۲۵th Ordibehest 1393 was supposed to be just yet another beautiful day in Iran. I arrived at ۴٫۳۰am in Bushehr from Bandar Abbas. It was actually Choghadak as the bus was on the way to Ahvaz and didn’t reach Bushehr itself. After half a day in Bushehr I embarked on the bus en route back to Bandar Taheri to see Siraf, ancient and the most important port of Iran from Sassanid period. The last kilometers from the expressway to the city I was supposed to walk but I was lucky a car filled with workers coming back home from a tiring and day long work stopped and picked me up. They asked about my plans and with my less than basic Persian I explained that I want to visit the ancient port of Siraf and maybe catch some transport toward Firuz Abad later where I hoped to see the ruins of great Ardeshir Babakan’s palace. It was already ۷pm and they told me I’m really unlikely to find any bus today. Immediately after that they kindly offered me to stay with them at their place.

After we arrived at their modest but very hospitable place they shared with a few other workers like them they proceeded to take showers. I told them that in the meantime I can go for a walk to see the ruins of Siraf before it gets dark and that I shall be back soon. One of them, mister Rahmin, offered to join me which I warmly accepted.

On the way to the shore he started asking people around about the whereabouts of the places to see. At last we met a man on a motorbike who turned out to be a tourist guide for a group of students from a nearby city of Riz. A moment later a young, handsome and smiling man approached us asking in perfect English if he can be of any help. This was my first meeting with mister Hossein Tajik. He explained that he’s here with a group of his English language students and offered me to join them and spend the rest of the evening with them.

My choice was – either I stay with kind and nice workers who don’t speak English at all and have to go to sleep soon in order to wake up early in the morning or I join 11 extremely cheerful girls and 3 boys who wish to practice their English skills along with mister Hossein his wife Reyhaneh and their two drivers.
I kindly asked mister Rahmin if he agrees to let me go and I eagerly joined a merry team of mister Hossein’s students.

Not the first and definitely not the last time my plans to see a particular place where shattered. I couldn’t be more happy about this though. Even that I travelled hundreds of kilometres to see Siraf I much rather prefer spending time with people and getting to know them. It is by far the most rewarding aspect of travelling to Iran. Whenever I’m asked which places I already visited in Iran I mention a few but always try to add that places themselves usually don’t mean that much as the people you meet on your way.

Still even with this attitude meeting the students of IranZamin school was something out of this world. I could never have expected I will spend an evening sitting together with so many young people eager to learn about me as well as my views on Iran and checking my knowledge of Iranian singers. I could never have expected I’ll end that lovely day on a beach in Bandar Taheri playing a ball game we call in Polish “Zbijak” (pronounced “zbeeyak”) but the name of which I don’t know in English. I was out of the game very early but it gave me some extra time to learn about your views regarding the world, your goals, dreams and reasons why you learn English.

Well late into the night we got into the van that took us to Jam and then later to Riz. There seemed to be no end to dancing and singing. No chances I will ever forget that lovely kel keshidan. Everyone was still full of energy and it was really sad that our time together was unmercifully coming to an inevitable end.

I want to thank you all for filling me with so much positive energy that I still feel inside. For me it was a wonderful chance to experience that though we are from different cultures the things that make us different can only mutually enrich us. Other than that we are the same. With same needs, dreams and ideas. And we shall not let politics or media or anyone else to divide people. To achieve that we need to meet, spend time together and talk. Communication is the key. So is learning languages.

I hope to be back in Riz one day and meet you at school that I was lucky to visit the following day in the morning. If only my Persian was as good as your English that day! Mister Hossein has my email address and I kindly ask him to pass it to any of you who would like to stay in touch with me. I will be honoured.

Mibinamet!

Bartek