Often there are words in Persian that cast a more endearing, more benign light on their English brethren. I take refuge in those words, when the going gets slippery (that is if I can remember in the moment that in fact I am bilingual).
English words or terms like "Difficult", "Terrible Two's", "Tantrums" describing temperaments of toddlers or even teens have Persian relatives like "Sheytoon (Spirited)", "Javoon (Young and Foolish- in describing rather difficult behaviors in Teens) or "Sertegh (a very endearing term for a young person who insists on their ways)" that tickle your heart when you need them the most.
These Farsi words that describe the very behaviors that look quite bleak in an English dictionary, are almost always said with a smile or a light-hearted tone. When you talk of them to a friend, they always bring a chuckle to the conversation, in a way that a tale of a tantrum may not...
More and more I see how language is a prism that we view experiences through. How words can change the feelings and even the fate around a situation.
The past couple of weeks have been a surreal roller coaster ride in real-estate fairyland for us, which I hope to share with you when its legally OK to do so!
I think buying and selling a home is a sacred act. But as my Mr. Urban aptly noted, when you are in the Wild Wild West, among savvy equestrians with flags at hand to stick in the mud to claim their turf, your sentimentality is bound to leave an unsettled feeling at the pit of your gut.... Anxiety Or Del-Shooreh (Unsettled-Gut)? You decide... but one has an easy cure of a nicely brewed cup of tea with a side of rock sugar (Chai o Nabat)....
English words or terms like "Difficult", "Terrible Two's", "Tantrums" describing temperaments of toddlers or even teens have Persian relatives like "Sheytoon (Spirited)", "Javoon (Young and Foolish- in describing rather difficult behaviors in Teens) or "Sertegh (a very endearing term for a young person who insists on their ways)" that tickle your heart when you need them the most.
These Farsi words that describe the very behaviors that look quite bleak in an English dictionary, are almost always said with a smile or a light-hearted tone. When you talk of them to a friend, they always bring a chuckle to the conversation, in a way that a tale of a tantrum may not...
More and more I see how language is a prism that we view experiences through. How words can change the feelings and even the fate around a situation.
The past couple of weeks have been a surreal roller coaster ride in real-estate fairyland for us, which I hope to share with you when its legally OK to do so!
I think buying and selling a home is a sacred act. But as my Mr. Urban aptly noted, when you are in the Wild Wild West, among savvy equestrians with flags at hand to stick in the mud to claim their turf, your sentimentality is bound to leave an unsettled feeling at the pit of your gut.... Anxiety Or Del-Shooreh (Unsettled-Gut)? You decide... but one has an easy cure of a nicely brewed cup of tea with a side of rock sugar (Chai o Nabat)....
Picture from: dreamstime.com |
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