Farsi

We have repeatedly encountered families with English as the second language of the parents but ironically the "mother" tongue for their kids. Apparently it is very hard to get your kids to speak your first language when they are attending school where the dominant language is not what the parents speak. I hear that it is even harder with the second kid.
As I have mentioned earlier it is my dream if Arman not only speaks Farsi but loves Farsi!
My cousins who were raised in US are speaking Farsi quite fluently. They prefer to speak English of course. Yet they can even read in Farsi. But how, you might ask. I need to delve into my aunt and uncle's parenting strategies myself. One thing I know is when my cousins were young they were encouraged to memorize Persian poems, Parvin Etesami and Hafez, and then recite them and receive a prize. Just imagine memorizing Parvin in Princeton, NJ! A job well done and the outcome is really fascinating! Now try to read this, or even better memorize it:

بلبلی شیفته میگفت به گل
که: جمال تو چراغ چمن است
گفت: امروز که زیبا و خوشم
رخ من شاهد هر انجمن است
چون که فردا شد و پژمرده شدم
کیست آنکس که هوا خواه من است؟
به تن، این پیرهن دلکش من
چو گه شام بیایی، کفن است
حرف امروز چه گویی؟ فرداست
که تو را بر گل دیگر وطن است
همه جا بوی خوش و روی نکوست
همه جا سرو و گل و یاسمن است
عشق آن است که در دل گنجد
سخن است آنکه همی بر دهن است
بهر معشوقه بمیرد عاشق
کارباید، سخن است این، سخن است
می شناسیم حقیقت ز مجاز
چون تو بسیار در این نارون است
پروین اعتصامی

this week

We are going to go to Europe enshaalaa. This is really exciting! Moreover, we are going to meet friends and family there which is even more exciting. I was determined that I was going to visit my friends in Europe this summer, and here we go.This proves how we can persevere to meet each other.
There are a lot to be done before we leave though. Managing the stops and hotels and car rentals, reviewing the traveling books and maps, listings and shoppings, ... these are all required. Moreover, we proudly have a toddler tourist among us and we should foresee his needs and also reduce our expectation from this adventure intensely. To add to the complexity of this coming week for me, I need to take the necessary steps for going back to work, this time as a working mom: taking care of Arman's day care, his transportation management, my working wardrobe, and some necessary studies and reviews.
I am sure it is going to be a nice vacation before my start date at work; the calm before the storm!

تبریک

عید شما مبارک!
روز پدر مبارک! مخصوصا برای بابام و بابای آرمان!

استاد شهریار:
علی ای همای رحمت تو چه آیتی خدا را
که به ماسوا فکندی همه سایه‌ی هما را

دل اگر خداشناسی همه در رخ علی بین
به علی شناختم من به خدا قسم خدا را

به خدا که در دو عالم اثر از فنا نماند
چو علی گرفته باشد سر چشمه‌ی بقا را

مگر ای سحاب رحمت تو بباری ارنه دوزخ
به شرار قهر سوزد همه جان ماسوا را

برو ای گدای مسکین در خانه‌ی علی زن
که نگین پادشاهی دهد از کرم گدا را

بجز از علی که گوید به پسر که قاتل من
چو اسیر تست اکنون به اسیر کن مدارا

بجز از علی که آرد پسری ابوالعجائب
که علم کند به عالم شهدای کربلا را

چو به دوست عهد بندد ز میان پاکبازان
چو علی که میتواند که بسر برد وفا را

نه خدا توانمش خواند نه بشر توانمش گفت
متحیرم چه نامم شه ملک لافتی را

بدو چشم خون فشانم هله ای نسیم رحمت
که ز کوی او غباری به من آر توتیا را

به امید آن که شاید برسد به خاک پایت
چه پیامها سپردم همه سوز دل صبا را

چو تویی قضای گردان به دعای مستمندان
که ز جان ما بگردان ره آفت قضا را

چه زنم چونای هردم ز نوای شوق او دم
که لسان غیب خوشتر بنوازد این نوا را

«همه شب در این امیدم که نسیم صبحگاهی
به پیام آشنائی بنوازد آشنا را»

ز نوای مرغ یا حق بشنو که در دل شب
غم دل به دوست گفتن چه خوشست شهریارا

the new era

I got an offer from a very reputable medical device company.
The me side of me is very excited and happy; the mom side of me, however, is wary and hesitant. This is going to be a new era for me, and for us. I am going to become more independent from Arman and vice versa.
I am going to resume my professional life, and grow mentally and professionally. At the same time I am going to miss Arman like crazy.
Arman is going to meet other children every day, play with them, eat with them, babble words with them, and learn with them. He might miss me for a while. Eventually though he will grow out of it, I am sure. He will start to find this as a new routine in his life.
I, however, am never gonna grow out of missing him. That is only my feeling and I have no proof for that but I am confident.
This is the worst thing about being a mom so far: having to leave my baby with another person.

blog address

Apparently there has been a change in the persianblog address and that is how I was unable to write in my blog or visit it. Here is the new address:
http://nimshab.persianblog.ir
Well, I guess I am staying here for now.

rediscovering yoga

I have become a fan of 10 minutes workouts, it is amazingly fast and efficient for the person I have become: no time for gym and no chance for swimming. Despite all these there was something missing.
It was a while since last I had practiced yoga and I was some how deep down longing for it. Today I rediscovered its power on me.
I had a very bad night (being a mom and still nursing and having another interview early in the morning) and had no chance to catch up with my sleeps during the day. At 6 pm I had a very bad headache despite all the water I had had. And water usually cures my headache but not this time. So I decided it was lack of O2 rather than H2O and concluded on practicing some yoga to treat myself. It was a miracle!It is 10:40 pm, no sleep yet but no headache either!

ps- I have not really decided if I am going to write in English from now on. I am writing in English for now though.

new home, the history

Well, here I am again! I have created this blog long ago, never used it until Arman was born. Posted a few pictures of him and then decided not to continue for some reason. Now here is the new Nimshab. Mainly because I can no longer post to my Persianblog address.
I am hesitant to use this new address by blogger though. Don't you think it is really weird that there is no Farsi/Persian option in the language selection? I know too many people blogging in Farsi and using blogger and yet there is no Farsi font availble? I might decide to fully migrate to this address afterwards, we will see.