WWIII

So I'm realizing that we NEED mom around at all times in order for Maryam, dad, and I to not kill each other. We were good the first week and a half but now after two weeks not a day goes by without a screaming match between two of us (one person is always dad). I forgot that mom is the one that tells dad to calm down all the time. This is getting bad because the only way dad knows how to talk is by ordering everyone around and since now we have no buffer, maryam and I have subconsciously been getting back at him by only speaking in English to him- which has been making him really annoyed. Of course this tactic is a double edged sword since we're also hurting ourselves by speaking english here. Also grandma's nurse thinks we are both rich spoiled americans. She asked us to do the laundry and then she asked, "life in Iran is hard, isn't it?" as if hanging the laundry outside was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.

One thing Maryam and I have both been realizing is how much dad lies about us in Farsi. Now that we understand it's actually kind of scary. We've been calling him out on it lately, which is partly why we fight. Let's just say its good that this trip is nearing the end. Maryam and I miss wearing shorts outside and not having Iranians in your face at full volume asking you why you are not eating more.

This would all be fine, but the high altitude here is really affecting us physically. Some days I get up and I literally can't think. I've never experienced this before but it's literally like someone stole my brain in the night. I just can't even reason through simple things. When the doctor was giving me medicine for the stomach flu I asked her about it and she told me because the altitude difference is so great, Maryam and my brains don't know how to extract oxygen from the air properly so it feels like we are getting stupid but our brains are just not getting enough oxygen. This is also why we've been yawning all the time since we've been here. Actually last night someone asked me what was one thing I missed in the US and I told him I missed being intelligent.