Funny in Farsi by Firozeh Dumas

Funny in Farsi

I LOVE reading.  I read everything from historical to true crime to comedy.  While I was at one of my teacher professional workshop about two years ago, the presenters used this book Funny in Farsi as part of the presentation.  I was asked to read a passage of it to the group and I was laughing so hard that I had trouble with my enunciation! The part I had to read was about the main character’s uncle’s goal to lose weight which led to his crazy obsession with the diet industry and all the “miracle weight” lose gadgets like the thigh master.  I remember reading that part and going “OMG! I had one too!”  Actually there were many things in the book that I could relate to, being an immigrant myself. For example, being an interpreter for my parents even though my English wasn’t that great back then.  Crazy family vacations, first days in an American school, teachers and students mispronouncing my name etc…

Here is a summary of the book by Random House, Inc website:

Funny in Farsi grew out of Firoozeh Dumas’ experience of moving to Southern California in 1972 at the age of seven. She originally intended her collection of essays as a gift to her children–to show them that our commonalities far outweigh our differences–and she wrote the book almost entirely in the hours before they woke for school.
Arriving with no firsthand knowledge of this country beyond her father’s glowing memories of his graduate school years here, Firoozeh learned to adapt to her new surroundings with a special eye to the more absurd elements of American culture. Funny in Farsi chronicles the American journey of Dumas’ wonderfully engaging family: her engineer father, a sweetly quixotic dreamer; her elegant mother, who never fully mastered English; her uncle, who combated the effects of American fast food with an array of miraculous American weight-loss gadgets; and Firoozeh herself, who as a girl changed her name to Julie, and encountered a second wave of culture shock when she met and married a Frenchman.If you would like to read an excerpt click here: http://www.randomhouse.com/highschool/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780812968378&view=excerpt

Asian parents and dating

Do Asians date or is that a western idea? I know this sounds like a dumb question, but it really has me wondering.  Obviously I can’t speak for other Asians or pretend to know what everybody’s view is on that so I will just have to go off of my own.

I am thirty seven years old and I tell you my age to give you a perspective on my point of view. I grew up in the eighties, listening to Madonna’s song Like a Virgin and Papa Don’t Preach. Obviously, she didn’t listen to her own advice because if you know what Papa Don’t Preach, it’s about teen pregnancy.  I bring these two songs up because growing up in an traditional Laotian household you had to remember two things:  1) don’t have sex before marriage 2) don’t get pregnant!  If you were not married then you shouldn’t EVEN be thinking of either or put yourself in that situation. 

My parents forbade us not to date.  They just wanted us to focus on school and that was it! I would look at my American friends and envy their freedom to date while I wasn’t supposed to even talk to boys.  It was so unfair.  Some of you might wonder if I listened to my parents and the answer is yes and no.  For example, I had my first “boyfriend” when I was fourteen and his name was Lado.  I met him in Louisiana when I was visiting my cousin and working for the summer.  I wouldn’t call him really my “boyfriend” since we didn’t hold hands, hug or act like girlfriend/boyfriend.  He was more like a really good friend, one who I played baseball with, board games, and he always farted in front of me.  I know really romantic. I think I just said yes when he asked me out because I was too nice to say no.

To get back to the question, is dating a part of Asian people’s culture? For me traditionally, no we were not supposed to date much less have a boyfriend.  Nowadays, I know many Laotians are more lax in their views in regards to dating.  I have seen parents let their daughters date, go places by themselves and yes even allowed their kids’ boyfriend or girlfriend even come live with them. Time has definitely change and so have values and beliefs.  Are Asians picking up American ideals when it comes to dating and relationship?  Is that a good or bad thing?

Thalassemia

*** This is for informational purposes only.  My little brother  who is a clinical pharmacist will post a more detailed information when he gets a chance.  This is based on my own experience amd information I’ve come across. I hope the way I explain it will not confuse many of you.  I am NOT a specialist or have any medical training.   I am sharing this story in hopes that more Asians get tested.  It is always best to seek the advice of your doctor who knows your medical history.

About a year ago, my oldest brother told me he had thalassemia minor, but the less severe kind.  He said he was lucky that his doctor was vigilant about his health by suggesting that my brother get a full physical and blood work done.  Since, my brother is from a Southeast Asian country, the doctor had the lab test for a genetic blood disorder called thalassemia. There are two types: alpha and beta thalassemia.  According to Medline Plus website “Alpha thalassemias occur most commonly in people from southeast Asia and China, and are caused by deletion of a gene or genes from the alpha globin chain. The most severe form of alpha thalassemia causes stillbirth (death of a fetus before delivery)”.  Also the most severe victims  of thalassemia needs to get blood transfusion and folate supplements. 

Symptoms

The second form of this disorder is beta thalassemia and it is common among “…people of Mediterranean origin, and to a lesser extent, Chinese, other Asians, and blacks” ( MedlinePlus website).  To figure out if you have this disorder or what types or how severe you have to go to your physician to get a blood work done.  If you suffer from severe fatigue, shortness of breath, jaundice or bone deformities in the face it is wise to tell your health professional about the symptoms and tell them you want to be tested for thalassemia.  Sometimes, thalassemia can be misdiagnose because it is mistaken for a simple iron deficient ( anemia) and some doctors might prescribe iron pills to ratify the situation.  This is the case with me.  I would not have known that I had Thalassemia minor until my older brother advised me to get tested.  So I asked my doctor I wanted to get tested for the disorder.

Getting tested and treated: Cultural and Language barrier

There are many Laotians as well as other Asians who are not getting tested for this disorder because they are unaware or uninformed. It is mind boggling to note that at the Northern California Comprehensive Center at CHRCO that ” 80% of the patient population is of Asian origin. Many of these individuals are recent immigrants to the United States and almost half do not speak English.” The Center stresses their frusttration of adequate patient care because of the difficulty of translating the information in a clear and concise manner where a Lao or Hmong or Chinese person can understand.  If the translator does not have medical training it is much more difficult to translate biology and genetic terms to that language.  Health care providers agree that in order to understand, treat, and explain what thalassemia is, language can be a major  obstacle to overcome, but it is not impossible with a good translator.  Another problem to overcome in regards to treatment is the cultural barrier.  The difference  between eastern and western health beliefs or ideas when it comes to health and sickness can get in the way of treatment.  According to Charles Kemp from Baylor University,” Some health care beliefs and practices are related to Brahmanistic and animistic beliefs. Illness may be attributed to the loss of one of the thirty-two spirits (think also in terms of souls) thought to inhabit the body and maintain health. As with other Southeast Asians, “winds” also play a role in health and illness and bringing the winds into balance restores health or well-being. Laotian views of physical and mental wellness are also tied to a person’s ability to sleep and eat without difficulty.”  This belief can lead many Laotians to rely on their own religious or cultural beliefs to heal instead of seeking western medical help.

If you are of Asian or Mediterrean descent, you can go to your doctor to get tested for this blood disorder. Your health care provider can also recommend genetic counseling for further testing.  This is especially important because if you or your spouse both possess the trait, your kid can have thalassemia major which is the severe form of this disorder.   If  left untreated it can lead to heart or liver failure.  Another thing to be concern about is that the disorder can lead to diabetes which can be lethal if not properly managed. Of course, your doctor can advise you on what diet to follow. . According to the Cooley’s Anemia foundation, “Some people with thalassemia develop diabetes so it is important that if you are suffering from this disorder that you watch your diet to prevent  the onset of diabetes. The main cause of diabetes in people with thalassemia is iron overload in addition to these other factor and the presence of liver disease and viral infection which are common with thalassemia.”  For a detail description on the causes, effects, treatments and dietary help, please click on the following link: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/thalassemia.html