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Here I am, back in sunny California, surrounded by colorful spring flowers and luxuriant greeneries.
The weather in Boston during my stay was mostly overcast and
gloomy,so I cooped up at Anya's apartment and read, did some cooking and cleaning for her when I was in the mood.
her. Took the T on a rare sunny day (Tuesday) to Harvard
Square, and bought a few discounted books at Harvard Coop. 30 percent
off on all best selling hard copies, 20 percent off on paperbacks. Not
a bad deal huh? Too bad that Anya got Ha Jin's War Trash at full price
from amazon.com, otherwise I could have saved 8.00 dollars. Among all the books I bought, I like "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi the best. It took me to a world beyond my imagination.
But it also made me sad learning that women are so deprived in an Islamic society. They are possessions of their male members of the family. They are constantly scrutinized by strange men on the streets. The thickness of the veil, the length of the robe, color of the lips, finger nails, toe nails, even a loose strand of hair can become evidence against them. The authorities can send a girl to a medical clinic to be examined for virginity. They are not allowed to be seen in public with a man other than their father/husband/brother. They can be arrested in the backyard of someone's private property for being rowdy. Before a college girl enter campus, she needs to go to a dark room to be searched for lipsticks, earrings, colorful scarves, and anything from the decadent Western world.
I thought the Kuoming Tang era in the 60's was harsh enough for us girls, but there is no comparison as to what these women have to endure. The post Khomeini days are indeed a living hell for the Iranian women.
So much for unhappy tirades. Now let's talk about something more pleasant.
Found a store in Boston called Jasmine Solar, which sells all kinds of funky stuff--clothes, shoes,
scarves, belts. Too young for me though, so I got Anya a cute
pink belt dotted with green strawberry motif, a pair of pink shoes,
and a body hugging silvery- blue top. Drank coffee at Starbuck and did
a little people watching. On Thursday night, I treated Anya and three
of her new friends in Boston to a restaurant. Downed a glass of wine
and talked too much during dinner, but in general, I left a good
impression on her friends. So I thought.
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