Kathy to Hilary, Novembe 20, 1971, cont., Tehran, Iran In all the magazines from the States the talk about jolly holiday festivities in fine glittering clothes. It seems so nice, like a fairyland. How does it feel to be living in a fairyland? Oh yes, what do you want for Christmas from the land of Cyrus the Great. If you give me $500 I’ll send you a fine Turkoman horse. The Turkoman horses aren’t very big--I’d be scared to death of those tremendous monsters in the States. You don’t ever go riding do you? I’d love to go riding some place like the woods at the Ponderosa or in Rock Creek Park one day.
The co-op is rationing peanut butter to two jars a month. Bananas are 15 rials apiece and the pen I’m writing with is 1 rial and a jar of Tang at the Super Shilan across the street is 400 rials or $5.20. Is there grape Tang now? Today is the last day of Ramazan--hurrah--all the Ruzees are happy. The Ruzees are the people who are religious enough to fast--mostly taxi drivers and the poorer people, al though that is not always true. Everyone has been cross for a month, but it’s finally over. I thought about not eating so I’d lose weight, but it’s really an ordeal. It’s supposed to be to remind you of the trials of the poor. Do you know how rich we are? I really feel guilty about leaving food on my plate, or Mom buying too many vegetables and letting them rot in the fridge. (Can’t remember how to spell refrigerator <-that must be wrong.)
The trashman has 10 kids. 
Because it’s been raining, the city is a mire and is hideous--especially living behind an army camp like we do. Now that it’s cold everyone is hitting us up for spare clothing, which we gave away long ago. And the poor have so many children! The ashgali [trash man] has 10 kids, the maid has 5 or 7.
Do you have any ideas about college? Oh, by the way, I saw Love Story but in Farsi. It’s so simple I could understand everything. I didn’t cry--is something wrong? The rest of the theater was flooded. Farzad wasn’t impressed either, he likes movies like “Raid on Rommel” although he roots for Rommel.
I cherish the idea of going to Kent at Canterbury, but going to an English school seems impractible. I’m not outstanding enough to get a scholarship, so it’ll have to be someplace cheap. Maybe a college in Vt. or New Hampshire or Maine. Someplace with decent weather. Since the fate is housewifedom anyway, it doesn’t really matter. Imagine being a Mrs. Wray with all those snotty kids and living all your life like that. I don’t know about you, but I’m too lazy to be a hausfrau. Farzad has been threatening to hunt me down when he’s in a marrying mood. God forbid. However, it would be interesting to hunt someone down after a couple of years just to see how they’ve changed, wouldn’t it? Will you hunt me down when you’re 64?
Have a Happy Thanksgiving, or hope you had a nice one.
Please write back soon. Please pardon the extremely disjointed and ill-written letter. Please be good and don’t mistreat the dog. Please inform as to what you wish for Christmas. PLEASE.
Love,
Kathy Talley [in Persian]
5:25:14 AM 
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