{"id":5127,"date":"2020-01-31T17:48:26","date_gmt":"2020-01-31T14:18:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gilgameshmag.com\/en\/?p=5127"},"modified":"2020-01-31T17:49:36","modified_gmt":"2020-01-31T14:19:36","slug":"my-unexpected-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gilgameshmag.com\/en\/5127\/my-unexpected-iran\/","title":{"rendered":"My Unexpected Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n

Author: Federico Boccardi\/ Photo by: Federico Boccardi<\/em><\/p>\n

Iran. Yes, but my Iran: my life, my dreams and my fears. Iran: why did I even choose this country when my plan had been to go to Japan for the summer? What on earth made me book a flight to Tehran? God only knows \u2026 and He knows very well! \u2018Are you crazy? Iran? It\u2019s near Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan; have you watched the news? Do you know what those people are capable of?\u2019, said my mother in a husky voice the day I told her about my decision to come to Iran.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018I don\u2019t know what they\u2019re capable of but I\u2019ll find out\u2019, I replied with a smile. \u2018Of course, that is if I don\u2019t get kidnapped \u2026\u2019. She sighed. My father remained silent \u2013 probably because, after all these years, he understood that there was no point in arguing with me again. \u2018Come on, Mum. Why do you always believe what you see on TV? Why do you let yourself be conditioned by what they say? And how many times have I told you that fear is our own worst enemy?\u2019 She fell silent for a minute before storming off. My dad followed, but in a more composed manner. I laughed. What else could I do except \u2013 out of compassion \u2013 accept their behaviour? I knew that, sooner or later, they would have to accept my choice. It is as easy as that. It\u2019s my life, and no one else can choose for me!<\/p>\n

But what did I really know of Iran? I asked myself this the night before leaving the comfort of my own country, Italy. Not much, to be honest. And most importantly \u2026 how safe was it really? Was my Mum right? Would it be as daunting as it often seemed on TV? Would I come home in one piece? \u2018Well\u2019, I said out loud, in order to try to stop the whirlwind of doubts that were filling my mind, \u2018there\u2019s only one way to find out: my way!\u2019<\/p>\n

Almost two months later, I have indeed found out more about this amazing country. I extended my visa once already and I\u2019m planning to do it again. I want to stay here as long as I can. I have been so surprised by the differences between how this place really is and how it is shown on TV. And the differences are so big that it really makes me wonder what\u2019s truly behind all the propaganda.<\/p>\n

By the way, whoever claims that getting a tourist visa is a long and complicated process is completely wrong – at least, this was not my experience – \u2018Welcome to Iran. Enjoy your stay!\u2019, said the immigration officer with a big grin as he handed me back my passport at Tehran airport. I had waited just fifteen minutes to get my \u2018visa on arrival\u2019. It couldn\u2019t have been any easier or more hassle-free!…<\/p>\n

Find more on:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/gilgameshmag.com\/en\/product\/3049\/<\/a><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Author: Federico Boccardi\/ Photo by: Federico Boccardi Iran. Yes, but my Iran: my life, my dreams and my fears. Iran: why did I even choose this country when my plan had been to go to Japan for the summer? What on earth made me book a flight to Tehran? God only knows \u2026 and …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":5128,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[812,819],"tags":[246,825,765],"class_list":["post-5127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-lifestyle-2","tag-gilgamesh","tag-gilgameshmagazine","tag-iran"],"yoast_head":"\nMy Unexpected Iran | Quarterly on Cultural Heritage, Tourism and the Environment<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gilgameshmag.com\/en\/5127\/my-unexpected-iran\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"My Unexpected Iran | Quarterly on Cultural Heritage, Tourism and the Environment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Author: Federico Boccardi\/ Photo by: Federico Boccardi Iran. 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