From my journal:
Chicago Time: 2:19 AM
Tehran Time: 11:49 AM

Right now I am writing from Bage Gohl. I'm at Zanamu Mina's parent's house there. It is quite nice here. The weather's cool, it's sunny, there's a light breeze. The only downside are all the flies. Plus, there are cherry trees, so lots of yummy cherries. I've been eating the cherries, and so far I feel fine. I think I'm fine because of all the marubaye abaloo I've eaten in my life.
I'm about one hour from Tehran in the mountains. Parts of the banks of the springs remind me of the waterfall in Hot Springs Village that I like so much. Zanamu took a picture of me standing on a rock in the stream this morning. I also saw two cherries on stems with a leaf that reminded me of Keri's old shoes. It made me a little homesick. So many things here spark my mind and make me think of other things.
This morning when I went outside zand sat cross-legged in a chair, it made me remember the picnics I had after school with my friends in my backyard a few times. The weather was the same then, only there weren't all the flies.
All of the flies made me think of when I was in East Otto nearly two years ago and all teh flies when were horseback riding and when a horsefly bit me when I was running in a circle around the other house on their property.
Then there's the stream and all teh rocks that remind me of Hot Springs Village. Now I see how some people that I showed my pictures to thought they were taken in Iran.
I also saw some greenish rocks like the ones I picked when were in the mountains on ou way to Sari four years ago. They made me think of my room wher I used to keep the rock. I'm not quite sure where it is right now. Maybe I'll pick up a small one on my next walk. Zanamu Mina alreadt asked (jokingly) if there were rocks in my bag, and I answered (seriously) no, but that usually when people asked that there were. And if I get new rocks while I'm here, there will be.
Now that I've been thinking about stuff much further in the past, maybe I can remember what I did yesterday.
Yesterday for lunch I went to Shagayegh's with Naghmeh. First we took Barfee to Ame Fereshteh's and left him with Solmaz, then we walked to Shagayegh's. Shagayegh made spaghetti. I like spaghetti prepared the Iranian way because there's a tadik. That's my favorite part.
Then we watched Spider-man 2.
Later on when I got back to Mamanzari's the internet still wasn't working. I waited around for Zanamu Mina for two hours, and then we drove to Bage Gohl. Once here I had some bread they made here with yogurt, and then Zanamu heated up the dinner she brought with her of pasta (but it was shells) which had tadik! So I ate a little pasta and a chunk of tadik. If only there was a way to make it all tadik. It would have to be done in a sheet pan probably. Then we sat outside for a while and then came inside to where I'm sitting now and watched a television program at 10:30. I fell asleep but before I fell asleep I only sorta understood what was going on.
After that Zanamu Mina's brother and his family went to their house here and then beds on the floor here were set up. I fell asleep not to long after lying down. I was under three blankets. When I woke up my arms were under one and my legs were still under three.
After breakfast and waiting until ten for Arezoo to wake up, we left without her adn Zanamu took me to take a picture of teh river and see the cherry trees and the mountain. She said we might go up the mountain later on with Arezoo.
My bottom is starting to fall asleep. I'm going to go join them in the kitchen like they asked me to when I'm finished writing.
- salam az Mar @ 2:19 AM