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Asking nothing in return vol.2


Is that true "Iranian people are so kind"?
I expected it more or less. It was on my first day in Tehran, at the metro station. When I was looking up the service map two young couples, I think they are students, came up to me and asked. "Where you going?"
"Ah, I want to go to an intercity bus terminal for buying a ticket" I replied. Hearing what I was saying, they discussed something. Then one of the couples said "Come with us. We'll take you to the terminal" I thought they must be going the same direction. The girl even didn't took a women's car, generally which was separated in the men's section and the women's, and kindly stayed with her boy friend and me. After all, they took me to the inside of the terminal hall.
"Here is. We don't know which company's ticket you'll buy. So ... whatever you want" They smiled. "That's enough. Thank you very much" They hand waved and disappeared into the crowd. "Oh, they were so kind. I suspected some bad ending would be waiting for me"


Another day another town, I took a bus. I asked a man in the seat front of me about the fare. He held on me and paid for me with his IC card. I got off at the stop he had told and checked the location of a hotel on the map. A young guy who's passing by asked me "What are you looking for?" "Ah, yeah, I gotta go this hotel" "Well, I don't know neither. Let me ask somebody" He took my bag and got start walking. "No, it's all right. I'll take the bag by myself" I said. He restrained me and walked on. He asked two persons or three on the way, finally we got in front of the building. "Here we are" Impressed me as a "really nice guy" At the same time I was shamed that I suspected if he would run away with my luggage.


After I decided to trust Iranian people's kindness, I got thousand of kindness. When I told I always had communication problem at the ticket booth of metro, somebody gave me one of his multiple tickets. When I walk on the street, somebody invited me to the house. I was even said "Stay our house if you like" When I missed the last bus to the town while visiting a family, they brought me to a share taxi stand. Further more, they negotiated the fare with driver and paid for me. Finally, they add "Don't pay extra. That's enough amount. Bye now" waved me. An elderly traveller told me. When he hesitated to cross the heavy traffic road, someone took his hand and let him across. It's a possible story in Iran.


Without any returns why Iranian people help others. Because I'm foreigner? No, maybe not. Here is another example. Donation boxes was settled here and there in town. I saw a little girl with her mother came up and dropped some change from her pocket into the box. In the economic sanctions, people's life must be not so easy in Iran. But they devoted themselves to help others. Muslim society's mutual aid society. So it's quite usual got kindness by the people. However the Iranian was extraordinary. Was it result of up bringing of the home or school education? I wanted see the elementary school class.


I came back to Tehran after ten day travel in province. "Konnichiwa. Nihonjin desuka? (Hi! Are you Japanese?)" I was often called in fluent Japanese. In Iran, especially Tehran, there were people who used to worked in Japan. One of them recalled his old days. "Japanese people were so kind, I remember" Oh, really? Is that true? Has Japan changed after that? Or I got blind to conscience of Japanese?


In ether case, I thought about "humanity" in this travel. Iranian people must help me out if I'm dying on the street. However more over, it's important I myself give kindness which asks nothing in return to somebody first. I learned it.
That's why I was so broad minded for few days after coming back from the travel. But one day I noticed I completely back to a selfish Japanese whom I had used to be.


Nov. 2013



Today's piece
" Sunset drive " Mahan, Iran 2013




fumikatz osada photographie