Snapshot

Simplicity, something in nothing.

For some strange reason, I look very red in this photo. I think the best photos taken on my Iranian trip are those not taken by myself but by the camera's timer. After a long road trip with my friend Mehdi whom I got to know in Esfahan, he invited me home for dinner with his family. Dinner was a simple traditional Iranian stew which was absolutely delicious. I've always believed that communication transcends language and speech and although his family did not speak a word of english, with my persian-english phrasebook and plenty of animated gesturing on my part, we had a really enjoyable evening. When I got back to my hotel later that evening, I looked through the photos that I had taken and realised that there were no furniture in Mehdi's home execpt for some cupboards and kitchen fixtures. I later learnt that furniture is expensive for most Iranians.

Looking back, throughout my stay in Iran, I never had a single lunch or dinner alone and most of the time there were people offering to pay for my meals or inviting me home for a meal. I find it heartening to know that in this cold hard world we live in, there still exist people who are generous and kind to strangers. And its always those that have little who give more. We, from the land of more must be missing the plot. Surely, there must be something in nothing. Perhaps we are just too caught up in things that will one day prove to be immaterial.

On my desk, is the Lonely Planet City Scape Singapore that I bought more than a week ago. I had intended to send it to Mehdi and his family as a souvenir from Singapore. But to date, I still have not done so. What could be so important that I have to put off returning their kindness? Nothing.