"I decide there’s a purpose and place for my memories--alive in my head all these twenty years. They bring me richness and wisdom, and incredible comfort--and something to draw from as I face the future. So I’ll keep myself open to what comes with change, and entrust my cherished memories to you."
-Leslie Powell Ahmadi
-Leslie Powell Ahmadi
Leslie Powell Ahmadi
Falling in love with a man from Iran, marrying him, and following him to his country was never part of “the plan” that I--an American, African American, Spanish professor, and self-identified Christian--had imagined for my life. Had you told me in my young adult years that I would make such a choice, I (and probably my family) would have laughed in utter unbelief. And yet that’s exactly what I did--filling four years with a lifetime of memories: experiencing my husband in a whole new light, coming to know his family, learning the language, teaching English at the university, raising small children. In the end we came back to the USA, battling mixed feelings at every turn; but all I can say is that what I feel in my heart when I think of “Iran” is so different now from the feelings I had before I had a chance to set foot in the country--to talk, work, and play with some of its people. It’s a journey that I will never forget.