It Ain't So Awful, Falafel

“If our crazy nomadic life has taught us one thing, it’s this: Don’t buy stuff that breaks easily.”

Zomorod has only known movement, later commenting that she’ll never know what it’s like to grow up having stayed in the same place for her whole life. She has had to get used to the idea that any place she and her family live could be temporary, and this makes it difficult for her to form an identity at a critical time in her life.

“It’s not like I’m trying to pretend that I’m not Iranian. I just want people to ask questions about me when we meet, not about where I’m from. Why does that matter, anyway?”

Zomorod has to negotiate being in America and being Iranian, as Iran is not a country that many are familiar with. She knows that parts of her life, from the food that her mom makes to her own name, can automatically make her different from her peers due to a lack of familiarity with non-Westerners. This raises the issue of The Danger of Uninformed Judgments, as she must deal with people’s misconceptions or lack of knowledge about her background.

“That’s the hard part about translating. Saying what words mean is easy, but trying to make my mom understand why something is funny is much harder. Getting my mom to laugh in America is nearly impossible.”

Nastaran struggles in the United States, highlighting the theme of America as a Land of Complexity and Opportunity. She misses home and her family in Iran, and Zomorod feels that she has isolated herself from those around her because of her reluctance to learn English.