This Iranian American Life

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noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 01:26:00 +0000

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Pop!Tech coverage in Farsi

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 18:28:00 +0000

Pop!Tech is an event that brings together remarkable people from all around the world to discuss science, technology, and the future of ideas.

I will be attending Pop!Tech from October 17-20th in Camden, Maine. I will be be covering this event on my blog.

Hamid Tehrani will collaborate with me to translate these blog posts into Farsi for Global Voices Online (Farsi) . The goal is to get the word out--so that people from all around the world can join the conversation. More here and here!

Rosewater Wash

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 05:39:00 +0000

Watch the video

Here is an edit of the first poem, from my father's grave:
I said "Father, this is not the way for such greatness to end."
He replied, "How should it be? This is destined."
I said, "Yet, it is much too soon for your departure."
He said, "No, Truth's wisdom declares when is best."

**In the last line, the first translation uses the word “God” rather than “Truth”—The word that is actually used is “Hagh”, which means “Truth” or “God,” as the multiple meanings may be used interchangeably.

The second poem (where you see the bird picking up the poetry), which is also being read from the wake (in the beginning of the video) is from the first eighteen lines of the Masnavi of Jalâl al-Din Rumi. The video is only showing what is from the first line of Rumi's Masnavi. There are many translations, though I particularly like this translation of the Reed Flute's Song, from Essential Rumi by Coleman Barks:

The Reed Flute's Song
by Jalalu'ddin Rumi, excerpted from Coleman Barks' translation in The Essential Rumi

Listen to the story told by the reed,
of being separated.

"Since I was cut from the reedbed,
I have made this crying sound.

Anyone apart from someone he loves
understands what I say.

Anyone pulled from a source
longs to go back.

At any gathering I am there,
mingling in the laughing and grieving,

a friend to each, but few
will hear the secrets hidden

within the notes. No ears for that.
Body flowing out of spirit,

spirit up from body: no concealing
that mixing. But it's not given us

to see the soul. The reed flute
is fire, not wind. Be that empty."

Hear the love fire tangled
in the reed notes, as bewilderment

melts into wine. The reed is a friend
to all who want the fabric torn

and drawn away. The reed is hurt
and salve combining. Intimacy

and longing for intimacy, one
song. A disastrous surrender

and a fine love, together. The one
who secretly hears this is senseless.

A tongue has one customer, the ear.
A sugarcane flute has such effect

because it was able to make sugar
in the reedbed. The sound it makes

is for everyone. Days full of wanting,
let them go by without worrying

that they do. Stay where you are
inside such a pure, hollow note.

Every thirst gets satisfied except
that of these fish, the mystics,

who swim a vast ocean of grace
still somehow longing for it!

No one lives in that without
being nourished every day.

But if someone doesn't want to hear
the song of the reed flute,

it's best to cut conversation
short, say good-bye, and leave.

A conversation about gratitude, being where you are, and choice

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 23:00:00 +0000

Watch the video

What is gratitude? When do you know to be grateful for where you are?

When do you know that even though you can be where you are, you can choose something else?

This is a conversation in Tehran between my sister and a friend about gratitude and choice.

This video is eight minutes long...So please save this video for when you have time to listen to this very sweet philosophical discussion.

selling flowers in the streets

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 19:10:00 +0000

Watch the video

Many things are sold in the streets of Tehran, while you are waiting in traffic. Some will sell walnuts, hafiz poems, and flowers....Others will perform an instrument or offer to clean your windshield. This is a clip of someone selling us Mariam flowers, a flower with a very lovely smell.

Translation______________________

My mom:
what? where? Bah! what flowers!
Sir how much are these flowers?
Please don't throw them in the car!*

Vendor:
1000 tomans per bunch.
how many would you like?

Mom:
1000 tomans per bunch? It has 5 in each? Tell him to bring one for me! Sir please come here! Sir! Tell him we want the good ones.

Me:
Sir! we would like one please! The good ones please!

My sister:
Thank you. Here you go sir [handing him the money]. Thank you. Goodbye.

[handing flowers to my mom]

Bah bah. [this is a sound used to express if something looks, sounds, smells or tastes good]

____________________

*Note
This has happened to my mom before, so perhaps she was taking preventative measures. Once a guy was selling walnuts in the street and saw we were interested. He put the bag of walnuts in the car, and the traffic light changed color before we had a chance to pay him. We had to turn back around and find him and give him the money! Our family was very disappointed in us for arriving so late :)

Tehran mountain experience

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 02:05:00 +0000

Watch the video

Tehran is surrounded by mountains, and visiting them is one of my favorite things to do in Tehran. Here is a clip of my cousin and I, and some other passerbys...hiking, having picnics, and enjoying the day.

Thanks

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 22:30:00 +0000

First I want to thank everyone that has been coming to this videoblog... I really appreciate the feedback that I have been getting and the people that have been so supportive!

I am back in school now, and still with a passion to share moments of my life, that I feel others may find interesting. So I am going to keep posting video on another blog, http://marashivlog.blogspot.com. Meanwhile I will start editing more footage that I have from Iran and posting them on this blog.

New York City is truly a great place to be, and I am really happy to be in my second year at ITP. This semester I am doing an independent study to work on implementing a community videoblogging center in Iran. I am also taking a broadcast documentary class in the film department, among other really wonderful classes...

Teaching Vlogging in Iran

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 13:50:00 +0000

Watch the video

****Thanks to everyone who made this node a possibility!!*****

Here is a look at us shooting video explaining how to start a videoblog in Farsi. We used freevlog.org and node101.org (and many other resources--thanks so much to all of you wonderful people out there), and came up with a new community vlog to get people started: http://vloginiran.blogspot.com

This videoblog is going to be a place for people to begin uploading their videos as they learn about videoblogging, and it can act as a collective videoblog for a number of people to post video to.

We talked about many things besides videoblogging as well... For example, we talked about Wikipedia, Web Syndication, Creative Commons, and how to learn about other vloggers and the vlogging community, through sites such as
http://community.vlogmap.org/

-----------Translation:
Aha! Now! Should I start!?
>You remember now [what you wanted to say]?
Yes, Yes!
>Wait
[singing random Persian song]
>>Is the camera zoomed
>Are, zoomeh [this means, yes, it is zoomed, which also translates into Farsi as It is my wish which is coincidentally very funny because of the way that he sings the word, rather than simply saying it]

Ok, so first I would like to talk a bit about the history of videoblogging and what things people video blog about.
--------
You know it is really important that people video blog about things they are truly passionate about, and something that you really really likebecause if you are not excited, then others will certainly get bored!
--------
[showing freevlog.org]
You can go to Blogger, a free blogging site,however you have to host the video on another site, and link between the two sites, for example between Blogger and Blipthey did something so that the two sites work together, so you can cross post video, and they link together like thiswhich is really great, and makes your life easier.

--------------End Translation

More people in Iran will be able to learn about videoblogging on local television, or in a public setting (hence the islamic garb), since high speed internet is so expensive here (three to five hundred dollars a month, depending on the speed)...

Family Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 16:15:00 +0000

Watch the video

This video clip is of my mom and her sisters looking at pictures together, and the thumbnail is of my parents.
_____________________________________________________________________

Translation:

eh! This is my mom!
And this is me! With my grandparents!

OH! WOW! (about my mom and uncle)

My mom and dad... they are so beautiful.
Oh, get this one of me and Baba Zandi [her father], Parastou!!
ok
aw,
Is it nice?
Let me see!
Did you get it well?
[laughing]
aw, my mom and dad are so beautiful here.
Let me see! Let me see!
Look at the three Hassanabadi sisters [Hassanabad is the name of the street they used to live off of]
Yes, get the Hassanabadi sisters.
This picture, just like this, it is the three of you all sitting here right now!
And here is your father. Your Mom and your Dad and us three sisters.

Bazaar of Persian rugs

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 20:40:00 +0000

Watch the video

The Bazaar has many things for sale (wholesale and retail): food, fruits, and nuts, rugs, gold, fabric, clothes, appliances, steel, decorations, art, etc....

This clip takes you through the entry of the Bazaar to the area where Persian rugs are sold...

Hazrat Ali Birthday Celebration

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 02:25:00 +0000

Watch the video

This clip shows some of the music played for a really great celebration that I went to last night, in honor of Hazrat Ali's Birthday...

to be continued...

[not so] fast food

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 15:40:00 +0000

Watch the video

I went out with one of my best friends and stumbled upon this Kabab place (Super Protein Chizary). I really liked the guy we met there--he was super friendly and asked me to shoot video of him making kabab.

Salam (Hello)

My friend: Sir we would like 2 barg kababs, and juicy please.

*birds chirping*
Me: Where are the birds!?

Right here [they belong to the store]

Me: so, you make kabab here. Do you enjoy it?

Very Much (Kheili)! Next to the grill, in this really hot weather... it is so much fun! Your space is empty. (He is very much kidding here when he says this [Jayeh Shoma Khali])

(We all laugh)

Note--Iranian Expressions

"Jayeh (insert name here) Khali"
"(Insert name here)'s space is empty"

Your space is empty here is an expression that is often used in Iran. In this case the guy is kidding with us, but usually when a family sits down to eat, they will say that the space of the person that really likes that particular meal is empty.

Also, when a family reunites after a long time someone may acknowledge the empty space of someone who could not make it (their space is empty unless filled by their presence).

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 07:29:00 +0000

Offerings for the souls of those who have passed

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Kheiriyeh or Kheirat is something that is given for the soul of a loved one or someone who has passed on.

My mother recently gave Kheiriyeh, for the passing her much missed father.

Here is a video of my mother passing out some of her delicious rice pudding. As people get the offering, they usually say "Roohesh shad" or "May their soul be joyous", and then they pray for their soul by reciting the fateh, which is the following prayer:

This is recited once:

All praise is due to God, the Lord of the Worlds.
The Beneficent, the Merciful.
Master of the Day of Judgment.
Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help.
Keep us on the right path.
The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favors. Not (the path) of those upon whom Thy wrath is brought down, nor of those who go astray.

Immediately followed by this verse which is repeated three times:

Say: He, God, is One.
God is He on Whom all depend.
He begets not, nor is He begotten.
And none is like Him.

Translation taken from here and here

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 08:49:00 +0000

Hitching rides in Tehran

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Sure, it can be a bit of a fuss to get around without a car. However, in Tehran, people are likely to pick you up and drop you off to where you need to go.

As you can see in this video, I wanted to get into a cab, but I didn't find one going my way. So we just got into someone's car. They just picked us up, and dropped us in the direction we wanted to go (since it was on their way)...

There are also plenty of people who drive around town, pick people up, and get paid to do it (with their own cars). Usually people will say, it is free "ghabel nadareh" or it is not worthy of you, and then you say, no really, how much can I pay. Then they will tell you how much. This happens all the time, no matter where you go shopping.

"how much?"

"ghabel nadareh" (it is not worthy of you)

"No thanks, really."

"400 Tomans please."

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 07:59:00 +0000

A superstition I can live with

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At least once a week, my grandmother will burn esfand (Peganum Harmala) for the family. The smoke smells really nice, acts as an antiseptic, and is also said to rid the effect of the evil eye. Rather than harming the person, any bad energy is said to be cleansed away.

It is also customary to burn esfand at weddings. Last night I went to a wedding, where this gentleman circled the esfand around my head before putting it into the fire.

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 06:19:00 +0000

Hangin out with my great Aunt

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Ameh Akram is my mom's aunt (my grandfather's sister).

Dialogue

________________________________________________________

[the US] was very fun...and if i wasn't so old and if they were to ask me to go back [to the US] I would go.

I am afraid that if I go back something might happen to me...Or if they were to put me in a nursing home... I would rather sit in my own room here.

I saw my sister. They put her in a nursing home.

It broke my heart.

I brought her in my house, even though my own leg was broken--she knows.

Yes, one or two years.

I brought her in my home and my own leg was broken.

________________________________________________________

My Experiences with Technology in Iran this week

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 02:59:00 +0000

Due to some technical blog problems, I am reposting this entry.

I tried to go to the Craigslist website today and I got this error message.

I don’t know how to break through the blocked site restrictions, since the proxy sites were also blocked. However my cousin knows his way around it so I will ask him when I see him later today. I have seen these blocks before, but they are still sad.

Today I spoke to someone at Parsonline, a leading internet service provider in Iran, about getting high speed internet at my grandmother’s northern Tehran apartment. The highest speed DSL here is $500 a month, with a $60 connection fee! Dial up is only 12 dollars a month, and the ADSL connections range from ~$20-$500, depending on the connection speed. 512 kbps is still the maximum uploading speed, with a maximum download speed of 1024 kbps, at $500 a month!

I rented a cell phone line yesterday. First, I had to break the code that Cingular had on my phone—which I did break for around $15 dollars at a store that buys and sells cell phones. My cousin has an extra cell phone line, so I am using his SIM card and renting one of his lines for my time here. The flat rates here for cell phone rental are ~$30 a month, not including the cost per minute of the cell phone (700 Rials, which is ~8 cents per minute). No free weekends and evenings for phone calls, but at least the lines are much cheaper than they were over a year ago (from over ~$1000 for a line last year, they are now ~$650, with a long waiting list). There are also pay as you go phones, which I am told do not work as well and lack the reception of other mobile phone lines.

Since it is so much cheaper to send text messages here, text messaging is extremely popular. Two of my friends who I will be interviewing while I am here work in the telecommunications industry. I am looking forward to meeting up with them, and also getting their perspectives on the future of Iranian telecom.

Hafiz Poetry

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 15:14:00 +0000

Hafiz Poetry Fortune

Watch the video

I am in Iran now! It is so great to be here, amidst family and friends, people I love, wonderful places, and really wonderful experiences.

This first video is of me and a man who is selling Hafiz poems on the street.

Hafiz is a poet from approximately 700 years ago. His poems are still a major part of life in Iran today. Sometimes the person selling them will have a bird, who will then pick the poem for you. Each poem holds words of wisdom and love of life. Before picking a poem, it is advised to first call upon the poets soul.

Click here to read some of Hafiz's poetry and see what you come across today...

Project Description for Collaborators in Iran

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 06:21:00 +0000

I am having a detailed description translated into Farsi to all the people that I am giving cameras to. The cameras will be given out for a few days at a time, and I am asking for no more than 30 minutes of footage per person.

It will state:

1. The questions I am asking (What do you imagine for your life? What have been some of the most influential experiences or people in your life? What is life [school, work, friends] like? etc.).

2. Basic tips on how to use their camcorders (use only for conversations that are close up [since the quality of microphones on the cameras are not so powerful], try to keep your hand still while recording, please return the camcorder after so many days, etc.).

I am still thinking about this last one:

3. How to upload the video on the web. Although I will be having all the small camcorders returned after a few days (so that I can then hand them out to more people), it will be helpful to me and educational for others to learn how to start their own video blogs. Maybe I can teach people how to use blip.tv? Perhaps there will be a way to organize and teach people how to tag their videos so that they can be searchable? If they do not have an Internet connection in their house, it is possible to organize a place for them to come to upload their videos and media files.

I feel that this project will teach me a lot about how Iranians are currently using video on the internet, while giving people the freedom to share their own stories with the world.

Camcorders and Equipment

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 04:53:00 +0000

Please click on image to see it at a larger scale ;)

Today I got some camcorders for my trip to Iran (leaving on Tuesday).

1. Sony TRV950 (which I am borrowing from ITP (YAY), with an external shotgun mic. This I plan on using for interviews, as well as for shooting video of places that would be much better with high quality video (such as the drive to the Caspian, in the mountains around Tehran, etc.).

2. I bought my first Pure Digital Camcorder, which is a really tiny little camcorder available at your local Target. I am planning on buying 2 or 3 more and handing them out to other people in Iran (people I know or am certain will return the camcorders).

Really Inspiring Projects

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Fri, 07 Jul 2006 08:21:00 +0000

After reading this thing called Putting Documentary Work to Work (download the pdf on this page) I was able to see a moment of crystal clarity where documenting and organizing different aspects of our lives can really share a story so powerfully within a community. Otherwise, it is all just a bunch of stuff, by itself. By establishing and re-creating relationships between information, we are able to give the information a context in which to live--so that it goes from words, sounds, images, and motion into knowledge and quite possibly, greater forms of wisdom.

One really inspiring project is Indivisible, "an exploration of community life in America by some of this country's most accomplished photographers, radio producers, and folklorists."

StoryCorps, is one such incredible project. Online, you can hear the tone and emotion in people's voices as they tell their own stories. Story Corps created StoryBooths and provided an opportunity, and a space, for people to share their own experiences. I really like this mother/daughter interview, among others.

Iranian People: Behind the Veil

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 22:54:00 +0000

While I am in Iran much of my experiences are with all kinds of people. As I mentioned that I will be shooting video of people that I know...friends, family, friends of family, and people that I will meet.

In Iran, the demographics are really quite interesting, where 70% of the population under the age of 30.

People always ask me about the veil in Iran, and I often bring up a point that few people know about it. As I was reading in this article, one of many describing the history of the veil in Iran:

In 1936, as a part of a Westernizing national effort, Iran's monarchy had banned the veil. Women who wore the veil despite the law were routinely arrested and had their veils forcibly removed. Eventually, as dress code rules were relaxed, women were allowed to re-veil, although the practice was largely frowned upon, particularly by the somewhat Westernized middle- and upper-classes.

After the Islamic Revolution, hijab soon evolved from a voluntary display of solidarity to a compulsory demand on women in Iran. Protests on the part of women's groups went unheeded, and the arrests and punishments of women who dared to defy strict codes of appearance became commonplace.

I imagine that eventually what will happen will be that those who want to wear the veil will wear it, and those who do not want to wear it will not. It is already apparent that women dress so differently all throughout Iran.

The veil that bothers me the most is the misunderstanding and miscommunication between the people of Iran and the US. However, today it is possible to use technology and new forms of participatory media to help us imagine, explore, and discover new ways of communicating with people around the world.

This communication can only begin with us, where we are now. I feel that I am but one vessel, or one path of many, in bridging the gap between two places that I have never felt to be as separate.

Scenic Places to See in Iran

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 18:49:00 +0000

So, I have come up with a list of places to see in Iran. After visiting Wikipedia, and Flickr, there seems to be lack of good information about Iran. Last I checked on google maps, there was not a single dot indicating life or civilization in Tehran. I have been asked if Iran is green, whether or not people ride camels, and how people get around. I have been asked these questions since I was a kid, and I am happy to share my experiences.

Some of the places I will be going to document are:

Sareh Pole Tajrish (Tajrish Square)--These Pictures are of Tajrish during the Persian New Year, but I couldn't find that many online. I love Tajrish because of how it feels when the sun is setting, the beautiful backdrop of mountains surrounding the busy city, everyone shopping, meeting up with friends, finding a ride home, meanwhile hearing the call to prayer, or prayers that are recited only during the holy month of Ramadan, which is one of my favorite prayers to listen to.

Mountains-- I LOVE MOUNTAINS, and have grown up loving the mountains surrounding Tehran. I would go hiking with my friends for eight or nine hours till we reached the summit of Tochal, and later we would take the tele-cabin back down. I have not yet been to the top of Damavand, which is the highest peak in the Middle East--but I was religious about going hiking in the tochal mountains as often as I could...

Masouleh, the Caspian Sea, and Kish Island are great places to see as well. One of my favorite desert towns in Iran is Yazd, which is also the center of Zoroastrian culture. There tuly is a great variety of landscape in Iran.

Documenting: Past and Present

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 07:58:00 +0000

I feel that I have always loved to document my life experiences. I know I will eventually go through all of my stuff very soon and share parts of my life that I have saved (video, audio, images, drawings, sculptures, etc.) from the past.

As I relive my memories, looking at video and photographs, or listening to audio recordings, I have these moments where I am taken back to when something actually happened, so vivid in my mind.

However, now that I will be leaving soon to go to Iran (July 18th or so, I am buying my ticket today), I will be documenting my life in Iran. Last time I was there I took so many pictures, but I realize I have yet to document many of the places I am thinking of. Last time I was there, I took pictures of some of my favorite places, where I worked, a poetry reading at my house, a party at someone else's, traditional holidays, making rice pudding for religious mournings, or hanging out with family, and visiting old cities.

Iran Video Project: Experimental Documentary

noreply@blogger.com (Paris Marashi) — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 20:31:00 +0000

This summer I am going to Iran to shoot video for an experimental documentary. I will be giving people cameras and asking them to shoot video, while shooting video of my own experiences in the process.

I plan on sharing my experiences of Iran—my life and the people that I know there. I will be taping people I know and experiences of mine from Iran to people in other parts of the world. I will asking people that I know—as well as those that I have yet to meet—questions about their lives, such as:

What is life like for you (school, going out, friends, work, etc.)?
What do you feel have been some of the most influential experiences of your life?
What decisions do you feel have had the most influence in your life until now?
Do you feel that social pressures inform your decision making? If so, what kinds of social pressures?
How do you see and imagine your life in the future? What kind of a future would you like to have?

What kind of questions would you ask?

Right now, the plan is that I will be interviewing people, and then handing out small video cameras (people can use their own if they have one on their phones or camera with video-capability) to shoot approximately half an hour of their life—brief moments that show a bit of their world. A few minutes from school, work, going out, and all the different aspects of life that they are be willing to share—places they love, places they have to go to—things they have to do, etc.

I am interested in sharing my experiences, while giving others an opportunity to speak about their own lives. Last year I heard about a project called Born Into Brothels, that really stuck with me. Ths past semester I started teaching video, animation, and vide-blogging in an after-school program in the Bronx. This experience inspired me to do a project where I could hand out small video cameras such as this one in Iran.