In my last blog I sort of gave you a breakdown on Exfuze. This is a pretty new company that is doing wonders not only for the people who are taking this product, but have a program in place that helps improverished children in third-world countries. It is refreshing to be associated with a company that thinks about something else besides money and does this type of program called VivaKids.
The following is a quote from the Exfuze website explaining.
"VivaKids was born out of a desire to effectively help impoverished children in third-world countries. The founding members of VivaKids have lived in third-world countries and personally witnessed the need in the lives of thousands of children. By partnering with programs which are founded and run by nationals, VivaKids contributes to the developing infrastructure of the country, while utilizing the most effective means to meet the real needs of children."
I'm proud to be a distributor for a company such as this. Please visit http://www.vivakids.org/ for more information. And after you have looked at that website take a look at http://www.exfuze.com/ website. Click on opportunity and scroll down to the bottom left hand side and click on last presentation. This presentation will explain what Exfuze is all about, what Seven+ consist of, tells you what the17 potential benefits are from Seven+, then it goes on to explain how to become a distributor (if you want to) and make a profitable business plus help these children that are in need.
The nutrients found in Exfuze Seven+ are: Vitamins, Xanthones, Phytochemicals, Antioxidants, Amino Acids, Magnesium, Calcium, Iron, Iodine, Zinc, Trace Minerals, Beta Carotene, Lycopene, Omegas, Folic Acid.
If you would like to sign up to try Seven+ or Seven+ Pro or to become a distributor, you can go to my website: www.exfuze.com/carman/ . Thank you for taking the time out to review this blog.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Taking a break and want to share with you
This is a new business I'm into now called Exfuze please take a look at this website.
you will probably have to copy and paste into your website browser
anyway take a look at it and then take a look at the distribution part of it. The website to go to is
This presentation takes about 18 min. be sure and listen to the whole thing. A friend told me that people are calling him to give him updates that they no longer have to take shots for their diabetes. It is loaded with antioxidants to help fight cancer rebuild cells, etc. A guy confessed to my friend that his age spots were going away, I really think it is just plain good for the body. It is backed by sponsers from the NFL. The website will explain all of this for you.
It also explains how the compensation plan works if you want to become a distributor. It's better and easier than other distributorships out there. However, you don't have to be a distributor. But it does pay well in many different ways. Just try the product and see if you don't see an improvement in the way you feel. One bottle lasts 30 days. Promise me you will at least take a look at it.
I think this would be a great business to get into for little money to invest. They provide the website for you. They pay weekly and on time. You have no products to handle. Could be something your kids could get into, many are and it is helping to pay for their college education. It would help them make extra money on the side and learn how to run a business. This product has not been out a long time so it would be a perfect time to join. Thanks Again. Martha Help me help you!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Martha's big adventure Part 3
It got to the point that we would do anything for a little entertainment. But each trip seemed to be disastrous. One day we got the idea to go for a drive and picnic. Katy, Terry, Hubie and I loaded up in their Geon Jeep and headed for nowhere. There are no fences and everything is just open country. People don't really live outside towns or cities, unless they were traveling nomads. We took off the highway, drove awhile and parked in the middle of nowhere! We had just finished our picnic, looked up and here came this huge sand storm. Terry took off toward town or the highway. We ran right into it. Terry couldn't see a damn thing so he opened the door, I guess he thought he would see better with sand hitting him in the face. By the time we got back to town we were all covered in dirt and sand. It was everywhere. Hubie had a big beard back then and it was white as could be. That sand got into every crevice that you can imagine. We finally laughed about it and went in and took a shower. Nothing we did for entertainment ever went right. We spent all the extra money we made just to be a little entertained. We joined a ski club one winter in hopes of having fun. We would take a bus at night around 10:00 to Teheran which was a 6 hour trip. I think they stopped once and if you had to go to the bathroom you just went behind a building out in the open along with everyone else. Katy and I decided to hold it. When we got into the Teheran Bus Station, I couldn't hold it any longer so I went to the bathroom there at the station. Iranian stools aren't western, they lay flat on the floor, you have to straddle and squat. The floor was covered with piles of shit! It just totally grossed me out. Anyway here it was 5:00 a.m. and nothing else was open. We had to wait 3 hours for the car rental place to open. We finally got a car and headed for the mountains. But first we had to buy some equipment to ski in. We had to have everything, like skis, poles, boots and clothes. As you can probably imagine like everything else over there it was twice as high as it was at home. The ski club had rented a house up at the ski place. The water pipes had frozen so we couldn't take a shower, but we weren't going to let that bother us. We improvised and melted buckets of snow for a Navy shower. The first day out on the slopes was trying. We had never skied before but Terry had been a ski instructor and tried to teach us. Hubie fell many times and he busted his ski bibs out. Then he bent his poles. Of course, I fell many times too. In fact, you had to take the ski lift up to go home. You had to take the T-Bar lift to get to the car. I fell on the path and had to walk the rest of the way up. If you got off the beaten path you would sink up to your butt in snow. I was so tired and mad I didn't ever want to ski again and either did Hubie. However, the next day we got out there and did much better. The second time we went skiing it had snowed 12 inches the night before. We didn't think anything about it and headed up to the lifts in our car. This normally took 15 minutes to get to the top. When we got to the top we found out that they had closed the lift because of snow. Go figure!! Anyway we were all disappointed and headed down the mountain. There were about a dozen cars all of us Americans or Europeans. No Iranians. That should have been a clue. Katy, Terry and Hubie decided they wanted to ski down the mountain road. I drove the car. All was well until we got about 1/4 of the way down. All of a sudden a little avalanche fell in front of me. For a few minutes I couldn't see anything. Hubie and Katie had stopped for a few minutes and the snow fell literally right behind their heels. When the snow settled, I panicked, I was on one side of the mound of snow and Hubie, Katie and Terry was on the other side. Hubie stuck his skis and poles in the snow on the side of the road and worked his way back to the car. Katie and Terry decided to ski on down the mountain. They had just rounded the corner and was out of sight when another avalanche fell right where they all had been standing. In fact, it took Hubie's skis and poles down the side of the mountain. There went $400.00 never to be seen again. This mountain road didn't have any guard rails on the roads either. Meanwhile, as we were wondering what we were going to do, someone behind us went back to the ski lodge to get help. They had a road grater and started to work his way down the road to blaze us a trail. As you probably know a road grater makes quite a bit of noise and caused a few more avalanches. In fact, as we were sitting in the car waiting for the grater to move the snow, I looked out across the mountain view and said "isn't this a pretty view?" Hubie opened the door to see how far back the grater was and an avalanche fell on our car within a split second I was up to my armpits in snow. The car was full of snow and Hubie was trapped between the door and the car. He had to climb through to the passenger side to get out. I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life. The whole time I'm thinking, what we do for a little entertainment!!
We finally dug ourselves out and waited for the grater to pass. We all got in line behind him and started down the him. There were some drifts we passed through that were 20 feet deep. There was no sign of Katy and Terry though. We were really worried about them. We started down the mountain at 10:00 a.m. and got to the ski house at 4:00 p.m. Hubie and I finished off any liquor that was in the car. What a wasted day, but there was Katie and Terry waiting for us. We were all relieved that all of us made it down safely. Believe it or not we kept going back to ski because that was our only form of entertainment in the winter.
Other forms of entertainment was men's flag football and softball for men and women. Hubie played I think one or two football games which was just as rough as tackle football. The ground was harder than a rock and when you fell you felt it all over. I really enjoyed playing softball. We had 2 men coaches. One was married and the other was single. They were very nice people. One night the single guy (I can't remember any one's name to save me) was taking a back road or trail home on his motorcycle. He crashed his bike and they found him the next day dead. It really upset everyone. He was such a nice guy.
The natives didn't know what to think of our games. We would have to call time out every once in a while and shew them off the field, but we really had fun.
We bought a stereo system so we could listen to music. We could go to the music store and buy cassette tapes that had been recorded by the locals. Sometimes you would get all the album and sometimes you wouldn't get all of a song but it was better than nothing. We still have those tapes.
Everyday life was a hassle. Ironing on tables, doing laundry in the bathtub, no TV except for a few hours at night, mostly nature shows. I got so sick of Jacques Cousteau.
Katie got a job with the American School Administration office. An opening came up and she helped me get on as the personnel director. I had never done this type of work before and was really out of my league, but I learned a lot. I can remember we had a little local guy that cut the grass with a sickle. He would put the cut grass in a big piece of cloth, fold it up and load it on a little moped. He would take it home to feed his goats. I heard later he had several wives. We also had a red goat at the Admin office that would graze during the day. Every once in a while he would get loose and end up on top of some one's desk eating whatever you had on your desk or jump on top of your car. The jobs there were very laid back. I wasn't used to that and it was really hard to adjust. At certain times of the day the locals would stop working, lay out their prayer rugs and pray to Allah.
We finally dug ourselves out and waited for the grater to pass. We all got in line behind him and started down the him. There were some drifts we passed through that were 20 feet deep. There was no sign of Katy and Terry though. We were really worried about them. We started down the mountain at 10:00 a.m. and got to the ski house at 4:00 p.m. Hubie and I finished off any liquor that was in the car. What a wasted day, but there was Katie and Terry waiting for us. We were all relieved that all of us made it down safely. Believe it or not we kept going back to ski because that was our only form of entertainment in the winter.
Other forms of entertainment was men's flag football and softball for men and women. Hubie played I think one or two football games which was just as rough as tackle football. The ground was harder than a rock and when you fell you felt it all over. I really enjoyed playing softball. We had 2 men coaches. One was married and the other was single. They were very nice people. One night the single guy (I can't remember any one's name to save me) was taking a back road or trail home on his motorcycle. He crashed his bike and they found him the next day dead. It really upset everyone. He was such a nice guy.
The natives didn't know what to think of our games. We would have to call time out every once in a while and shew them off the field, but we really had fun.
We bought a stereo system so we could listen to music. We could go to the music store and buy cassette tapes that had been recorded by the locals. Sometimes you would get all the album and sometimes you wouldn't get all of a song but it was better than nothing. We still have those tapes.
Everyday life was a hassle. Ironing on tables, doing laundry in the bathtub, no TV except for a few hours at night, mostly nature shows. I got so sick of Jacques Cousteau.
Katie got a job with the American School Administration office. An opening came up and she helped me get on as the personnel director. I had never done this type of work before and was really out of my league, but I learned a lot. I can remember we had a little local guy that cut the grass with a sickle. He would put the cut grass in a big piece of cloth, fold it up and load it on a little moped. He would take it home to feed his goats. I heard later he had several wives. We also had a red goat at the Admin office that would graze during the day. Every once in a while he would get loose and end up on top of some one's desk eating whatever you had on your desk or jump on top of your car. The jobs there were very laid back. I wasn't used to that and it was really hard to adjust. At certain times of the day the locals would stop working, lay out their prayer rugs and pray to Allah.
Martha's big adventure Part 2
During our 2 months stay at the hotel, we were checking the Bell Board for places to rent. We found one which had 2 bedrooms, i bath, large kitchen and basement, living room with a fountain. Outside we had a pool with a pretty garden full of flowers. Of course, the pool wasn't really a pool, you could sit in it maybe or dangle your feet in it. Not really our description of a pool. But we moved in it anyway. At least it was out of that damn hotel! Our house was on a dead-end street or Kouche as they say. All the roofs are attached and everyone had a skylight. Ours was over the fountain. It had little windows around it that opened up from the roof. Well by this time Hubie was working 3rd shift. One night around 10:00 I was sitting in the living room writing a letter and Hubie was asleep. I heard this creeek, looked up at the skylight and one of the windows opened for a few seconds then closed. I couldn't see anyone because it was dark out, but it scared the shit out of me. I went running into the bedroom and woke Hubie up bawling again. Hubie stayed home for awhile then had to go to work. I slept with a ball bat from then on!
One day right after we had moved in, a neighbor lady brought over a dish of food which was a real sweet gesture but it looked like someone had puked in the bowl. It was green and soupy with white beans in it. She couldn't speak any English nor could we speak any Farsi. We thanked her as best we could and tossed it in the sink after she left.
One day we were on our way to Katy and Terry's house when we passed this young fellow that had the most strained look on his face and was all sweaty. I looked down and he had his hands in his fly and was going to town with his thing. Hubie and I saw him at the same time. I looked at Hubie with my mouth on the floor of the car. Hubie just died laughing and said "well they're holding their own in Isfahan"!!! It was broad daylight out and the streets were full of people, young and old. They all just ignored him as if they see this sort of thing all the time. Once again I thought to myself what kind of sick people are they and why am I here. I couldn't wait to tell Katy.
We had marble floors through out the house. We got on our hands and knees and cleaned them then put a shiny sealer on them. They looked great. It wasn't long after that we found out that our landlord was staying in a room upstairs whenever he came to town. You see from the street you opened the front door into a foyer, to the right was the stairs leading up to the roof and this room that was always locked. We never knew why we couldn't get in that room. Well now we know. Needless to say we stayed there only one month.
Katy and Terry found a house that had 2 floor apartments and a basement apartment. The basement apartment was vacant so we rented it. Katy and Terry lived on the second floor and another American couple from Texas lived on the first floor with a big garden in the back yard. They're names were Jim and Lois. Jim worked out of town and was gone during the week and would come home on weekends. Lois had one of these voices that was real loud and had the Texas drawl that made the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. But she always meant well and was very nice. Our place was very small at least 1/2 the size of the 2 apartments above, but we thought it would be safer and Hubie felt better about leaving me at night by myself. It wasn't long after we moved in that Hubie got transferred to Fabrication. This is where they would build scale models that was used for instructing the Iranian students. For instance, the different parts of the helicopter or instrument panels. Basically whatever the teacher needed. Now he was working 8:00 to 5:00. Yeah, we thought things were looking up.
While in the new basement apartment I kept noticing the floor was moving. I thought I was going nuts, but as it turned out there were little lizards that were the same color as the floor. I hate snakes and lizards. I bawled some more and thought to myself, why did he bring me to this God forsaken place! I was always afraid to put my shoes on or get up in the middle of the night that I might step on one or it would be in my shoes.
Lois was a little on the dippy side, she would turn on the outside water hose to water her plants and forget to turn the water off. We would wake up the next morning and our apartment would be flooded. This happened about 5 times and each time we flipped a coin to see who was going to kill her. Not only did we have to sop up water but it brought in all kinds of bugs. No wonder the lizards loved our place. It was a regular feast for them.
I got a little braver and learned some of the streets and my way around town or at least to the stores. Most Americans shopped at the Armenian Square. Armenians are Christians and as a whole very nice people. Shopping was always an ordeal. If you wanted meat you had to go to the meat store. If you wanted vegetables you went to the vegetable stand, if you wanted bread you went to the local bread store, then if you wanted staples, you went to the local grocery store.
The meat store was an eye opener. You bought off the carcass. You would tell the owner how much hamburger you wanted and he would chop it off the carcass put it in the meat grinder and off you go. You could even buy frozen whole chickens from Springdale, AR., if you were willing to pay the price for it. One day I lucked out and saw them delivering the meat to the store. Two little dirty men with filthy hair, got out and grabbed a carcass and carried it on their backs inside. After that, I was a little leery of the meat. I also got to see the flour being delivered. They would bring loose flour in the back of a dump truck, some little man would get in the back and start shoveling flour. He would be completely white all over with flour. You would be walking down the street and some guy would be selling goat parts, including the head on the sidewalk. Never ate goat meat while I was over there. On both sides of every street was a little stream of water called a Jub. At one place some guy would be taking a leak in it and down stream some woman would be washing her dishes in it. Men took leaks everywhere, anywhere the urge hit them. Katy was sick most of the time. She got food poisoning while we were there. She never really got over it until she left.
One day right after we had moved in, a neighbor lady brought over a dish of food which was a real sweet gesture but it looked like someone had puked in the bowl. It was green and soupy with white beans in it. She couldn't speak any English nor could we speak any Farsi. We thanked her as best we could and tossed it in the sink after she left.
One day we were on our way to Katy and Terry's house when we passed this young fellow that had the most strained look on his face and was all sweaty. I looked down and he had his hands in his fly and was going to town with his thing. Hubie and I saw him at the same time. I looked at Hubie with my mouth on the floor of the car. Hubie just died laughing and said "well they're holding their own in Isfahan"!!! It was broad daylight out and the streets were full of people, young and old. They all just ignored him as if they see this sort of thing all the time. Once again I thought to myself what kind of sick people are they and why am I here. I couldn't wait to tell Katy.
We had marble floors through out the house. We got on our hands and knees and cleaned them then put a shiny sealer on them. They looked great. It wasn't long after that we found out that our landlord was staying in a room upstairs whenever he came to town. You see from the street you opened the front door into a foyer, to the right was the stairs leading up to the roof and this room that was always locked. We never knew why we couldn't get in that room. Well now we know. Needless to say we stayed there only one month.
Katy and Terry found a house that had 2 floor apartments and a basement apartment. The basement apartment was vacant so we rented it. Katy and Terry lived on the second floor and another American couple from Texas lived on the first floor with a big garden in the back yard. They're names were Jim and Lois. Jim worked out of town and was gone during the week and would come home on weekends. Lois had one of these voices that was real loud and had the Texas drawl that made the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. But she always meant well and was very nice. Our place was very small at least 1/2 the size of the 2 apartments above, but we thought it would be safer and Hubie felt better about leaving me at night by myself. It wasn't long after we moved in that Hubie got transferred to Fabrication. This is where they would build scale models that was used for instructing the Iranian students. For instance, the different parts of the helicopter or instrument panels. Basically whatever the teacher needed. Now he was working 8:00 to 5:00. Yeah, we thought things were looking up.
While in the new basement apartment I kept noticing the floor was moving. I thought I was going nuts, but as it turned out there were little lizards that were the same color as the floor. I hate snakes and lizards. I bawled some more and thought to myself, why did he bring me to this God forsaken place! I was always afraid to put my shoes on or get up in the middle of the night that I might step on one or it would be in my shoes.
Lois was a little on the dippy side, she would turn on the outside water hose to water her plants and forget to turn the water off. We would wake up the next morning and our apartment would be flooded. This happened about 5 times and each time we flipped a coin to see who was going to kill her. Not only did we have to sop up water but it brought in all kinds of bugs. No wonder the lizards loved our place. It was a regular feast for them.
I got a little braver and learned some of the streets and my way around town or at least to the stores. Most Americans shopped at the Armenian Square. Armenians are Christians and as a whole very nice people. Shopping was always an ordeal. If you wanted meat you had to go to the meat store. If you wanted vegetables you went to the vegetable stand, if you wanted bread you went to the local bread store, then if you wanted staples, you went to the local grocery store.
The meat store was an eye opener. You bought off the carcass. You would tell the owner how much hamburger you wanted and he would chop it off the carcass put it in the meat grinder and off you go. You could even buy frozen whole chickens from Springdale, AR., if you were willing to pay the price for it. One day I lucked out and saw them delivering the meat to the store. Two little dirty men with filthy hair, got out and grabbed a carcass and carried it on their backs inside. After that, I was a little leery of the meat. I also got to see the flour being delivered. They would bring loose flour in the back of a dump truck, some little man would get in the back and start shoveling flour. He would be completely white all over with flour. You would be walking down the street and some guy would be selling goat parts, including the head on the sidewalk. Never ate goat meat while I was over there. On both sides of every street was a little stream of water called a Jub. At one place some guy would be taking a leak in it and down stream some woman would be washing her dishes in it. Men took leaks everywhere, anywhere the urge hit them. Katy was sick most of the time. She got food poisoning while we were there. She never really got over it until she left.
Martha's big adventure Part 1
It all started July 1976, we had been married 1 1/2 years. My husband obtained a job with an overseas company named "Bell Helicopter, Int.'l". After spending 3 years in Viet Nam he was restless for excitement and was searching for something to get the adrenalin flowing again. Little did I know that this would be a problem the rest of his life. He kept telling me that Iran was as civilized and as western as any place in the middle east, of course I believed him, I didn't know there was a difference.
I had never flown on a plane or been beyond the bordering states of Oklahoma. It seemed so exotic and exciting. We had 4 weeks to give notice to our employers, obtain passports, pack all of our belongings and let's not forget all the shots we had to have before we left. This should have been a clue but I didn't see it. Hubie had already had these shots when he went to Viet Nam. He still had his shot record book, so he just filled in the blanks himself and didn't go through all that, but I didn't have one and needless to say I got sick afterwards.
It came time to go and we had to say all of our good-byes. At my house my mother and 2 sisters were there and everything was fine until I headed for the door. Mother started crying which made me cry then both sisters chimed in. Hubie headed for the car. My mother just couldn't understand why he was taking me so far away. We left for Tulsa and stayed at my brother's house in Bixby. He was going to take us to the airport that next day. The next day we flew to Dallas, Tx., which thank goodness was only a 40 minute flight, but I was scared to death. It is amazing how sharp your senses can be, I heard and felt every bump, crack and squeak on that plane. After we landed Hubie pried my fingers off the arm of the chair. I thought "well that wasn't too bad", but the big flight was tomorrow.
Bell Helicopter put us up for the night at a hotel in Bedford, Tx. The next morning we all gathered in the lobby and we met a couple that became friends from the start, Katy and Terry Bessinger. They had just gotten married about a month earlier. I've never seen two people argue, fuss and fight but still get along. Katy was a TWA Airline Stewardess who had taken a leave of absence. Terry was.....into short cuts. He thought he was going to make a bundle in 5 years, go home and start a business. He was as tight as bark on a tree.
we were all taken to DFW Airport and boarded a Flying Tiger 707. Half of the plane was passengers and the other half was full of personal effects. By the time we got to Paris I thought I was a pro at flying. We didn't get to stay in Paris but maybe 45 minutes. We didn't even get out of the airport. We got back on the plane and headed for Teheran, Iran. We flew a total of 20 hours. When we arrived in Teheran, we taxied and the door opened. The heat and smell just about knocked you down. I looked at Hubie and said "ooh" and thought to myself, what have we done? We were met by Bell Helicopter Reps. and they herded us through customs. But not before we were body searched and our luggage searched, which they proceeded to pull out my douche bag. I was so embarrassed. I was so naive back then. I guess they had never seen one before. Once again I thought to myself what has he done to me? After customs we loaded on a bus and worked our way through traffic to the Inter-Continental Hotel. As it turned out Katy and Terry were going to be stationed in Isfahan just like us. This meant another flight - oh joy! But let me backup a little bit. At this hotel we checked in and started to relax, when the electricity went out, the next thing we knew some Iranian guy is unlocking our door and coming in. It looks as though we lucked out and got the room with the fuse box for the floor we were on. That night I slept with one eye open, just in case.
The next day we left for Isfahan, which was considered an oasis in the desert. Not! A river ran through the middle of town. On one side was the old part and the other was more modern. It all looked the same to me. We arrived at the Kourosh Hotel where we stayed for the next 2 months. Hubie went right to work, however, before we left for Iran he was told he would be an instructor and work 8:00 to 5:00. But when he went to work they said there was some misunderstanding and he was scheduled to work in maintenance on the flight line, 3rd shift on less starting in 2 months.
Within the first week I got what the Americans called the Shaw's Revenge. I have never been so sick in my life and it lasted 2 days going at both ends. I thought again, what has this asshole gotten me into? To top it off Hubie never got the Revenge, the jerk.
We lived on the 8th floor and Katy lived on the 2nd floor in room 222. This is very significant. It became a ritual after the guys left for work every morning Katy and I would get together in her room and call room service for breakfast. Every morning we would call room service and order 2 tea, 2 toast, 2 melon in room 222. Every morning we would hang up and immediately the phone would ring and the same guy we gave the order to would say, in very broken English, you want 2 tea, 2 toast, 2 melon in room 222? This went on for 2 months, we didn't dare change our order.
Katy and I just stayed around the hotel, we were told not to venture out of the hotel by ourselves. Needless to say by the time 5:00 came we were climbing the walls. We were told that around the corner and down the street from the hotel, there were 3 men hanging in a tree. That's not hanging around but hung on display because they had done something wrong like treason. But they would overlook all the men that walked around and held hands. Kissed other men and held each others butts. There were a bunch of them too. This was something I had never seen before coming from Pryor Creek, Ok.
By the way everyday since I had arrived in Iran I bawled. They called it culture shock and it lasted for 6 months. But I wasn't the only one, so was Katy.
I had never flown on a plane or been beyond the bordering states of Oklahoma. It seemed so exotic and exciting. We had 4 weeks to give notice to our employers, obtain passports, pack all of our belongings and let's not forget all the shots we had to have before we left. This should have been a clue but I didn't see it. Hubie had already had these shots when he went to Viet Nam. He still had his shot record book, so he just filled in the blanks himself and didn't go through all that, but I didn't have one and needless to say I got sick afterwards.
It came time to go and we had to say all of our good-byes. At my house my mother and 2 sisters were there and everything was fine until I headed for the door. Mother started crying which made me cry then both sisters chimed in. Hubie headed for the car. My mother just couldn't understand why he was taking me so far away. We left for Tulsa and stayed at my brother's house in Bixby. He was going to take us to the airport that next day. The next day we flew to Dallas, Tx., which thank goodness was only a 40 minute flight, but I was scared to death. It is amazing how sharp your senses can be, I heard and felt every bump, crack and squeak on that plane. After we landed Hubie pried my fingers off the arm of the chair. I thought "well that wasn't too bad", but the big flight was tomorrow.
Bell Helicopter put us up for the night at a hotel in Bedford, Tx. The next morning we all gathered in the lobby and we met a couple that became friends from the start, Katy and Terry Bessinger. They had just gotten married about a month earlier. I've never seen two people argue, fuss and fight but still get along. Katy was a TWA Airline Stewardess who had taken a leave of absence. Terry was.....into short cuts. He thought he was going to make a bundle in 5 years, go home and start a business. He was as tight as bark on a tree.
we were all taken to DFW Airport and boarded a Flying Tiger 707. Half of the plane was passengers and the other half was full of personal effects. By the time we got to Paris I thought I was a pro at flying. We didn't get to stay in Paris but maybe 45 minutes. We didn't even get out of the airport. We got back on the plane and headed for Teheran, Iran. We flew a total of 20 hours. When we arrived in Teheran, we taxied and the door opened. The heat and smell just about knocked you down. I looked at Hubie and said "ooh" and thought to myself, what have we done? We were met by Bell Helicopter Reps. and they herded us through customs. But not before we were body searched and our luggage searched, which they proceeded to pull out my douche bag. I was so embarrassed. I was so naive back then. I guess they had never seen one before. Once again I thought to myself what has he done to me? After customs we loaded on a bus and worked our way through traffic to the Inter-Continental Hotel. As it turned out Katy and Terry were going to be stationed in Isfahan just like us. This meant another flight - oh joy! But let me backup a little bit. At this hotel we checked in and started to relax, when the electricity went out, the next thing we knew some Iranian guy is unlocking our door and coming in. It looks as though we lucked out and got the room with the fuse box for the floor we were on. That night I slept with one eye open, just in case.
The next day we left for Isfahan, which was considered an oasis in the desert. Not! A river ran through the middle of town. On one side was the old part and the other was more modern. It all looked the same to me. We arrived at the Kourosh Hotel where we stayed for the next 2 months. Hubie went right to work, however, before we left for Iran he was told he would be an instructor and work 8:00 to 5:00. But when he went to work they said there was some misunderstanding and he was scheduled to work in maintenance on the flight line, 3rd shift on less starting in 2 months.
Within the first week I got what the Americans called the Shaw's Revenge. I have never been so sick in my life and it lasted 2 days going at both ends. I thought again, what has this asshole gotten me into? To top it off Hubie never got the Revenge, the jerk.
We lived on the 8th floor and Katy lived on the 2nd floor in room 222. This is very significant. It became a ritual after the guys left for work every morning Katy and I would get together in her room and call room service for breakfast. Every morning we would call room service and order 2 tea, 2 toast, 2 melon in room 222. Every morning we would hang up and immediately the phone would ring and the same guy we gave the order to would say, in very broken English, you want 2 tea, 2 toast, 2 melon in room 222? This went on for 2 months, we didn't dare change our order.
Katy and I just stayed around the hotel, we were told not to venture out of the hotel by ourselves. Needless to say by the time 5:00 came we were climbing the walls. We were told that around the corner and down the street from the hotel, there were 3 men hanging in a tree. That's not hanging around but hung on display because they had done something wrong like treason. But they would overlook all the men that walked around and held hands. Kissed other men and held each others butts. There were a bunch of them too. This was something I had never seen before coming from Pryor Creek, Ok.
By the way everyday since I had arrived in Iran I bawled. They called it culture shock and it lasted for 6 months. But I wasn't the only one, so was Katy.
About Iran as of 33 years ago
Iran is a country of southwestern Asia. Until 1935 it was called Persia. Iran is bounded on the north by the Soviet Union and the Caspian Sea; on the east by Afghanistan & Pakistan; on the south by the Gulf of Oman & the Persian Gulf; and on the west by Iraq and Turkey. The area of Iran is about 636,300 square miles, slightly more than 1/6 the area of the United States.
Iran has 2 great mountain ranges. The Elburz Mountains in the north and the northwest ring the shores of the Caspian Sea. The highest point in Iran is here at 18,376 feet above sea level. Teheran, the capitol of Iran, lies at the foot of these mountains.
The Zagros Mountains are in the south and southwest of the country. Isfahan, which is where we lived, is northeast of these mountains in the Plateau of Iran which is 215 miles south of Teheran. The Plateau is 3,000 to 5,000 feet above sea level. It is very dry and desolate in this area. Rainfall on the Plateau averages less than 10 ins. a year. Our climate in Isfahan was hot in the summer, at least 100 and the winters were cold. You could probably compare the weather to Phoenix, Az. Isfahan dates back at least to 1586. The population in Iran was 29,783,000, when we lived there. About 1/10 of the people aware still nomads.
The language of Iran is Farsi an Indo-European language which is written in Arabic script. This is a dying language because no other country speaks it. 90% of the people are Shiite Moslems. But there are also Christians there, or at least when we were there. Armenians migrated to Iran when Russia overran Armenia. I have often wondered how those people are living since the Shaw left and Khomeini took over, let alone the way it is now.
Iran has 2 great mountain ranges. The Elburz Mountains in the north and the northwest ring the shores of the Caspian Sea. The highest point in Iran is here at 18,376 feet above sea level. Teheran, the capitol of Iran, lies at the foot of these mountains.
The Zagros Mountains are in the south and southwest of the country. Isfahan, which is where we lived, is northeast of these mountains in the Plateau of Iran which is 215 miles south of Teheran. The Plateau is 3,000 to 5,000 feet above sea level. It is very dry and desolate in this area. Rainfall on the Plateau averages less than 10 ins. a year. Our climate in Isfahan was hot in the summer, at least 100 and the winters were cold. You could probably compare the weather to Phoenix, Az. Isfahan dates back at least to 1586. The population in Iran was 29,783,000, when we lived there. About 1/10 of the people aware still nomads.
The language of Iran is Farsi an Indo-European language which is written in Arabic script. This is a dying language because no other country speaks it. 90% of the people are Shiite Moslems. But there are also Christians there, or at least when we were there. Armenians migrated to Iran when Russia overran Armenia. I have often wondered how those people are living since the Shaw left and Khomeini took over, let alone the way it is now.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
My Life Present
This is a first for me. I've always been a little behind everyone else. But now is the time to grow a little bit. Infact, I'm not sure I even know what you do on a blog but I'm going to find out. I'm just going to start by telling a little bit about myself. I am 58 yrs of age and live around Boatman, Ok. between Pryor and Salina. First time I've lived in the country and I love it. I'm retired as the Mayes County Treasurer, Pryor. Had alot of good times there and very fortunate that I could retire at 57 I was lucky enough to work there 24 years. I have worked in many places with many different jobs and never dreamed I would end up in politics even though it is county size politics. I am a strong democrat. I am married to "Hubie" or Herbert. We have been married for 35 years (unbelievable). I have one son Nick who is married to a wonderful girl, Ellie, with 2 great kids, Zayden & Zoe. Unfortunately, they live in Montana which is a very long way from Oklahoma. Ellie is from Montana which she has family there. They met in the Navy and was on the same ship, the Shoop. They got married in Everett, Wa. and when they got out of the Navy moved to Pryor then Tulsa then back to Pryor and bought our old house (which I grew up in) for about 4 years. The day after my retirement party Ellie and the kids moved to Montana. I was crushed. I was hoping that I could spend more time with my grandkids. But things just didn't work out. I just can't wait until they get a webcam!!!! I have 2 sisters and 1 brother (Judy, Roger and Sally, I'm the baby). Both my parents are deceased and I miss them so. My Dad never got to see my grandchildren.
My husband served 3 tours in Viet Nam before we met. He has problems but we cope with them. We are of the few that has managed to stay together. Most Viet Nam Vets have been married more that once. When we got married he hopped from job to job while I worked at Mercantile Bank in Tulsa which is no more, they were bought out by BOK, however, I had already left because my husband got a job overseas in Iran. I had never flown in an airplane and had never been outside the neighboring states of Oklahoma. This is a story that is unusual, funny, scary but an adventure that I will never forget.
My husband served 3 tours in Viet Nam before we met. He has problems but we cope with them. We are of the few that has managed to stay together. Most Viet Nam Vets have been married more that once. When we got married he hopped from job to job while I worked at Mercantile Bank in Tulsa which is no more, they were bought out by BOK, however, I had already left because my husband got a job overseas in Iran. I had never flown in an airplane and had never been outside the neighboring states of Oklahoma. This is a story that is unusual, funny, scary but an adventure that I will never forget.
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