"Military moves give children Real life geography lessons" from the May 8, 1969 Door County Advocate
By EVELYN PIETY
CHILDREN OF MILITARY men can envoy out of the ordinary experiences. John and Carla Piety perched atop a dignified camel in Iran. Telling about it back in the States in a game of one-upmanship they were met with "We rode an elephant in Thailand."
Military moves give children Real life geography lessons
By EVELYN PIETY
"How would you like to go to Iran for two years? A statement like this is not really unusual for a military family. For us, it was the beginning of an adventure.
The adventure began when my husband, an Army Warrant Officer, our three children and I stepped off a Pan American jet at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran in November, 1966. We were met by my husband's entire unit, the Aviation Branch, and their wives. This wonderful group works overtime to make newcomers feel at home.
The first few weeks were spent house-hunting. Persian houses are really big and barn-like, with high ceilings and thick mud walls. It is often difficult to find such Western niceties as closets and kitchen cabinets. Most compounds, or yards, have swimming pools. All are surrounded by eight-foot walls.
Rents are high, two to three hundred dollars a month and up. Electricity and city water are also expensive. Bottled gas is used for cooking; kerosene stoves for heating.
Everyone has at least one servant. The houseboy or badji (maid) quickly becomes one of the family. She cleans, washes, irons, babysits and is useful for dealing with the garbage man, the landlord and the innumerable peddlers who come to the door with wares transported by pushcart, donkey or camel train. Whenever my badji insisted on doing something her way instead of mine, she told me firmly, "Madame, Iran is different," She assured me daily that all would be done, "Inshallahl—"Allah willing." The whole country operates on this principle.
Iran is a Moslem country. Their day of rest is Friday. Therefore, Americans have a split weekend and children go to school on Saturday.
In addition to the American School, there are several excellent kindergartens. Among extracurricular activities is a well-organized Scouting program. Special events for the American community include the Christmas Tree Lighting and Fourth of July Celebration on the Embassy grounds.
The American Women's club provides groups where everyone can "do their own thing." Beside various sports, the carpet, travel and archaeology sections are especially popular. The AWC has adopted an Iranian village which was severely damaged in an earthquake. Proceeds of fundraising activities support this and other welfare projects.
Those who enjoy the rugged life can vacation at Lar Valley, a four-hour drive into the Alborz Mountains. Enthusiastic anglers soon reel in the daily limit of twenty trout. Hunting is popular and wild boar and ibex turn up in many American freezers.
Iran is a study in contrasts. East of Tehran stretches the kavir, an arid, wind-blown salt moonscape. The mountains to the north are barren and rocky, inhabited by Baktiari tribesmen who herd sheep and weave rugs. North across the Alborz range lies the fertile region along the Caspian Sea. The rice grown here is the best in the world. When skillfully cooked, it is a dish with the most delicious flavor and aroma.
Yoghurt, goat cheese and bread are the mainstays of the Iranian diet. The bread is baked in flat rounds about two feet in diameter. Before Western-style loaves were available, ingenious Americans cut the bread into strips, spread it with peanut butter and rolled it tip for a "sandwich."
Tehran's main bazaar is a vast maze of narrow streets, covered over and lined with shops. Carts, donkeys, bicycles, pedestrians, all crowd in together. At the entrance, a block-long area is devoted to shoe shops whose entire stock is prominently displayed. Further on, there are areas specializing in glassware, copperware and hundreds of other items. American, British and German goods are available, as well as imports from Communist China and Eastern Europe. Should you decide to make a purchase, the proprietor will seat you in a rickety chair, send a boy for tea and settle down to a leisurely discussion of price.
By far the largest area is given over to the rug bazaar. Surely all these rugs would cover every floor in Sturgeon Bay with plenty left over. Proudly displayed are carpets with woven-in pictures of the Shahanshah, Empress Farah, Crown Prince Reza and John F. Kennedy.
Persian carpets are generally named after the city or village where they are made, such as Tabriz, Kerman or Kashan. Each has its own traditional designs. Most are wool, but a first-quality Nain may have the design delicately outlined in silk for a three-dimensional effect. Prices for a small rug range from about forty dollars for a tribal type, made of natural wools without dye, to over two thousand dollars for a 100% silk Isfahan. An Iranian would hang a fine carpet such as this on his wall.
Last spring, we visited Shiraz, city of poets, nightingales and roses. Nearby is Takht-e-Djam-shid, the "Place of Kings" which we call Persepolis. Here are the ruins of a 2400-year-old city. Excavation was begun in 1931 and archaeological work is still in progress. The palace of the original ruler once boasted the inscription, "I am Darius. . .king of kings." Over a gateway his successor had written, "Xerxes the king says. . ." One of our group commented, "There was also an inscription which read "I am Oz the Great and Powerful." This is typical of Americans abroad. We are prone to wisecrack about the things which impress us the most.
Americans in Iran have an active social life. Parties range from simple pool-side swim-ins for the whole family to formal dinners. The Aviation Branch has a tradition of champagne breakfasts to honor those departing with toasts, gag gifts and general hilarity. When it was our turn, we received an autographed Iranian snow shovel, resembling an overgrown wooden paddle. They were sure we would need it in Sturgeon Bay.
Just as the whole group welcomes the newcomer, everyone gives you a royal send-off the day you leave. Departures are early, and few experiences can equal that of standing around an Iranian airport at six a.m. drinking champagne out of paper cups.
My husband was transferred from Iran to Viet Nam. The children and I came here to live near my father, Mr. Gunnar Johnson of R. 1. We're happy to be back in the States, but we have many memories of our tour in Persia. Recently our 10-year-old daughter was watching the funeral services for Dwight D. Eisenhower and exclaimed, "Guess who I saw on TV? The Shah of Iran! I'd know him anywhere!"
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
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