On Dialoguing in Farsi Class: An Emily Update

As noted the other day, Emily is taking a class in Farsi, the language spoken in Iran. The second day of class Emily discovered that she was not the only Baha'i in it.

I was sitting next to Mina (the girl that lived in Iran until she was 9) and a small group of us were marveling at how strange the english language is. I told an anecdote about Saman and how he always makes up lame jokes about our language, hehe, and I referenced him as my best friend from Iran. So when the professor gave us a break, she asked about him and why I had a persian friend so I told her "Well I am a Baha'i!" and she said "Me too!" She had come late to class yesterday so she didn't hear my introduction.

Such a small world! She graduated but she invited me to her graduation party this saturday.

I think the best part was that the rest of the class became interested, perhaps they thought I was a weird cultist when I said that I was a Baha'i but when two people in a classroom of 8 are Baha'i, they got curious! And so we actually had a dialogue with two other people about the state of Iran and the state of Baha'i's in Iran and the oppression they face. It was enlightening to hear others' opinions and wonderful to share information with other people.

I am hoping to go to the devotional at the Baha'i Center tonight

Emily, "Strength in Numbers," an exploration in Faith