Farhad, Iran

 

Farhad was born in Shiraz, Iran, where he lived the majority of his life. He lived there with his parents and 4 sisters and it’s where he went to high school. Later he was working as a pipe welder and in 2003 he got married to Sarah, with whom he eventually had two children. Farhad and Sarah were Muslim, but after the birth of their daughter she had a time of self-reflection which lead to her wanting to convert to Christianity. Eventually Farhad also converted. This caused some serious friction with his family, especially since it is forbidden to change religion in Iran and there are serious consequences for doing so, and potential repercussions even for family members who did not convert. Christians in Iran had to worship in secret, and one night in 2011 the police raided their underground church and arrested everyone there. The day after, when Farhad was in Turkey for business, the police arrested Sarah as they had been informed about her conversion. Before releasing her, the police made her sign a few blank papers, which could lead to who knows what future issues, consequently, as soon as Farhad was back from Turkey, they decided to leave Iran.

They left everything behind: their home, their car, all of their possessions; one night they left for Turkey by train with just some clothes and money. Once there, they rented a house, and met some Iranian who suggested that they go to the UN base in Ankara and apply for asylum as refugees. For 4 years they waited for the paperwork and it was 4 tough years. Farhad worked as an ironworker in a small shop, Sarah worked as well for a while, and the kids tried to stay in school. His daughter, who was younger, started school in Turkey, but his son, 8 or 9 years old at the time, could not go to school for a year, due to serious discrimination related to him being a Christian. His teacher was a very religious Muslim man and pushed the students to be hateful and harsh with Farhad’s son.

Finally in 2011, since they had no relatives anywhere in the world besides Iran, the UN sent them to the US, to Seattle.

When they arrived, speaking little English, they only had $500, and this is something Farhad still remembers well with dread. The Lutheran Community Services helped them by renting an apartment for them and paying the first 3 months of rent. After 2 months Farhad and Sarah came to TCC to be in an ESL program. They had no income so thankfully were introduced to the possibility to get a job as work study at TCC. After 2 years as a work study Farhad became a TCC employee, working as maintenance mechanic (he just got a more important position within his department). They recently were able to purchase a car and a home, the kids are in school and Sarah works in the Early Learning Center and is applying for a position as assistant teacher.

 

Occupation: maintenance mechanic 2 at Tacoma Community College

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Family in the US (from Iran): none except from his wife and kids

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Languages: Farsi (Persian), English and a little bit of Turkish

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Favorite pastimes: woodworking

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Favorite music: Instrumental Jazz

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Language challenges: he is not a talkative person but he doesn’t like that his English is still weak, especially the grammar. Sometimes he finds himself looking for words and it bothers him.

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Could do without: He has had no problems in the US. He thinks that, because there are a lot of immigrants here, people are nice. Where Farhad and his family did face serious discrimination, based on their religion, was Turkey.

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Favorite expression:  Farsi:  “Damet garm” (“Big-ups to you” as in approval or acknowledgment)  

                        

Object:

The book Shahnameh (“the Book of Kings”) written by Persian poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 CE. This is a very well-known, and very long, epic poem (one of the longest written). It tells the tales of 2000 years of Iranian history and legendary heroes. Unlike many Iranian books, relatively few Arabic words are used, which is very unusual, and was a way for the author to demonstrate the love for, and celebration of, Iranian culture.

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Farhad, Iran

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Farhad dar shiraz be doya amad jaiike bakhshe ziyadi az omrash ra be hamrahe  valedein va 4 khahar zendegi kard .

Dar anja ta dabirestan va diplom dars khoond va mesle jush kar shoro be kar kard.

Dar sale 2003 ba Sara ezdevaj kard ke hasele in ezdevaj 2 ta farzand bood , Sara o Farhad mosalman boodan vali bad az tavalode bache dovoom sara too fekre taghire mazhab be masihi oftad ke be donbalesh Farhad ham tasmim be in kar gereft va inkar baes shod ekhtelafe ziyadi ba khanevade khod peyda konad chun avaz kardane mazhab dar iran mamno hast va mojazate sangini ham baraye shakhs va ham khanevade oon shakhs darad harchan ham ke khanevade taghire mazhab nadade bashan .

Masihiha dar Iran bayad makhfiane baraye doa kardan dore ham jam beshan va dar yek shab dar sale 2011 polis be klisa anha dar zir zamin hamle kard va hame ra dastgir kard hamintor rooz bad Sara ra darhalike Farhad baraye kar dar Torkie bood dastgir kardan choon motevajeh tagir mazhab Sara shode boodan , ghabl az inke Sara ra azad konan on ro majboor be emzaye kagaz haye sefid kardan ta az in tarigh betoonan moshkelati dar ayande barayash ijad konan , in kar baes shod ke Farhad be mahze bargasht az torkie be Iran tasmim gereft Iran ra tark konad .

Hame chizhaiike dasht az jomle apparteman , mashin ,.... raha kard va yek shab ba kemi lebas o pool ba ghatar be ghasde tarke Iran be torkie raft .

Vaghti be torkie residan yek apparteman ejare kardan va ba nasihate bazi az Iranihaii ke anja boodan be Sefarate Amrica dar Ankara dar khaste panahandegi kardan ke be modate 4 sal bekhatere kamel kardane madarek sabr kardan ke in 4 sal kheili be anha sakht gozasht .

farhad kar jooshkari dar yek maghaze koochak peida kard va Sara ham baraye yek moddati kar kard va sai kardan bache ha ro baraye edame tahsil be madrese befrestan ,dokhtarash ke kochektar bood madrese ra dar Torkie shoro kard vali pesarash ke dar an zaman 8-9 sal dasht natoonest madrese ra be khatere masihi boodanesh edame dahad choon yek moaleme mazhabi dasht ke shagerdha ra tahrik mikard ke ba pesarash bad raftari konan.

Belakhare dar sale 2011 be dalile nadashtane famil dar hich jaye donya begheira az Iran nadashtan L'ONU Farhad va khanevadeash ra be Amrica dar Siatel ferestad.

Dar Amrica ba englisi zaif sohbat mikardan va faghat $500 dashtanke in khatere ra Farhad ba vahshat yadavari mikone.

Lutheran Community Services ba pardakht 3 mah ejare be anha komak kard ta yek apparteman begiran ke bad az 2 mah Farhad va sara shoro be yad gereftane zabane englisi  TCC dar yek barname be esme ESL (yadgiri englisi be zabane dovom) anha hich hoghooghi nadashtan va khoshbakhtane az tarighe TCC kar peida kardan , Farhad bad az 2 sal kar dar daneshgah toonest estekhdam beshe dar TCC va choon mesle mekanik ham kar mikard akhiran yek mansabe mohemtari dar ghesmate khodesh bedast avorde.

Jadidan tonestan yek appartem va mashin bekharan , bacheha dar madrese dars mikhonan va Sara ke dar markaze yadgiri koodakan darTCC kar mikonad darkhaste kar dar ghesmate jaigozini moalem ra dade ast.

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Shoghl: Motekhases Mekanik dar Tacoma Community College

Familhaye Irani dar Amrica: Hich family nadarad bejos Sara (hamsarash) va do ta bacheha

Zaban: Farsi (Irani), Inglisi va kami Turko

Karhaye dar vaghte ezafi: Model dadan va kar kardan rooye choob

Music delkhah: Jazz

Moghayese zaban: Farhad az tarze sohbate inglisi khodesh razi nist va benazaresh zaif hastmakhsoosan dar geramer gahy vaghtha bayad mani yek loghat ra peyda konad ke in barayesh khoshyand nist.

Mitoone bishtar az in bashe: Farhad hich moshkeli dar amrika nadasht . fekr kon ta zamani ke mohajerane ziadi dar Amrika hastand adamha bishtar mehraban hastan. Dar vaghe dar torkye Farhad va familesh bekhatere mazhab moshkelate ziyadi tahamol kardan.

 

فرهاد در شيراز بدنيا امد جاييكه بخش زيادى از عمرش را به همراه والدين و چهار خواهرش زندگى كرد . در آنجا تا دبيرستان و ديپلم درس خواند و مثل جوش كار شروع بكار كرد . در سال ٢٠٠٣ با سارا ازدواج كرد كه حاصل اين ازدواج دو فرزند بود ، سارا و فرهاد مسلمان بودن ولى بعد از تولد بچه دوم سارا به فكر تغيير مذهب به مسيحى افتاد و به دنبالش فرهاد هم تصميم به اين كار گرفت كه اينكار باعث شد اختلاف زيادى با خانواده پيدا كند چون عوض كردن مذهب در ايران ممنوع و مجازات سنگينى هم براى شخص و هم براى خانواده كه تغيير مذهب ندادن دارد مسيحيها در ايران بايد مخفيانه براى دعا كردن جمع بشن و در يك شب در سال ٢٠١١ پليس به كليسا در زير زمين حمله كرد و همه را دستگير كرد ،روز بعد سارا را در حاليكه فرهاد براى كار در تركيه بود دستگير كرد چون متوجه تغيير مذهب سارا شد ،قبل از اينكه سارا را آزاد كنن او را مجبور به امضاء كاغذهاى سفيد كردن تا بتونن در آينده مشكلاتى برايش ايجاد كنن .اينكار باعث شد فرهاد به محض برگشت از تركيه به ايران تصميم گرفت ايران را ترك كند .همه چيزهاييكه در ايران داشت از جمله آپارتمان ،ماشين ، …رها كرد و يك شب با كمى لباس و پول با قطار به تركيه رفت . وقتى به تركيه رسيد يك آپارتمان اجاره كرد و به نصيحيتهاى ايرانيهاييكه در آنجا بودن به سفارت آمريكا در تركيه ( آنكارا) در خواست پناهندگى داد كه به مدت ٤سال بخاطر كامل كردن مدارك صبر كردن كه در اين ٤ سال خيلى به آنها سخت گذشت . فرهاد به عنوان جوش كار در يك مغازه كوچك شروع بكار كرد و سارا هم يك مدتى كار كرد و سعى كردن براى ادامه تحصيل بچه ها رو به مدرسه بفرستن ،دخترش كه كوچكتر بود مدرسه را شروع كرد ولى پسرش كه در ان زمان ٨/٩ سال داشت نتوانست بخاطر مسيحى بودنش ادامه دهد چون يك معلم مذهبى داشت كه بچه ها رو تحريك ميكرد كه با پسرش بد رفتارى كنن . بالاخره در سال ٢٠١١ به دليل نداشتن فاميل در هيچ جاى دنيا به غير از ايران ، l’ONU فرهاد و خانواده اش را به آمريكا درسياتل فرستاد . در امريكا با انگليسى ضعيف صحبت ميكردن و فقط ٥٠٠$ داشتن كه اين خاطره را فرهاد با وحشت ياداورى ميكند . Lutheran community service با پرداخت ٣ ماه اجاره به آنها كمك كرد تا يك آپارتمان بگيرن كه بعد از ٢ ماه سارا و فرهاد شروع به ياد گرفتن انگيسى كردن TCC در يك برنامه به اسم ESL يعنى ياد گيرى انگليسى به زبان دوم . آنها هيچ حقوقى نداشتن و خوشبختانه از طريق TCC كار پيدا كردن . فرهاد بعد از دو سال كار در دانشگاه تونست استخدام بشه و چون مثل مكانيك هم كار ميكرد تونست يك منصب مهمى در قسمت خودش بدست آورد . جديدا تونستن يك خانه و يك ماشين بخرن بچه ها در مدرسه درس ميخونن و سارا در يك مركز يادگيرى در TCC كار ميكند و درخواست كار در قسمت جايگزينى معلمى را داده است .

كتاب شاهنامه ( كتاب شاه) نوشته فردوسى از c977 تا 1010 dc : يك كتاب شعر حماسى معروف و خيلى طولانى است . اين كتاب از داستانهاى تاريخ٢٠٠٠ ساله ايران و قهرمانان افسانه اى تعريف ميكند . تفاوت آن با كتابهاى ديگر در اين است كه از لغات عربى خيلى كمتر استفاده كرده كه نشان دهنده عشق و علاقه نويسنده به تاريخ ايران است

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My deepest appreciation to Zore Salamat for translating Farhad’ Story in Farsi.

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Also, I apologize in advance for the imperfect pronunciation in the English recording