Whenever I Go to the Library, My Friend From Iran is There
Hello Everyone,
I'm Not Quite Miss Rumphius and this is the blog for the Children's Department at North York Central Library. Welcome back.
* * * * * *
My good
friend, Laleh, is from Iran and every time I go to the library I see someone
who reminds me of Laleh — someone with dark wavy hair and olive skin that never
looks pale or washed out even in the middle of a sun-deprived Canadian winter,
someone with a gracious manner and a ready smile. It’s easy to want to be more like someone else, and all I can say is that’s true for me with
Laleh.
Laleh and I
first met over a dozen years ago at the daycare our sons both attended. Back
then, our little boys looked so similar that we joked we could swap photos of
them, pass off the other one as our own, and no one would be the wiser.
Much has
changed since those days. For one thing, our boys have grown … and grown …
and grown. They no longer look alike and they now tower over us, something they're always quick to point out.
There have
been other changes too. Like everyone else around us, our families have faced difficult
situations, the kind that come out of nowhere and suddenly — starkly — divide
life into Before and After. We’ve been up in the mountains; we’ve been down
in the valleys too.
Through it
all, together and apart, Laleh and I have been consoled, entertained,
distracted, and uplifted by books and reading. We’ve had food, too — especially
the wonderful meals that Laleh prepares and shares with a wide circle of family
and friends, people I already know and people I’d like to know better.
* * * * * *
When I first
came to work in the Children’s Department at North York Central Library, I was
pleased to be in such a warm, friendly place — not my real home, and yet home.
Was it the
books and children and families — all the great bustle and good cheer around me
— that made this place feel so right?
Yes, but it was more than that. And it had to do with my friend.
The first people
I met in the library were a mother, a father and a young daughter who had come
here, like Laleh’s family, from Iran. The two older women who asked me for a
Farsi-English dictionary reminded me of Laleh’s older aunt. And at a Family
Time program I led, I spoke with a young Iranian woman who looked so much like
Laleh that I swore they had to be sisters, separated at birth.
Then there
was the language — the same language I’d heard spoken at the memorial service
for Laleh’s father. I couldn’t understand this language, but that didn’t
matter. It was both foreign and familiar, and it was here too.
* * * * * *
We are all,
I think, looking for our tribe, our flock — the group and place that accepts
us for who we are, nurtures us, and brings out the best in us.
We get a lot from our flocks — but we also get to give something back too. I've learned that with the people I know, including Laleh. And I found it out all over again, in the place where some of the things that matter
most to me are.
I found it with
the people who come to this place every day: the Iranian families, the South Asian
grandparen'ts, the Korean preschoolers, and the tiny Chinese babies.
I found my tribe
at the library.
16 thoughts on “Whenever I Go to the Library, My Friend From Iran is There”
I heart this post!
Hello Claudette,
Thanks for coming by and commenting. I heart you for your lovely comment!
Not Quite Miss Rumphius
Lovely!
Thank you, Catherine — I enjoyed looking at your terrific photos, too.
Yours from the world of books,
Not Quite Miss Rumphius
Beautiful! 🙂
I too, work in the library. We get many questions about English as a second language classes and resources in the department where I work. Every day I meet people who have come to Canada from far away. I have so much admiration for the courage it takes to start afresh in a new country, and the determination and effort newcomers bring to learning a new language, and to adapting to Canadian culture. Thank you for the lovely post.
Hello Anya,
Thank you for stopping by and commenting here — I appreciate it.
Not Quite Miss Rumphius
Hello Maureen!
Thanks so much for your comment — I agree with everything you said about the courage and effort and determination it takes to start fresh, in so many ways, in a new country.
I’m glad you mentioned these things — they are good ones for all of us to keep in mind.
Bookishly yours,
Not Quite Miss Rumphius
Thank you! I will share this with my friends.
Hello Kathy,
Thanks for stopping by, and for sharing this with your friends.
Happy reading to you all,
Not Quite Miss Rumphius
Really enjoyed reading this!!
Very nicely written!
Hello Nouna,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I’m glad you did!
Yours from the world of books,
Not Quite Miss Rumphius
A beautiful piece of writing Not Quite Miss Rumphius. In these words, you have managed to capture that warm feeling that you get when you enter a library. Libraries exude a pride of place like no other. When you enter, you are surrounded by friends and stories, history and yes, controversy – all of life’s lessons under one roof. I think your namesake would agree that making this world better involves sharing something as simple as a smile, a few words, a story or even spreading a few lupin seeds. These seeds of learning, that are fostered at libraries, truly make our world that much better.
Dear Naomi,
Thank you for stopping by and adding your heartfelt words to the conversation about libraries. You have managed to sum up, so eloquently, what libraries — and my namesake, Miss Rumphius — are all about.
With much appreciation,
Not Quite Miss Rumphius
Nice one! Thanks for being there and wish you the best.
Hello Iranian girl,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. It’s nice to hear from you and I wish you all the best too!
Not Quite Miss Rumphius