Thursday Night With the Khafans in Khafanistan

Vocab lesson=
Khafan: cool. slang in Farsi
Khafanistan: Place of the cool people. my addition to the slang culture

Well, a colleague of my mother who also happens to be the teacher of my sister and mother of her best friend in Iran back in days, invited us for a little get together. So after observing the half hour customay delay, we were right on time (6:30 pm) at the location, where I came to the horrifice realization that it seem to be an all women Dorreh (it is a cultural thing, women from a special time - uni, high school or occupation like teachers gather get together and talk -I think behind men's back to laugh at their expence) but lucky enough for me there were two guys over their one of them being the son of the hostess N.F#2 and the other dude N.F#3 being his friend/ associated in a small Montage (film editing) company.
After practically being led outside, we desided to head to their comapany's location, and then take it from their. on the way their we got acquainted better one of them turned out to be from Ekbatan (THE place)

So after a glich was solved, we head outside the city, to the lower elevations of the Alborz mountains that strech north of Tehran and serve as a getaway location all across the northern edge of the city. we went to the east side a place called Fasham which happened to be hald of tehrans plan. We got to the location possesed several Hookah places along one of the many little rivers that run down the mountains (It was not a Shishah place, because as it turned out in Tehran means Meth)

Immidietly an disagreement occured that I was not a part of, N.F# 2 wanted to go to one place because he knew people there and N.F#4 had exactly same plan for the place across the 2 lane highway that people drive like they are in a French Police movie. So eventually we went to the location on the same side of the road, besically what it was was a garden by the river with Cherry trees hanging over benched that people sit on (no chairs, old schools Style benches with carpets over them, very cool set up and location) but we soon found out that we have to wait in line. The prospect of waiting in line like other people is quit an insult to honour and dignity of an Iranian, especially when you have to wait in the NORMAL people's line and not the VIP line. Yet i was quite happy to check out the scenery but the other guys said lets go and so N.F#2 and I were in un-vocal minority .

We crossed the road which made me nostlogic for existance of a god in case of death, and we arrived at the other place who the N.F#4 knew somebody at only to find out that they only serve food and no hookah Also the average age of the crowd is higher by 30 or 40 or lower byy 20, it was a family place. N.F#3, quite imbarresed that he has recommended such (place) inquired why there are no hookahs, and the host the door said told him that since they drew a specially large crowds, the police has told them that they cannot have the hookahs for couple of weeks.
so we went back to the first place prepared to wait in line, where, N.F#2 took advantage of the fact that another person with the same last name as him (who had perhaps gotten in 2 hours before us) had left and delivered the mircle of VIPism.

As I was talking to the N.F#3 who had a lot of questions about Calif, the very quite N.F.5 was complaining about the bad headache he had from the bad whiesky he and other had the night before and was cursing the N.F#2 who had provided it. apparently my new friend is a dealer -alcohol dealer- where as N.F#5 is the other kind of dealer, very cool.
Meanwhile N.F#3 was telling me about the Iranian girls and revealing that alot of girls have become "wealth-worshipers," I was replied that "that's the way it is all over and not only Iran" and he apparently was suffering from the "broken heart" deasease. he compared his relationship with French Movie Bittr Moon ( I've not seen it). but we soon moved on to other subjects.

We ate our food which was superb, very tender rice and Chicken Kabob (not the Turkish style) and proceeded to head out where aroung 300 people were waiting and i think cursing us for moving slowly. at the front there were kids showing off the new cars anything from lowered Z4 to SLK and Toyota SUVs and such, there are people with a lot of money over here and they all think that they have worked hard to gather their wealth where as the poor who work 2 shifts a day have not.

Some og the Kids have very extravegant hair cuts, some of which are quit imaginitive, and the extra made-up girls (and some of the boys) that think they have fallen from the skies as blessing from the gods to the us mortals, N.F# 4 told me "don't look at them they think they are special." the kids that their only problem is that the gas is getting too low in their car and they have to wait in the gas station line for perhaps 45 minutes, as we call them "Tohfeha"

The good feeling from the garden is mixed with a peculiar merger of amusement and disappointment.

I cannot say that individual social freedom is not important that wold be too easy 9and i would think I would be a dishonest person if i would claim such a nonesence) for I who has spent 10 years in U.S. which is a open society but there is a difference between freedom to do and think as you wish and wastful, extravegant, aimless life of a rich kid whose life is summerized by a nice car, stupd haircut and daddies money.

The wealthy middle class, I believe, who are worst than people who have broken down the economy and opprossed the masses. For the powerfull depend on complacancy of the middle class to do as they wish.

Yet I've the people who are not wealthy, like some of my friends in varius universities, say that they want to be left alone to their business -Scientific research, medical practise, ournalism, surfing, and they make the ultimately political desicion to be "non-political," go figure, because I cannot