(My passport picture from Iran in 1981)
Thank you for visiting my Half Persian Page.
My name is Jaleh Habib. I was born in Shiraz, Iran in 1975 to an Iranian
father and an American mother.
After living in Iran for several years, I moved to the US with my family
for political and religious freedom.
People often ask me if I remember anything from growing up in Iran, and I
answer "How could I forget!".
Although I grew up as an American, Iran is always with me.
I know that growing up as a bicultural person is a unique experience-especially
as a half Persian.
While we can enjoy the benefits of both cultures, we are often torn between
their different values.
Being bicultural requires a person to either choose one culture over the
other,
or to invent their own unique mix of cultures.
I created this page to bring half Persians together to share their experiences.
I used to feel that since I carry two countries in me, I am a foreigner in
any country.
By creating this page and identifying with others like me, I feel less like
a foreigner and
more like a part of a unique bicultural community. I hope other half Persians
will feel the same.
Jaleh Habib
jaleh@halfpersian.com
On a technical note:
I recently remodeled this site to be dynamic. Instead of using static HTML pages,
I now use PHP and MySQL so that the information is stored in a database and the pages
are created dynamically and instantly. I hope that this will help people enjoy the site more, but I do apolagize for any problems
that may arise as I learn more about this new technology. Thank you to everyone who has been patient while I remodeled and hopefully
improved this site. Please keep in touch.
-JH