From a student in Budapest to a student in Tehran
A sudden email in a Berlin museum, a worried mother, and a massive leap of faith. Discover why I packed my bags for the University of Tehran, how a childhood curiosity turned into a professional pursuit, and whether moving to one of the most misunderstood corners of the MENA region was actually worth it. (Spoiler: Eight months in, and it's a resounding yes!)
CULTUREIRANBLOG
5/26/2019
I was just wandering through the ancient history exhibit at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, reminiscing about my trips to Iran and Lebanon last year, when my phone buzzed. An email had just come in. And from none other than the University of Tehran: I WAS ACCEPTED! Oh my god! Or rather, ya khoda! As they’d say in Persian...
In pure excitement, I immediately called my mom. I’d been preparing her for this plan for months, but deep down, she was probably secretly rooting against it. I mean, what else could she do? Her firstborn had completely lost their mind—as if traveling to the region every now and then wasn't enough, now they actually want to live and study there. She only partially shared my joy over the sudden "good" news and begged me not to mention it to my dad just yet, fearing it might literally give him a heart attack... Paying no mind to their reactions, I kept drifting through the museum, my mind completely floating in a cloud of euphoria. Little did I know back then that despite getting accepted, my path wouldn't lead straight to a Tehran lecture hall. But anyway, let’s go back to the beginning.
Naturally, the question comes up: why the Middle East, why Iran, and why now? Some people know that during my university years, I developed a strong professional interest in the region, mostly thanks to Dr. János Jany, one of our professors at Pázmány University. But while my university years gave me that final push, our childhood family trips to the MENA region provided the perfect breeding ground for my curiosity—which, based on photographic evidence, was probably just 'hardwired' into me from the start:
But obviously, that alone isn't enough for someone to just pack up and head to this lesser-known part of the Middle East... Aside from sheer curiosity, there was also an interstate scholarship that I had successfully applied for. Plus, in orientalist circles, you rarely find Western experts who have actually spent several years living in Iran—completely immersing themselves in the culture, getting to know the society, the economy, the daily politics, traveling the entire country, and then putting all that firsthand knowledge to use. On top of that, I had the chance to study at the University of Tehran, which is one of the most prestigious institutions in the region, with incredible professors and research opportunities.
And was it worth it? Based on the 8 months I’ve spent here so far, it really looks like a big yes! But I’ll dive into all those experiences and details in my upcoming posts.
