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Authors: Ben K. <benk@tilde.team>
Date: 2021-01-11
I was asked to do a write-up on this topic for a publication at my university. I figured I would write it here first as a draft before submitting it. After all, it might be interesting to some Gemini readers as well:
I was born and raised in Southern California, one of the more diverse and populated areas of the United States. In my family we only spoke English, but from a young age I was interested in foreign languages when I realized that many people in my city spoke Spanish rather than English.
Of course, even though I was interested in languages, I was not motivated to learn or study them. That's because in my daily life English dominated everything; it was not only the language I spoke with friends and family, but the only one I found in books, in the classroom, on television, and on the radio. There was no place where you could escape English or any reason to use something else.
Later, when I was in high school, we were encouraged to study a foreign language. (It was optional.) Like most American students, I chose Spanish. (The options were limited.) I enjoyed the classes a little bit, but for some reason it just didn't interest me very much. Even after four years of lessons, I had not learned Spanish well at all.
As I got older and began advancing in my reading and interests, I became more and more interested in eastern cultures and languages. Sometimes I would watch shows in Japanese, and I even began to understand some of the dialogue. Whenever I met someone who spoke a different language, I would ask them to teach me some words. (It didn't matter what language.)
When I was old enough to start college full time, something important happened; I took a course in world religions and began to read books about religion. I had been raised Christian, though my family was not very religious; we just believed in God.
In my studies, I was fascinated by eastern faiths like Buddhism, Taoism, and especially Hinduism. At one point, I desired to learn to read Sanskrit, which, although I didn't know it at the time, is an old relative of Persian.
In college I met students from all countries, including Iranians, but at first I made friends with students from Pakistan, from whom I began to learn Urdu, another language related to Persian. I also began to develop an interest in Islam; not only was I reading about religion, but I also had a good impression from some of the Muslim students I met in college.
It was only a couple years later that I decided to become Muslim, and it was only after becoming Muslim that I met Iranians at the masjid who really spoke Persian. When I heard their language, I thought it was exceptionally beautiful. It was also a total mystery; what is Persian? What is it like? I had never heard of it before.
California is the part of the United States where the most Iranians and Persian speakers live. I was lucky enough to have come into contact with this language in my life, and after learning a few words and phrases from my friends, who were very proud of their Iranian culture and heritage, I realized that this language was exactly right for me.
For starters, the language was part of my community, so it was important at a social level. Also, because I knew a little bit about Urdu language and poetry, I quickly realized that Persian was the main inspiration for all the beautiful poetry and literature I had admired. Not only was it the language of people dear to me, but also the language of a rich culture that I greatly respected and admired. I had a lot of respect for Iran as an advanced country possessing its own distinct civilization.
During the following years, I desired nothing more than to learn to speak Persian. Eventually I enrolled in classes at California State University, San Bernardino, and after completing my courses I moved to Tajikistan and got married.
I didn't think I would ever get the chance to study in Iran, but eventually the opportunity came when I learned that Ferdowsi University was interested in inviting me to study in Mashhad. I could hardly believe it, because for me it seemed an impossible dream to live and study in Khorasan and in the presence of Imam Reza, peace be upon him. There was no place that I would rather be.
The process of getting a visa was difficult and took a long time, but I'm very thankful for those Iranians who supported me and allowed me to follow my dream. Without them I could not have made it this far!