When I was only two weeks old, I embarked on my first plane ride across the Atlantic Ocean. Considering traveling is one of my family’s favorite pastimes, it was something that they practically forced me to do against my own will ever since I can remember. My parents would constantly travel to London for various reasons. Me, as young as I was, would also have to go with them. So as you can imagine, I became an avid traveler very quickly. By the time I finished elementary school, I had been to Iran, Singapore, London, Portugal, France and Malaysia. These journeys were moments in my life that I treasure not only because they were enjoyable, but more importantly because it taught me about the world’s different cultures, values and ideals.
I am very fortunate to have gone to these places. Many do not have the means, time or interest to travel. However, the sad reality is that most people will not go to countries that are a little outside of their comfort zone. They rather go to the “touristy” places that most people consider visiting in their lifetime since these places attract lots of attention and interest. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against visiting these “touristy” places. However, I believe that people should enter into a new realm, and go somewhere they would never see themselves visiting.
In 9th grade, one of our English class assignments was to write about a place we wanted to visit in our future. After long thought, I chose Dubai. We had to share the place we chose with a peer. When I told the girl sitting next to me where I desired to go, her response astounded me.
She insensitively stated, “Dubai, don’t they have terrorists there?”
I couldn’t believe how insular her comment was. It riled me. However, I chose to stay calm. I had absolutely no idea how to respond in that setting, so I simply decided to change the subject.
I could go on and on about how angered I was at that moment. Instead, I want to discuss one memory that had a significant impact on me while in Iran.
One day my mom, sister, and I were walking back from the bazaar. As we began to make our way back home, we saw a peculiar middle-aged man trailing us. We did not think too much of it at first; however, he continued to follow us. Hastily, he began to approach us. This occurrence began to worry my mother. Why was this strange man adamantly pursuing us? Promptly, my mother came to a halt. My sister and I did the same. I could hear my pulse throbbing in my ears. All I could detect was my breath that was fiercely changing at gasping intervals. I no longer had control of my hands; they were trembling in a peculiar pattern. I could see the color depleting from my sister’s face. Angrily my mother questioned the man.
“Put your hair back in your hijab! I’m going to call the police!” shouted the man sharply in Farsi.
“OK, please calm down,” replied my mother in a confident tone.
“Do what I say!” said the man bitterly.
“You are not the police, you should mind your own business,” relayed my mom boldly.
As he began to call my mother inappropriate and hurtful names, I froze. I was completely shocked. What had just happened? A man had just stopped my mother for having a small piece of hair sticking out of her hijab. How absurd! I knew it was the law that women had to cover their head and hair and had to wear something loose to cover the rest of their body; however, I did not know how seriously one had to adhere to this specific rule. I just saw it as a simple dress code, not something that people could get arrested or even incarcerated for. The man began to back down after my mother threatened to report him to the police after using crude language. He quickly began to walk in the opposite direction not daring to look back.
Later, after I became more familiarized with the Iranian culture, I learned that small things like this can actually cause discord in countries where the dress code is super stringent, especially for traditional extremists like this man. This experience unmasked a new culture that I never recognized; however thinking back I now realize how fortunate I was to experience it firsthand. People may think that traveling is solely a time for leisure and amusement, but I believe traveling should bring to light the dissimilar and intriguing cultures of countries across the globe. People that do not want to travel to exotic countries, that most people would look over or consider “dangerous” because it ventures into unknown territory, in my eyes are at a disadvantage.
Going abroad and visiting a variety of places at such a young age opened my perception of the world that surrounded me. Ultimately, from watching my parents and traveling beside them, I was able to discover the beauty of traveling. I aim to keep traveling throughout my life, so I can learn and explore the captivating cultures that comprise our world.
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