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4fed317
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Ever since we had arrived in the United States, my classmates kept asking me about magic carpets. - They don't exist-I always said. I was wrong. Magic carpets do exist. But they are called library cards.
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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1117845
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The more modest and impractical the kitchen, the more likely one will be invited to stay for a meal. Show me a fancy house with a top-of-the-line gourmet kitchen, and I'll show you a family that eats out a lot.
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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f05ca62
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It's not what we eat or don't eat that makes us good people; it's how we treat one another. As you grow older, you'll find that people of every religion think they're the best, but that's not true. There are good and bad people in every religion. Just because someone is Muslim, Jewish, or Christian doesn't mean a thing. You have to look and see what's in their hearts. That's the only thing that matters, and that's the only detail God cares ..
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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e211abf
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The bible is foreign to me, but its concepts are not. My father always said that hatred is a waste and never an option. He learned this growing up in Ahwaz, Iran, in a Muslim household. I have tried my best to pass the same message to my children, born and raised in the United States. Ultimately, it doesn't matter where we learn that lesson. It's just important that we do.
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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eb83ab1
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Any gift from a true friend is valuable, even if it's a hollow walnut shell.
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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66f9709
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My dad says the dogs and cats in America are luckier than most people in the world.
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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2f47f04
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to deny someone an education is not just a crime but a sin, because you are denying that person the opportunity to realize who he or she is meant to be.
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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66a6826
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I was a VIP, a Very Iranian Person, and things just take longer for us.
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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0c7790f
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During his next visit, my father secretly decided that our bathroom needed towel hooks. Using nails that were too long, my father pierced the door, creating towel hooks on one side, medieval blinding devices on the other...No matter how inconvenient a household malfunction might be, Kazem can always make it worse, for free.
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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0737efb
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Throughout his job ordeal, my father never complained. He remained an Iranian who loved his native country but who also believed in American ideals. He only said how sad it was that people so easily hate an entire population simply because of the actions of a few. And what a waste it is to hate, he always said. What a waste.
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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90c4c37
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only bookworms get excited over other bookworms
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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e00175c
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It was only when I stopped pretending to be someone else that I found my real friends.
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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062c7e5
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even though we belong to three different religions. We are alike in so many more ways than we are different.
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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e45bb0f
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My dad always says that kindness is our religion and if we treat everybody the way we would like to be treated, the world would be a better place.
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religion
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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1b8c65a
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Who would have ever though that a person could be so powerful, then so completely powerless, all in the same lifetime?
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powerless
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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015d50d
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My Dad says that people like that {ignorant about other countries and cultures} are not truly horrible; they just need a geography class, a passport, and a few foreign friends.
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ignorance
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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41f025d
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The Japanese have a saying that for every new food we try, we gain seven days of life. I may be immortal by now.
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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00441b6
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They have never heard of Lindsay Lohan. They are blessed.
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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b3cede3
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To all the kids who don't belong, for whatever reason. This one's for you.
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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0799958
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I truly believe that everyone has a story and everyone's story counts.
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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d2dd540
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Firoozeh's dad speaking] He continued, "It's not what we eat or don't eat that makes us good people; it's how we treat on another. As you grow older, you'll find that people of every religion think they're the best, but that's not true. There are good and bad people in every religion. Just because someone is Muslim, Jewish, or Christian doesn't mean a thing. You have to look and see what's in their hearts. That's the only thing that matters..
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religion
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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2a7ff5e
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Swimsuit competitions go against everything that is right and decent in this world. We're told that beauty is on the inside and that who we are matters far more than what we look like. But could you please just put on this bikini and walk around on high heels so I can judge your inner beauty?
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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db90dbe
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Shushtari proverb "Any gift from a true friend is valuable, even if it's a hollow walnut shell." It"
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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64ce144
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I always made sure to put them back in the exact order in which I had found them, for fear of losing the privilege of browsing in my uncle's library.
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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8faf79c
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yrnyh hmyshh swy'ys r wj mdnyt tSwr khrdhnd: khshwry khwchkh w tmyz khh lzm nyst rnndgn twbws blyth r khntrl khnnd chwn hmh mrdm drstkhr hstnd. bh `lwh swy'ys hych wqt z yrnyh stqbl nkhrdh khh yn hm jdhbhy myszd mthl bqy chyzhy skhtyb
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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1a0bf16
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If I had one son and one daughter and could only educate one of them, I would educate my daughter. You know why? A girl without an education has no power; she is always at the mercy of others.
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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a259ae9
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My dad says you don't see tanks and guns on parade in America because democracy keeps the country together, not fear of the military.
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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b8bdd7f
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My parents do not limit themselves to worrying about things that have actually happened. Dreams are also fair game. I often get phone calls with detailed descriptions of a dream, followed by "So naturally, I had to call to make sure you were okay and there wasn't a reason why I dreamed of you trapped in a canoe with a blue turtle."
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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953f951
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And Iranians never forget. You can't say my Aunt Jila's name without someone saying, "You mean the one who burned her rice?" That happened before I was born and even I know about it."
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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23098fb
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The Limoges set has brought us more joy in its absence than it ever did in our cupboards. Of course, we no longer own a set of china to pass down to our kids, but that's okay. Francois and I plan on giving our children something more valuable, the simple truth that the best way to go through life is to be a major donor of kindness. We'll tell them that it's possible to own a whole bunch of beautiful, valuable things and still be miserable. ..
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kindness
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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f161285
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Despite a few exceptions, I have found that Americans are now far more willing to learn new names, just as they're far more willing to try new ethnic foods... It's like adding a few new spices to the kitchen pantry.
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names
kitchen
spices
food
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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514f887
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During our stay in Newport Beach, the Iranian Revolution took place and a group of Americans were taken hostage in the American embassy in Tehran. Overnight, Iranians living in America became, to say the least, very unpopular. For some reason, many Americans began to think that all Iranians, despite outward appearances to the contrary, could at any given moment get angry and take prisoners.
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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3612cc4
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I realize that Original Cindy is a compass, but instead of pointing north, she points to "horse story."
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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5a58541
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byshtr mywhh gr rwy drkht bh Hl khwd gdhshth shwnd blkhrh myrsnd
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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6caa916
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It seemed to me that life in America was one long series of festivities, all of them celebrated with merriment and chocolate. The
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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82ae730
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Regarding Girl Scout Camp survival skills: "For instance, if I see a snake, I should stand still or walk backwards slowly, never run. I am one hundred percent sure I will not do that. But now, while running as fast as I can, I will be thinking, I shouldn't be running."
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snakes
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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2c42ef7
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Shushtari proverb "Any gift from a true friend is valuable, even if it's a hollow walnut shell." It's fair to say that the Shushtari floating in my house"
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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39cdaf0
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Most immigrants agree that at some point, we become permanent foreigners, belonging neither here nor there. Many tomes have been written trying to describe this feeling of floating between worlds but never fully landing. Artists, using every known medium from words to film to Popsicle sticks, have attempted to encapsulate the struggle of trying to hang on to the solid ground of our mother culture and realizing that we are merely in a pond b..
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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c5beb63
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Here, those kids are called nerds and geeks and dorks. This may be the only country where people make fun of the smart kids. Now that's stupid. I only hope that the engineer who built the bridge I drive across or the nurse who administers our vaccines or the teacher who teaches my kids was a total nerd.
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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890d270
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A fruit basket would have been nice, but instead we found that a flyer had been slipped under the door. Dear Brainwashed Cowards, You are nothing but puppets of the corrupt Shah. We will teach you a lesson you will never forget. Death to the Shah. Death to you. My father crumpled the flyer and threw it away. "Let's find out where they're having the dinner buffet," he said."
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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0aa35a9
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When we were finally asked whether we wanted to marry each other, the groom is supposed to answer yes right away, but the bride is expected to take her sweet time and cause a little bit of last-minute anxiety for the groom and his family. When my uncle asked whether I wanted to marry Francois, I said nothing. My family yelled the traditional response: "She has gone to pick flowers." My uncle repeated his question. Again, I said nothing. The..
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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21785b4
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The "F Word" My cousin's name, Farbod, means "Greatness." When he moved to America, all the kids called him "Farthead." My brother Farshid ("He Who Enlightens") became "Fartshit." The name of my friend Neggar means "Beloved," although it can be more accurately translated as "She Whose Name Almost Incites Riots." Her brother Arash ("Giver") initially couldn't understand why every time he'd say his name, people would laugh and ask him if it i..
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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a56386b
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We had always known that ours is a small country and that America is very big. But even as a seven-year-old, I was surprised that so many Americans has never noticed us on the map. Perhaps it's like driving a Yugo and realizing that the eighteen-wheeler can's see you.
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Firoozeh Dumas |
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b530fca
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When I announced to my family that I wanted to add an American name, they reacted with their usual laughter. Never one to let mockery or good judgment stand in my way, I proceeded to ask for suggestions. My father suggested "Fifi." Had I had a special affinity for French poodles or been considering a career in prostitution, I would've"
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Firoozeh Dumas |