn't stand up for herself. So when they finally got the chance to move to another city when I was six, they took it in a heartbeat.
Arak wasn't exactly a free city for women, since it was really traditional and Islamic, and girls who are used to freedom can't take it there. I hated that city. I was a child who really liked the sea, and the green, and rain. Arak was set in a dry desert which was hot in the Summer and so cold in the Winter, and I hate cold. The memories of those eight-nine years still makes me dislike the cold and snow. Anzali is a himid place and it rarely snows here, but I guess I'm the only unhappy girl in Anzali when it does.
We came back to Anzali in 2002. My father found a job in the South a year later, and we were forced to stay in the North while he worked in Asalooyeh, which is a petro-chemical zone South of Iran. He still works there, and we see him once a month for seven to ten days when he comes to visit.
I always wanted to do the things my way. That's why I became what I am. I am an independent girl. I did many things my own way, not the society's way. But I guess the most outrageous thing I've evr done is the story of how I met my husband. However, that story should wait and be told slowly. I think everything I wrote tonight is enough.
It's really late now. I have a gym session tomorrow and I have to get some sleep. I'll come back soon enough.
In the meanwhile, tell me where you are from. How did you find this and what would you like to know about me and my life? I'll answer any questions you have.

See you later.

A Gleam of Light

Hello there!

I’ve always had trouble starting things. That could include anything; waking up (sometimes, of course), starting work, going to the gym, making lunch (which I’m experiencing today), and as of right now, starting a new blog post! I can talk all day about how I am just like any woman in any country and say nothing worth reading! But because today I want to make an introduction and start working on my papers ASAP, I try to keep this short and sweet. Probabely now you’re like “Oh God, does she wanna go on like this?!” But no, I’m gonna be good, I promise.

My name is Forough. Now that’s a pronunciation challenge for some international readers, but sorry, that’s what it is and I am proud of it. Forough means ‘a gleam of light’. I’m 27 years old, and I live in a small city north of Iran named Bandar Anzali (Anzali Port). I come from a small family and I have only one sister, Farnaz, who is one of the most important people in my life. I have a Master’s degree in English education, and I used to be an English teacher, but I left that job long ago due to so many reasons. Now I am a translator and I work for myself, which reminds me that I HAVE TO keep this short as I have to go start typing a paper I just finished. I am Muslim, but I don’t take religion so seriously. I believe the real key to be a better person is a kind heart, so I don’t consider my religion as a great part of my life. I just believe that God would answer sincere prayers, no matter what religion you practice, and even if you don’t practice any religion at all.

I met my husband, Mostafa, who is fortunately nothing like his religous name, in 2010. We became engaged in 2013, and got married on september 5th, 2014. So I’ve been married for a year and a half now. It was, and still is, a love marriage. He is the reason of my courage in literally everything. Because of him, I am a happy, lively woman who can live her life as it makes her happy. As he is the mate of my soul, and as we faced so many obstacles in the way of getting together, I will tell you our story later. For now, I think that’s enough. So I’ll see you soon with my first story, which I haven’t decided on yet.  But I can tell you what I want to write about. I wanna show you how my life as a Persian woman is. I want to show you my lifestyle, with everything that happens in it; my people’s life and traditions, my passions, memories, home, outfit choices, food receipes, my city, and my country. So I guess this is gonna take a long while. Hope that I can show you how beautiful my corner of the world can be. Thank you for reading.

See you soon.