Goftogu with Persian friends
Last week, I took a trip to a Philadelphia Moroccan restaurant, Marrakesh, with the Penn Persian Society. Most of the members grew up in Iran and speak fluent Persian, so this event was a great way to practice my Persian-speaking skills. While we were eating our food, I took the time to have a goftogu with one of the other members who grew up in Iran, Sana. Attempting to use as much Persian as possible, I talked to Sana about why she chose to come to the US for college. There were times I did not know specific words in Persian, and Sana helped me by teaching me new words. Through the conversation, I learned a lot about the Iranian education system; specifically, I found out that students that place highly in a national science olympiad competition do not have to take the national concours exam to receive a spot to go to an Iranian university. I really enjoyed the experience because I could see how happy these Persians were to share their language with me. As Sana and I spoke, many other people at the table would chime in and teach me new words as well. This experience did not challenge any preconceptions or stereotypes for me, but reinforced the welcoming attitude of Persian people when sharing their culture. This was very different from other language experiences I have had; for example, when I try to practice my French in France, the people always switch to English and do not want to speak to me in French.
