Dizin

Just two hours from Tehran and a beautiful ride will get you to one
of Iran's best skiing resorts; Dizin. 
I've only been on a winter sports vacation once before and that was 
no great succes. But hey, who says you shouldn't try twice!

I was afraid that i would be afraid again.
The higher we got in the mountains,  the more anxious i got,
though mostly in a positive way.
Are is very much at home in the snow and on the mountains
and Safa was a skiing instructor before he became a chauffeur. 
That was comforting.

From what i hear, we were incredibly lucky with the weather;
fresh snow, bright sun, no wind. It was indeed fantastic.
And it was good that a local instructor came up to us
to teach me how to ski that morning.
That gave the men the opportunity to have their own snow fun
on this beautiful day in Dizin.

My instructor only spoke Farsi. And i, well... i don't. 
Communicating was a bit funny and at one point 
i got very frustrated because i felt i was doing something wrong, 
but couldn't explain it to him.
He was very patient tough, and did get me to ski. I was so excited!!

I fell quite a few times, but no bruises and it did not hurt at all. 
I realise that i was not afraid to fall, but got scared when i felt loosing 
control over the speed, which made it too difficult for me to steer.
So i just dropped myself to give myself a break. How metaforical! 

So second time winter sports was a succes.
Now I really want to get a hang of this. It's great!
Perhaps next weekend we can stay over  in Dizin. 
By that time i should have recovered from the muscle ache 
and ready to go again...

        More pictures of Dizin

Niavaran

Yesterday was Revolution Day in Iran. I didn't really feel the need to be present at the Azadi Monument so I watched Ahmadinejad's speech that he held a few kilometers from here, broadcasted live on CNN. Far from the festivities, it was just a regular day.

The Friday before, we went to see a pre-revolutional historical site, just around the corner from where we live. A statues building that overlooks the park we like to stroll in, appears to be the old Summer Palace of the last Shah before the Revolution. The wardens explained about the historical items inside the palace. But later on another visitor told us that most of the items had not been there originally at the time the Shah was living there. The place had probably been robbed during the Revolution. Still, the government makes a big effort in presenting the palace and preserving it as a historical site.

The park between the palace buildings was filled with high white trees, birds chattering on their branches. Parrots. Bright green colored cheerful city parrots. The Palace looks over Tehran, in the back supported by snowy mountain tops. A wonderful sight and so peaceful, in spite of the busy traffic right outside the palace gates. I'm sure it must have been even more beautiful before the city of Tehran grew so enormously during the Revolution.

Enjoying tea and a delicious brownie under the white trees, we met an Iranian family. The father of the family was sad, walking the palace grounds, remembering the old days. You tend to wonder, how so many Iranians use their one-day weekend to visit the Shahs Summer Palace, just two days before Revolution Day. Would they be longing back to the time of the Shah or is it to remember what has been overthrown and to get ready to celebrate the 28Th anniversary of the Revolution?

Pictures of Niavaran Palace and Niavaran Artistic Centre

What is Reiki

Reiki (pronounced Ray-key) is a Japanese name consisting of 2 words Rei and Ki meaning spiritually guided life energy (commonly known as Universal Life Energy), an energy which animates us all and is found all around us.

Reiki practitioners channel energy in a particular pattern to heal and harmonize. Reiki seeks to restore order to the body whose vital energy has become unbalanced.

Reiki energy has several basic effects: it brings about deep relaxation, destroys energy blockages, detoxifies the system, provides new vitality in the form of healing universal life energy, and increases the vibrational frequency of the body.

In Reiki the healer places the hands above the recipient; it is the recipient that draws the energy as needed. Thus, the individual being healed takes an active part in the healing process as opposed to having a passive part in, for example, spiritual healing. The individual takes responsibility for his or her healing. The recipient identifies the needs and cater to them by drawing energy as needed.

There is no belief system attached to Reiki so anyone can receive a Reiki treatment. As in any healing the first step towards a healthier life is a desire to be healed. An important part in the healing process is acting on the things you learn about yourself. Most people benefit and enjoy talking about the progress. Therefor, a Reiki consult is often a combination of treatment and talks.

Reiki - a powerful and gentle healer:

• Promotes natural self-healing
• Balances the energies in the body
• Balances the organs and glands
• Strengthens the immune system
• Treats symptoms and causes of illness
• Relieves pain
• Clears toxins
• Adapts to the natural needs of the receiver
• Enhances personal awareness
• Relaxes and reduces stress
• Promotes creativity
• Releases blocked and suppressed feelings
• Aids meditation and positive thinking
• Heals holistically

(source: Reiki.nu/ Holistic-online.com)

I have arrived in Tehran!

It all got a little tricky, but thanks to my travel/visa agent, the Ambassador to Iran in The Hague has given me a visa last Friday. No permission yet from the ministry in Iran, though, so i have to be a very good girl or my agent and the Ambassador both will be in trouble. Ohw, and me too of course.

Everything went quite well, no stress at all. Maybe i was a little too relaxed and should have felt a little bit of stress, then i wouldn't have left the house without laptop and phone. But even when i found out about that, i kept calm. It's weird. I only laughed at myself for a bit. I seriously wondered if something was wrong with me. In the end i had laptop and phone with me when i boarded the plane.

It was a wonderful mixture of excitement and calm that i felt. It had been more than 5 weeks since i had seen Are, and 7 weeks since the last time i left Tehran. Eventhough we knew that we would be together soon, the last few days of missing and waiting were hard. Mostly because of the postponing. Still, faith kept me positive.

Now that i have arrived in Tehran, it is as if i have never left. It feels so good to be here. It is exactly as is should be. I do have to get used to the idea that i will stay here too. And i have to find my way. Starting with settling down. Yes, i already took over the en suite bathroom ;-)

Magical place

I love water, i love the sea. I usually go there to feel it's magical energy. Whether a calm creek or thundering waves, it is a great power i am very much attracted to. I try to experience this energy as often as i can. It's a 15 minutes drive from my parents house to the coast. The Maas combined with the city breeze of Rotterdam always brings a spark in my heart.

I grew up in the Netherlands, probably one of the flattest countries in the world. I am amazed by the sight of mountains, when surrounded by them or on top of them. Being part of that mountain, feeling it's greatness grow inside me too, at the same time realising how small i am. New Zealand, Iran, the Alpes, Norway, I have to travel to experience that.

Two weeks ago Esther took me to a genuine ancient forest, one of the few not planted or touched by man. I never realised we had those in the Netherlands. I kept looking for little gnomes to pop up, but i think i was the only there. It was a real mystical forest and a magical moment for me.

Far from home, or just around the corner. Where is your magical place?

The adventure to succeed

I wanted to react to Sam's comment to my last posting, but i might just as well make a new posting of it. :-)

True. Things are not so strictly organised in Iran as they are here in NL and everytime it will be a challenge to get things done without letting the 'insh'allah' way get to me. What a nice way to put it; 'the adventure to succeed'. I'm glad i've experienced this before. Living for 18 months in Qatar and of course visiting Indonesia, i've had my share.

Knowing that i will encounter many, many more of these kinds of events, in Iran and after, it's good to remember this feeling of letting go. I'm not the type to sit back and wait, but the space created by letting go gives me energy to do other things. I will get a lot of opportunities in the future to practice this lesson.

My greatest challenge is more in the personal part of controlling. It's easier to let go knowing there is no possibility of influencing the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It's less easy to let go when you yourself are the main player in the part. As if you don't have enough faith in yourself and the universe.

Just an example; writing a long and very personal e-mail, putting a few direct questions in it to emphasize the need for respond and expecting an immediate reaction in the same mode of sharing. And of course feel not in control while waiting for the reply, not realising that it is a way of manipulation. Seems small, but that is where it starts.

Success in the adventure for me, is to let go and have faith. I am happy to say that i've had some success in it already. Of course i got a little agitated when i heard last evening that i'm not flying today. I'm still human! But still, i know i will be with Are soon and in the mean time i take my time to relax and do some reading. It's all good.