Good friends and goodbyes...for now!

In the camp’s true spirit of mixing work and play, Thursday began training in the art of taarof – that unyielding Iranian form of hospitality. After learning a number of different taarof strategies, the campers competed in one-on-one taarof contests. The competitions, while informative, also provided plenty of laughs and a chance for the campers to show their creativity.

The afternoon’s cultural programming continued with Iranian dance lessons, followed by a panel discussion on college preparation and college life led by counselors Nakkisa Akhavan (Berkeley), Arash Majdi (Georgia Tech) and Yousef Tehrani (Pomona). The campers discussed everything from SAT preparation to the college application process to first-hand accounts of the college experience. Since the counselors and staff represent a wide-range of institutions, including Wellesley, Tufts, Harvard, Oxford, Emory, George Mason and William & Mary among others, the campers were able to get a glimpse of the variety of colleges available to them and to begin strategizing how best to get there.

On the last night of the camp, the campers took the stage, entertaining the audience with their outstanding performances in the talent show. The red Gojeh’s performed a hilarious skit involving a dance-off between their members. The orange Porteghals told the story of their mascot, “Bibi Porteghal,” and her marriage to the good-hearted Ali Karim rather than the evil Dariush. The blue team, Dokhtar Irooni and Siavash, also stayed true to their team name in performing a beautifully choreographed dance to the song, “Dokhtar Irooni (mesle gol-e).” Finally, the green team, Sabzi Polo, performed a humorous skit telling the story of two Iranian parents and their children’s intercultural relationships. All of the performances were stellar, and after much deliberation the final winner was…..drum roll please….Dokhtar Irooni and Siavash!

The talent show was followed by a final party full of laughter and good memories. On Friday morning, IAAB staff and counselors led the final awards ceremony, recognizing each of the campers for their individual achievements and also reflecting on the memories, teachings and friendships of the previous week.

Looking back, it’s safe to conclude that the IAAB Leadership Camp has exceeded all of our expectations. In the words of one camper, “the best part of this camp was ending it knowing that our Iranian heritage is actually not at risk for we will all hold the name of our Iranian identity close to us as we become successful in our own ways. I feel like the Iranian-American community is in good hands now and in the future…”

As the campers boarded the ferry to depart from Thompson Island on Friday afternoon, the emotions ran high. Each goodbye was bittersweet, for though the camp had impacted each of us in its own distinct way based on what stage of our lives we are in, the community that has been created is something we all share and will cherish for a long time to come.

As we watched the ferry drift back to the mainland, we couldn’t help but notice that the grey sky that had greeted us upon our arrival five days earlier was now a bright and refreshing blue, reflecting our newfound sense of hope in the future of our community: the Iranian-American youth.