Araz Gholami

Talking about nowruz and celebrations while thousands in iran and around the world are mourning loved ones lost to covid-19—and the local mosque announces a few names every day*, with people clinging to prayers and lamentations, while police sirens and red-alert announcements sound every few hours—i... Read All

Daily notesalmost two years after arriving in turkey, my main issue remains the lack of a work visa, which in turn prevents me from planning for the future and living peacefully with myself. things like having calmness at home, enough space for activities beyond sleeping, and a place free from inter... Read All

Because istanbul is surrounded by the sea, it has a relatively mild climate. except for rare times when strong winds make the rain cold and annoying, most of the time istanbul’s weather is warm and bearable. today, however, unlike before, i noticed darkness in the morning due to black clouds over th... Read All

career advice for turkish women in 1937 ... Read All

Recently, i received a dribbble invitation. i don’t have anyone specific around me to send it to. if you’re interested in being active and uploading your work on this platform, send me a few of your designs here. don’t forget to include the email you use for your dribbble account in the message. the... Read All

Two days after returning from iran, nonstop rain and wind in istanbul took their toll. on top of that, a short circuit in my home wiring and a power outage knocked out the heating system, leaving me unable to sleep until morning. by yesterday morning at work, i realized this wasn’t just a minor cold... Read All

After months of waiting, i finally got the chance to spend yalda night and my birthday (both delayed) with my family. i’m extremely happy, but at the same time, i’m stressed about the iranian flight that’s supposed to take me to my beloved city. the past few weeks haven’t exactly been stress-free... Read All

Yesterday, while browsing the web, i came across a video that left me speechless and reminded me of all the excuses i’ve made to avoid doing something. in this clip, a person dives to the seafloor in search of lost gold and jewelry to fund food for stray animals. in the end, they find a few pieces a... Read All

Following the internet shutdown and people’s impatience to escape the current situation, some thoughts came to mind that i felt needed to be written. leaving iran is so difficult and requires such patience that just making the decision feels like a major achievement. the culture of deep family depen... Read All

when was the last time you did something without a reason? what has been your biggest wrongdoing? when was the last time you let go and relaxed? where are the things you do taking you? why aren’t you rebellious? when was the last time you fully indulged your body in pleasure? what... Read All

Migration is not unlike quitting smoking. just like that, after a while, you forget why you quit smoking in the first place, and why you decided to migrate at all. what have you spent these two years on? what have you gained? if you had stayed, what would have happened? what would you have gained? a... Read All

I haven’t been writing for a few months. partly because of depression, and partly because nothing exciting or worth writing about has happened. life recently has been completely uneventful and ordinary. naturally, i’m not used to this. i should also admit that part of it is because i haven’t felt li... Read All