Shiraz
Sara
Maryam
Maryam is a nurse in a central hospital of Shiraz. She is around 30 years old and speaks to me non-stop in Farsi. I have sinusitis, a splitting headache and want to sleep. The doctor will not be in for another three hours. She takes us to another doctor's office, gets us water, gestures to the bed in the corner. I lie down. In 10 minutes another nurse comes in and tells us to leave. We sit outside, and Maryam comes back. She is apologetic and stays to talk. It is clear she is trying to break rules so that I am more comfortable. She is cheerfully irreverent, complaining about the headscarf. Men. She rolls her eyes. She plays the Gypsy Kings for us on her mobile phone, then asks if Iranians are terrorists. She says 'America' points her fingers at her heart in the shape of a gun, fires and slumps in the chair.
After a while, she shows us to another doctor's office and I can lie down again, but only for 20 minutes. When Maryam's shift is over, she comes over to say goodbye. She has changed her black hospital headscarf for a green one and put on makeup. She gets us tea. It was difficult to appreciate her irreverence and friendliness at the time because of my illness, but I would have enjoyed sharing a language with her.
Sara
Sara is 25 years old and has just finished studying an English Masters in Kerman university. She is also recently married and very much in love with her husband. We met her on the bus travelling from Kerman to Shiraz, and she was eager to talk. She was open and friendly, and happy to explain the Iranian movie we had been watching (a love triangle where I had thought there was only one man in love with the woman. Apparently the hero had also contracted AIDS, injected into him by his rival - I missed that as well). She showed me a picture of her husband, and also of herself on her wedding day. Angel was not allowed to see the second photo because her hair was uncovered.
When we got off the bus, we did not know the way to the hotel. Sara's husband Omid had come to pick her up and we were invited to follow on our bikes behind the car. Later, they asked us where we wanted to see in Shiraz. Persepolis? OK, see you back here tomorrow morning at 7.30am. The next morning Sara had changed her black headscarf for one of mint green and had on a matching jacket. She looked fresh and glowing.
When we were returning to Shiraz in the car, she confided her fears to us. America was going to attack Iran and she was frightened. She had seen the Stanley Kubrick movie Eyes Wide Shut and her professor had told her that Kubrick was depicting normal life in America. She was frightened of such an immoral country. She was very surprised and happy to hear that so many people in the US were deeply religious. The actual religion appeared to be unimportant.
Maryam
Maryam is a nurse in a central hospital of Shiraz. She is around 30 years old and speaks to me non-stop in Farsi. I have sinusitis, a splitting headache and want to sleep. The doctor will not be in for another three hours. She takes us to another doctor's office, gets us water, gestures to the bed in the corner. I lie down. In 10 minutes another nurse comes in and tells us to leave. We sit outside, and Maryam comes back. She is apologetic and stays to talk. It is clear she is trying to break rules so that I am more comfortable. She is cheerfully irreverent, complaining about the headscarf. Men. She rolls her eyes. She plays the Gypsy Kings for us on her mobile phone, then asks if Iranians are terrorists. She says 'America' points her fingers at her heart in the shape of a gun, fires and slumps in the chair.
After a while, she shows us to another doctor's office and I can lie down again, but only for 20 minutes. When Maryam's shift is over, she comes over to say goodbye. She has changed her black hospital headscarf for a green one and put on makeup. She gets us tea. It was difficult to appreciate her irreverence and friendliness at the time because of my illness, but I would have enjoyed sharing a language with her.
2 comments:
Vaya pedazo de superactualizacion que os habeis currao tios! casi publicais el futuro y todo! a ver si ahora que no esta el vago ese con vosotros lo manteneis la dia.
besos
oye superpedaletos, en agosto os tomareis unas vaciones no?
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