time is flying

It's the 19th of May - I leave Iran on the 29th of this month for my new adventure. I have decided where I'm going next and what I'll be doing there, but it's a secret :) I'll let you all know what I'm up to once I get there.

Things have been crazy here, as usual. I had a lot of trouble with work, and the trouble ended up with me not working for the organisation any more. But it's no real problem, because I now have a lot of free time for travelling and enjoying my last weeks here.

I went to a place in the east of Iran over the weekend, to Mashhad. Mashhad is a cool little city. It's main attraction is the Harem, a massive tomb complex all dedicated to, and housing the body of the 8th Imam of Shi'a Islam, Imam Reza. My friend and I had to don chadors (an all-encompassing sheet) to cover all of our bodies except our faces. We walked through the rooms and the courtyards, completely awed by the beauty of the place. We walked through the room where Reza is, watching the devout women scrambling desperatly to reach the golden cage that surrounds his body.

Women and men go there to petition Reza and to pray. People everywhere were reading Quran, praying, crying, and reflecting. It was a powerful sight, and it was strange to be there as an observer, quite disconnected from the emotions and feelings of everyone around us.

I'm back in Tehran now, with just 10 days to go. It's a scary thought, leaving here. I don't really want to. Tehran is my home now, I'm comfortable here, but I'm always learning new things about the culture and religion and politics and history and and and...

My next adventure is going to be awesome, I can't wait for that either. But it's best if I keep that one under my hat until I arrive.

Miss you all xo