RERUN 3/13/09

It was a dark and stormy Friday the 13th night, but inside Howayda's beautiful home everything was all cozy and bright. Howayda expanded our cultural experience by treating us to some divine desserts and the chicken dip brought by Sandy was a big hit. Howayda's retired friend, Martha, joined in along with Karla, who recently returned from Austria, Kim, Marcy and I. Near the end of the evening, we allowed Howayda's husband, Jihad, to come in. After all it was their wedding anniversary.

We viewed, CHILDREN OF HEAVEN, an award winning movie filmed in Iran that touched upon fundamental values. It was a simple and beautifully presented story of a young brother and sister, their devotion to each other and how in understanding of their parents' situation, on their own worked together to solve a problem. The film gave us insight into the contrasting lives of the poor and the rich in another culture. What was shown as the Tehran 'slums' appeared poor, but clean and orderly, not at all what Americans vision when we hear the word applied in our country. The pacing of the movie was a bit slower than American flicks and the ending not exactly in line with the old Disney movies, which in my opinion made it even more interesting. Thanks to Howayda for making this experience available. Good friends, good food, and a good movie - no surprise here that a good time was had by all.
-Peggy Wolf