Hi, I'm @arazgholami, Programmer, Blogger and Explorer.I create things and make them better. I'm a repairer, not replacer.I love to transform complex things to simple things.

June 10, 2018, Istanbul
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One of the differences between Istanbul and Tabriz is the humidity. Tabriz is extremely dry, while Istanbul is very humid. One effect of this humidity is that clothes don’t dry properly after washing. That’s why wherever there’s a washing machine, there’s almost always a dryer next to it.

After a few attempts at hand-washing and waiting four days for clothes to dry without success, I decided to learn how the washing machine and dryer work. But the labels on the machines looked like hieroglyphs, and aside from “Gömlek,” which I recognized as “shirt” due to its similarity to “koynek,” I couldn’t understand anything. So I waited for a neighbor to come by and help me.

When Ahmad, a neighbor two units down, came to get his laundry from the dryer, I opened the door and asked him to teach me how to use the machines. He kindly explained which buttons were for which type of clothes, and how temperature, pressure, and settings should be adjusted.

Ahmad was fasting, so I couldn’t thank him with sweets or tea; I could only offer verbal thanks.

Another problem is the prehistoric-style election campaigns in Turkey. Throughout the day, large vehicles with huge speakers pass by my house, blasting epic and promotional songs for their party. At night, groups roam the neighborhoods an hour before the dawn prayer, hitting drums—a cultural leftover from a time before clocks and alarms. The reason they don’t go outside for free is that after Ramadan, they collect money from every house for their efforts in waking people for Sahur.

Yesterday, I went to Beşiktaş pier with B and A. A said that for immigration and enduring hardships, you need a big reason and goal, and I said I don’t have such a big reason or goal. B said that’s not a good sign and suggests I might return to Iran. I said there’s no reason or obstacle preventing me from staying, and the chance that I go to Australia tomorrow (in terms of distance) is equal to the chance I return to Iran—it’s one of my options. A said it’s a lifestyle choice, but B got a bit upset and said I need to sit down and judge my life to see what I really want. I said I’ve been thinking about this every day for the past ten years and haven’t reached a conclusion. B said it’s because I’ve always sought my path in others and never considered Araz’s own way. I referenced Stephen Hawking’s view of the universe’s infinity and said what’s more amazing than my path being a pathless one? What better path is there than having no path at all?


  


Saturday 04:08 AM, 09 June 2018
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