Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Welcoming the Spring and Some Charming Grannies







On a beautiful Saturday evening I head to my neighbor Hoda Shabrokh who lives just one train stop's distance from me. Although she is living close, this is the first time I manage to visit her home even though she has invited me there many times. Birds were singing and I definitely could smell the spring! That reminded me strongly of the happy memories of my childhood, being so close to the nature. Now when I'm a city girl I tend to forget my roots and needs and nature's importance to me. Every now and then I promise to make day trip in the forest or to the countryside but apparently it's easier to think than to make it happen! Today I made that promise again: next weekend...

Back to my charming and spiritual friend and to the lovely evening she hosted at her home. We met in a youth choir called the Kiiminki Skylarks and were choirpals for some years traveling and having concerts all over the world. Now she lives in Helsinki and works as a project manager in educational act in the city of Vantaa. Currently she manages a project integrating immigrant students in high schools in Finland. Her work also concentrates on the topics of global education and global citizenship. During my visit Hoda was having a fast which is an essential part of the Bahá'í Faith of which she is a member. The fast consists not only of cutting out eating food during the daylight but also of thinking, reading and reflecting spiritual texts. Maybe there is some great wisdom in fasting. I have never done it but have felt tempted to slow down the rhythm of life for some period of time. When you don't eat much you loose energy so you must stop your speed and slow down. 

Bahá'í Faith is 169 years old. The religion was born in Iran and established by Bahá'u'lláh. Bahá'ís believe that there is only one God and all the religions in the world are all from the same origin and from the same God. It considers Abraham, the Buddha, Jesus, Muhammed, the Bahá'u'lláh and the Báb among others as the divine messengers. Hoda tells me how Bahá'í texts from early on values the equality between woman and man, learning the skill for negotiation in the family and in other circles but main concern is the unity of humankind.

  • It is every person's mission to contribute on the civilisation of the world, as Hoda described it.

 In Finland there are about 750 Bahá'ís. 
We had very interesting conversation about religions and spirituality over a marvelous dinner she had made for us. Due to her fast we had to meet in the evening after sunset to brake the fast! At first it sounded so rebellious that I was a bit worried if we did something wrong. Hoda had made a delicious barley-linseed soup, some salad, bread and of course tea was nicely set on the table. The tea was Rooibos and served in very lovely glass teacups which I immediately fell for! The story behind them was even more charming: She got them from an unknown granny she met in Alepa (that's a foodstore chain) nearby around the time she was moving to her flat. There she was browsing the noteboard for items and furniture on sale and met this friendly elderly lady who offered to sell her some spare furniture she now didn't need because her husband had just passed away. Hoda bought some bookshelves and washing machine from her and on top of that she gave her a series of those pretty teacups! I have always thought that tea tastes better in the glass teacups.

Hoda was born in Oulu. Her parents are Persian. Her father moved to Oulu to study at the Oulu University to become an electric engineer. Hoda's mother is a hairdresser but in addition she works as an interpreter.

Hoda enjoys tea all the time! In her childhood home they drank it for many purposes. If one had a stomach ache the mint tea was the remedy and in the evenings chamomile tea was served with dates and nuts. In Persian they drink among others the popular mint tea as in Turkey or in Morocco. The Arabic tea culture also includes the tea salons called Teteria. The Arabs brought the Teterias to Spain. I never have visited one but I was very close when last summer I was in Madrid. I found one but unfortunately it was closed and the next day I had to fly away. In the Teteria the floors are covered by carpets and one sits on the ground and takes it easy! Slow down as one does while fasting...

Before Bahá'i fast season there is intercalary days called Ayyam-i-Ha. It is a season for festivities, sharing and charity. At that time Hoda was visiting her friend who lives in an apartment building in Helsinki. They realized that they had not done yet any of the good deeds related to this season. After a thought they got an inspiring idea to bake some muffins and take them to her friend's neighbors! Her friend had lived there for a year and hardly met any neighbors or not even knowing them at all, which is typical in Finnish city life! They were a bit worried of their idea; how people would react? At the end they had the most fun ever! Surprisingly people reacted in a very friendly spirit. They met a person who had lived in there for 30 years and said that there has never happened anything communal. One man opened the door in his morning gown and was gladly surprised. Apparently some people didn't dare to open the door at all, maybe they were frightened of not wanted visitors. In the upper floor they met this elderly lady who opened the door with her rollator. They had a chat and she was ever so pleased that asked them inside into her big apartment. They went and had a nice conversation together. The elderly lady told them that she had lived in that house also for 30 years and for two years she had been outside only about five times with some nurse. This was due to her operated leg and inability to move properly. She hardly had anybody to visit her and she was so taken of these surprised visitors that she wanted to take a picture of them! What a memorable day for everyone!

Inspired of this circumstance Hoda urges people to notice and meet their neighbors. What is happening behind the walls, downstairs or upstairs? Or behind the road? How much joy could we bring each other with just a small knock on the door or just with a smiling hello in the corridors? Have a cup of tea with your new friend!

4 comments:

  1. Nice and inspiring!
    Greetings from the UK!

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  2. Thank you for this post! Hoda is my cousin and I hope I get the chance one day to visit her again and maybe meet you too!

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    1. Nice to hear from Hoda's relative. Welcome to Finland! Maybe we'll meet then!

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