Rally for Iran
This past week, Penn Persian Society hosted a rally to raise awareness about the recent protests that have been going on in Iran. I had the opportunity to both attend and help plan this event to honor those who have lost their lives. Through this experience, I learned how much the students who have come from Iran have been struggling during the recent protests, and how events like these allow them to still feel connected with their culture and community. I enjoyed being with a group of other Iranians and feeling like I could share in honoring this movement, although I have never lived in Iran myself. I don’t think this experience really challenged any preconceptions or stereotypes for me, nor did it remind me of any similar experiences in my own culture. However, I think this event was a nice way for Iranians to raise awareness for the events happening in their country, especially with the internet outage that makes it difficult for people within Iran to share about current events. Additionally, Penn professors and students shared their thoughts about what is happening in Iran, some of whom spoke in Persian. I enjoyed trying to understand some of the words they were saying and practice my Persian in a real-world context. Additionally, I enjoyed deciphering what certain Persian chants meant using the basic Persian vocabulary that I have learned in class.
-Julia K