Docs from Will Yong

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nobody@ipernity.com (Will Yong) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:20:01 +0000

Hosseinieh are like religious clubs. They get especially packed during the Ashura festival when men pack in to pound their chests while listening to intense, repetitive music. Yes, rather like a religious club.

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nobody@ipernity.com (Will Yong) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:19:34 +0000

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nobody@ipernity.com (Will Yong) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:19:03 +0000

Water which flows from the Alborz Mountains flows through Tehran in a network of joob which are deep gutters that line most north-south running streets. Plenty of trash gets dumped in on the way and they often get blocked.

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nobody@ipernity.com (Will Yong) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:18:31 +0000

Anna Van Der Gaast (Netherlands) wrote at 12.37am
Is this a visual representation of your mental state, dear? If that's the case, mail me! It's an order ;)

William Yong wrote at 12:50am
funny you should say that... the bride and groom also told me I was "f***ing mad" to have brought them...

Anna Van Der Gaast (Netherlands) wrote at 12:57am
No! You wouldn't... Would you? On the other hand, marriage seems like a final destination sometimes. Let's just say that lately I've been able to understand why some of my friends choose not to commit...

William Yong wrote at 1:06am
Iranians spend one day getting married but after a death there is the funeral on the 1st day and then "wakes" on the 3rd, 7th and 40th day and then visits to the cemetery every year forever.

Anna Van Der Gaast (Netherlands) wrote at 1:09am
Hmmm, I wonder why such a difference... I guess they don't celebrate wedding anniversaries...

William Yong wrote at 1:10am
not sure... can any of my Iranian friends answer that one?

Reza Mohammady wrote at 4:09am
For funerals, it's actually the funeral day "Khatm" (not necessarily same as the burial day), "Sevom" 3rd day, "Hafteh" 7th day, "Mah" 30th day and "Chahar Mah o Dah Rooz" (4 month and 10 day) day, and continuous "Sal" 365 days (anniversaries) basically for ever!
It's the tradition.

But no such tradition for weddings. However, some of more modern couples kind of celebrate marriage anniversaries, maybe a small party, but mostly a dinner in a fancy restaurant and a flower to wrap it up.

Personally I think (with all due respects to all Iranians) this funeral tradition is absolutely ridiculous. Depressing, unnecessary, financially damaging, sometimes even very scary. Matter of fact the moment I transformed from being a hardcore muslim to a anti-Islam happened in my uncles funeral when I was 17.

One question, did you bring those flowers to a wedding?

William Yong wrote at 9:07am
@Reza: NO - of course I didn't! it was a joke!!!! You Americans will never understand the British sense of humour!

Thanks for the info... makes me think there are more ways than one to keep people in emotional bonds - excessive grief in contrast with the "everything's great" culture of US consumerism.

A job for Qalibaf

nobody@ipernity.com (Will Yong) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:18:05 +0000

From Tehran Colours

I was shooting the opposite side of the street when again I heard a voice calling me from behind, this time a man who sounded like he had a point to make. I girded myself for a confrontation.

"If you're going to take pictures, take a picture of this."

The man, middle-aged, thankfully not in uniform, motioned for me to look at an electricity routing box which had been prised open, exposing bare wires, presumably packing a high-voltage punch if anyone dared to touch them.

"Look at that... I had to remove a dead rat from that box - all dried up it was. A child could get killed."

Impressed by his sense of civic duty I didn't ask why he'd taken it upon himself to remove electrocuted rodents from municipal facilities but I agreed that the gaping box looked very dangerous and that I would certainly send a copy of my picture to the Tehran mayor (a certain Baqer Ghalibaf - tipped to follow his predecessor, Mahmud Ahmedinejad's footsteps and become Iran's next President.)

hamam doorway

nobody@ipernity.com (Will Yong) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:17:36 +0000

Surprising to find a working hamam (public baths) in such a premium spot as here on Vali Asr Street near Saiee Park. I tried one once in Darakeh. Not as good as onsen.

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Vali Asr, Tehran

nobody@ipernity.com (Will Yong) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:17:01 +0000

napping

nobody@ipernity.com (Will Yong) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:16:23 +0000

collecting recyclables

nobody@ipernity.com (Will Yong) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:15:48 +0000

Collecting recyclable material for cash is the occupation of a small army of economic migrants from Iran’s outlying regions and neighbouring countries such as Afghanistan.

Tehran colours

nobody@ipernity.com (Will Yong) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:15:19 +0000

Tajik migrant

nobody@ipernity.com (Will Yong) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:14:56 +0000

From Tehran Colours

At first he said he was from "Shomal" which is Iran's Caspian Sea region but without much prompting he admitted that he and his wife had been smuggled illegally into Iran, presumably I thought from Tajikistan - his Farsi was close to incomprehensible to me.

Walking together for no more than 50 metres, he still had enough time to ask me whether I was married.

I told him no and he fixed me with a mischievous smile.

"But you have a friend don't you?"

I told him not exactly but that I did have someone in mind.

"Well God willing, you will be successful!"

I walked on in high spirits before turning back after just a few steps. My Tajik friend was still where I had left him. "Can I take a picture - for a keepsake?"

Happily, he obliged.

Tehran colours

nobody@ipernity.com (Will Yong) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:14:22 +0000

Tehran colours

nobody@ipernity.com (Will Yong) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:13:41 +0000

Pastoral

nobody@ipernity.com (Will Yong) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:13:16 +0000

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nobody@ipernity.com (Will Yong) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:19:15 +0000

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nobody@ipernity.com (Will Yong) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:02:03 +0000

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nobody@ipernity.com (Will Yong) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:43:10 +0000

polish

nobody@ipernity.com (Will Yong) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:18:30 +0000