Culture and Art through your Gut

To begin with, I was just a normal average person who wanted to work abroad. To some, it'll be because of the money, but I for a fact wanted more than that. I went to Dubai three years ago; I got a job and as per policy and regulations however I needed to exit the country to change my visa status. The HR-in-charge gave me my ticket and it said "Kish Island, Iran", I've heard a lot of stories about the place from the people around me as they had experienced the same thing. Most of the stories were downright horrific and depressing. People die there, mostly because of murders and also they say it's a very conservative country. They have a dress code for both men and women. I was very nervous to go on the trip, I didn't even know if I can go through with it. I went to the airport alone to catch my flight and believe me I was literally shaking out of fear. During the flight, I kept on telling myself that I can do this, that this is for me and so I have to take the risk of it. The craft was so small, it can only fit around 40 passengers and I sat beside the window to see where I was heading. A man sat beside me, he was of a different nationality. It was a 45mins flight, we arrived at the hotel all covered up, and when I got to my room, the first thing that my roommates told me is that someone just got murdered. So technically, I was shivering and restless in my sleep that night but when I woke up something was really peculiar. I opened my eyes and looked out the window pane, I saw how beautiful it was. I went out for our breakfast and met few of the locales by the market, they were actually very hospitable. My roommate and I went on a tour in the afternoon and saw how the Iranians preserved their culture and heritage for the past 10,000 years. We saw how rich this place was with passion and love for their own. All the sights that we went to was breathtaking. I wasn't afraid anymore, but rather I was yearning to learn about the history and diversity of this new found country that I got to experience. When we came back to the hotel, our visa arrived, but we stayed one more night just to soak up more memories for us to treasure for a lifetime. Something happened there that I haven't had the idea on how to explain it but one thing I know is for sure and that I'm so certain about as well is that I went to Iran as a scared little girl and I came back to Dubai as a woman of new knowledge and passion. And I'm very glad that I get to go there even for just awhile.