Araz Gholami

A few weeks ago, in the middle of a workday at 2 pm, a friend called and said i had to be ready in an hour for a trip to sarein and possibly astara. a simple “no” could have saved me from all the potential chaos of this sudden trip, but of course, i said yes. within an hour, a complete three-day tra... Read All

Two months ago, after iran’s critical situation and the exhausting mental pressure of the environment—and of course the internet—i decided to return to turkey for an indefinite period. fortunately, the company covered the travel and hotel costs, leaving no other reason to wait. there was only a smal... Read All

After the not-so-successful trip to ankara and the illness that followed, i can slowly say i’m back on my feet. a few days after my return, after a tiring rest, and following a very intense week, an opportunity arose to introduce a few colleagues to iranian food. over the weekend, we went with soner... Read All

After the first dose of the vaccine, wandering around, meeting friends in istanbul, and the nine-day holiday in turkey, there was nothing left to do in istanbul. it was the perfect opportunity to visit dear ankara. planning the trip on a budget was somewhat difficult. almost all hotels and trains we... Read All

July 11, 2021, istanbul apparently, hatred isn’t permanent. after a little over a year since returning to iran and spending two years in turkey, i’m finally starting to like it here. the reasons are obvious: the atmosphere and good colleagues at work, a clear and promising future, the ability to ... Read All

July 5, 2021, tabriz airport it’s been months since i last wrote something like this. not that nothing has happened in my life—there simply wasn’t anything worth sharing. other writings are still in progress and haven’t reached publication yet. i’m grateful to those who sent messages and emails a... Read All

Yesterday, because i didn’t know where the extra blankets were (plus their small size), i froze all night. the morning passed with breakfast and enjoyable silence, leading up to work discussions that didn’t reach the desired outcome. i also had the privilege of witnessing ali prepare dough for br... Read All

Zarkhesht is an incredibly beautiful place. it’s neither dry, soulless, and purposeless like modern villas nor dilapidated and uncomfortable like old rural homes. every brick seems to hold an idea for its uniqueness (the “zar”). from its mostly wooden architecture to the circular environment with it... Read All

May 14, 2020, zarkhesht (1) | meeting ali sekhavati a few weeks earlier, i had told ali sekhavati that i was very interested in seeing zarkhesht. following his own trip there, he accepted my request and invited me. it seemed like a simple trip, but little did i know that my mouth would be thoroug... Read All

In the past weeks, my decision to leave the company became more serious and actionable, but what i hadn't anticipated was the stagnation and economic situation caused by covid-19. it wiped out all alternatives, leaving me stuck in istanbul with the stay-at-home restrictions. the days passed one a... 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

Yes, you read that right—ankara. over the past two months, so many pleasant and unpleasant events happened that i didn’t even have time to write about them. not having access to a proper keyboard didn’t help either. after many back-and-forths at the company, they finally decided not to continue t... Read All