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I am Ken Rusk
I live in Toronto, If you walk in to my apartment and you look around
you will see things are related from Iran
In July of 1971, we moved to Tehran as I was working for Ontario Hydro on a project
to set up centralized control of the power system in Iran.
Operational of the power system in Iran
was not coordinated with the result that there were frequent interruptions
when the independent action was taken
so Tavanir was using us and other international consultants to modernise the control of the power system
in those days I always would carry my camera
wherever I would go and as a result I took almost
one thousand photos from Iran. A few months ago after I got to know Ali
through volunteering project in Toronto after learning he was from Iran I told him
about our family trip to Iran and having all those positive slides from Iran
He became very enthusiastic about it
and he thought we should find them, digitalized the slides
and make them available for others people to see
He put a great deal of effort to scan
and edit the slides and make them presentable.
In July 1971 I arrived in Mehrabad Airport in Tehran with my family
I remember Tehran was very hot even at midnight.
From the airport we took a taxi to
hotel called Semiramis on Ave Rousevelt, close to the US embassy.
We immediately started to look for a accommodation without success.
after connecting with some American expats
We used the services of their real estate agents
and found a lovely ground floor apartment in Koocheh Haft
Davoodiyeh between Chehelo Panj Metri
Street and Zafar Street. The view from our balcony was downtown Tehran
behind us was the Alborz mountains which we did not see for two months
as they were completely shrouded in dust and smog after the first rain in September
and suddenly appeared in all their glory and we were excited when we saw that.
When we arrived in Tehran, Shahyad Meidan was being built. It was very striking
When someone comes in to Iran from Mehrabad, seeing Shahyad Meidan on the way from the airport
was an incredible introduction to all the grand features of Iran.
Moving from Canada to the Middle East was a majoral cultural shock
for me and my family. Probably more for my family than me
as I was going to work every day and already traveling.
It was frustrating because we had to accept things were not the same.
by September the children were in school,but my wife was still experiencing difficulties.
The first christmas was something that we were looking forward to
and the first snow appeared December 15th and cheered us up and after we had our Christmas we felt at home in Tehran.
We had been advised to be very careful about what we say and where we say it
as it might be misunderstood and get us in trouble.
For example, one day I was searching for an agent to arrange for my sea shipment
to be picked up and I was having difficulty locating the agent
and suddenly I realized young well-dressed gentleman approached
and called me by name and asked me if I needed help
and he escorted me to the agency. I suddenly realized that we were indeed
being watched by government
we heard from a friend about an expat who drew a mustache on a picture of the shah
and the next morning he was escorted out of the country.
Since we have always been active church members. One of the first things we wanted
was a place to worship, then the first week of our arrival in Tehran,
we discovered Tehran Community Church in Abbas Abad.
The members of the church were mostly American and Canadian expats
In fact the pastor was an American Presbyterian and his wife was from York Minster Park Baptist Church in Toronto.
and through them we were able to find suitable school for the children
so the church became our community.
Tehran was more modern than what we expected, for example everyday products
that we needed where available
we really enjoyed the fresh fruits and vegetables that they were available in local markets.
and soon we discovered Chelo kebab and other Iranian dishes.
We found the culture very tolerant to us as foreigners
but by the same token be made certain that we were respected their customs.
Driving in Iran was always a challenge at first. In fact I did not drive for the first six months
as driving was wild and scary. in few occasions often on mountain roads with a sharp curves
the driver of our car would pass other cars with no visibility
of what might be coming toward us
so I decided to take control of the situation and I finally rented
a Paykan for few weeks and then bought my own Aria.
This car was made in Iran with parts imported from Brampton Ontario
and it was a nice car.
one thing I like to talk about is Abbas
who was our driver in the beginning and my friend later
as he was the a tavanir driver when we had to travel throughout the country.
and then I got to know him personally.
He would use my car to take my wife shopping and when
my parents came to Iran he drove us down to the Caspian
He was completely trustworthy
he knew my kids and he was a great driver and when he was driving my family
I knew they were in good hands and often I wonder today
where he is
During my stay in Iran party my work required traveling
and party we as a family wanted to discover
as much of the country as we could we had a chance to travel much of the country.
I remember Isfahan being so beautiful and clean
the masque, the bazaar, Chehel Sotoun
I remember Siosepol over Zayandeh rood shining at night.
We went to Tabriz at Nowruz. Most significat part of
our visit was seeing the Silver Bazar and getting
to know Mr Vige who was an Armenian silversmith, He was such a nice gentleman
He explained to our kids how silver pieces were being made
and we bought a lot of them I still have then and intend to keep them.
When we went to Shiraz, it was pleasantly sunny
and the Roses were just awesome.
After Shiraz we went to Persepolis
and we found the remains of the ancient palace astonishing when we arrived there
they were being prepared for 2500 celebration
so the tent city was being built but there were no restrictions
meaning there was no high-security yet
When you travel from Tehran to the North
the weather and the landscape changes from very dry to humid.
The scenery of the mountains and the Caspian Sea was gorgeous.
seeing rice and tea farms and Limooshirin
and Narengi trees were exciting to see completely different side of Iran.
I remember the sand of the caspian sea
was so hot that we had to wear flip flops
I remember having my parents over from Ontario to Iran
We stay at Grand Hotel Ramsar and they loved it
and you should know that this place was for a European people would come to holiday.
and it was superb
Our church once took us to Bandar Turkaman
it was quite interesting to see how Iran is diverse with
different appearance, dress and culture.
we went to turkman bazar and bought three carpets
which are still being used in our house.
At Dezful, we saw the Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Dam
and power installation which had previously been commissioned
by Ontario Hydro contact. Taking photos
of the dam and powerhouse was a big challenge
and the risk was great as they were taken from openings in the spiral
tunnel down to the power house level.
The entire facility was heavily guarded
and highly secured. I remember one day our friend rented a houseboat on Lake
above the damn
most those of the boat swam except for me.
After we were back to Canada
experience of living in Iran stayed with our family
we felt it was experience of a lifetime. we still remember some Farsi and
the names of foods and places. Over the years Iran went through a different difficulties
and I've always had concerns about people he knew from there
and wonder whether there were safe or not
One day if I had a chance I would liketo visit Iran again.
I think Iran is a beautiful country and I hope things work out for the best
for the people of Iran.