In Firoozeh's family, every member has a reputation they're stuck with, good or bad. In the case of her brother Farshid, his outgoing manner in kindergarten led to him being consulted on every important decision by all the family members. Because of this, when Firoozeh decided she wanted to go to camp at the age of eleven, her brother was tasked with finding the proper summer camp for her. He eventually found the perfect camp, which her father did not question, despite the fact the camp cost $500 a week for two weeks.
Along with her father's desire for riches, he was also very frugal, always considering it an accomplishment when he could find something on clearance. When Firoozeh received her camp supply list, her father was determined to find everything on clearance, including a bulky sleeping bag that was a mere $8.99.
When the time came for Firoozeh to go to camp, she began to regret her decision. Everyone else headed to the camp seemed to have brought a friend, and she did not know anyone. Even worse, on the bus a boy made fun of her nose, instantly alienating her from the others. When she got to the camp, she noticed that the bathroom door had been removed, meaning if one of the other girls had walked in while she was showering, there's a chance she would've been seen naked. Being from an extremely modest culture, Firoozeh decided not to bathe while at camp. Because of her decision to not bathe, she decided to not participate in any activities that may make her sweaty, so she spent every day of camp at the arts and crafts station.
The only person who spoke to her at camp was Mary, a young girl who cried to her every night. Mary and her brother Willy were afraid of everyone else and hated being separated. Firoozeh did not view Mary as a friend but rather as someone who made her look good. Even though Firoozeh did not have much fun at camp, she lied to her father and said she did, so he would not feel like he wasted his money.
Notes: The joke about Firoozeh's nose is an important one to remember in later chapters that deal with the significance of appearance to a Persian woman, and specifically noses.
Kazem's favorite place is Las Vegas, so when Firoozeh was a child, the family would frequently go there. To ensure safety on the trip, her mother would hold the Koran at the top of the doorframe while everyone walked under it. They would always stop for food at Denny's, since Kazem thought it was amazing how clean their bathrooms were. Once they reached Vegas, they would go to the Stardust where a man named Al would get them a room, despite the 'no vacancy' sign, for an extra five dollars.
Kazem always played blackjack and never won any money. The more he lost, the more he wanted to play, employing various superstitions to help himself win. Regardless of how much money he lost, he always felt like he was getting the better of Vegas by eating as much as possible at the $3.99 buffet.
Firoozeh disliked the vacations to Vegas even more when she remembered her previous vacations to the Caspian Sea. Her father's work gave him access to a villa there for one week every year. The drive between where her relatives lived in Tehran and the Caspian Sea is an extremely beautiful drive, especially compared to the area around Las Vegas.
In an effort to have a real vacation in America, the family went to Hawaii. Unfortunately, their first trip was far from a tropical paradise since they could barely see the ocean from their hotel and were surrounded by tourist shops. Their second trip to Hawaii was to the island of Kauai, which was much closer to the tropical paradise Firoozeh desired. Her parents did not agree though, and they left since there was nothing to look at and no stores.
Another trip the family took was too Yosemite. As soon as Firoozeh's mother and uncle realized there were bears in Yosemite, they insisted the family go home right away. After that trip they did not go on vacation again, except to Las Vegas.
Dumas' husband Francois loves to travel. His family has a lengthy history of traveling the globe. He spent the early parts of his life in Africa, and when he first attended school in Paris he was not used to keeping his clothes on. Despite all his travels throughout the world, he found the stories of Firoozeh's life in Iran completely enthralling. The first trouble for the couple related to travel came when they were planning their honeymoon and Francois wanted to stay in an Indian palace. Firoozeh had no desire to take a vacation to where she would require vaccinations and run into mosquitoes and potential stomach ailments. It was too similar to where she grew up in Iran. Francois desired adventure while Firoozeh was content with a relaxing resort.
When Firoozeh was five she went to a bazaar in Abadan and desperately needed to go to the bathroom. Unfortunately, all the bathrooms were holes in the ground with horrible odor, so she did not use the bathroom. She also was frequently bit by mosquitos when living there, and because of this the almost mosquito free Whittier, California was a paradise.
Notes: Chapter 10 is the first chapter where we really meet Francois. While he is not a core part of her story of growing up in America, he has a large impact on her life and writing being that he is her husband. It is worth noting how she describes him.
Celis, Christine. "TheBestNotes on Funny in Farsi".
TheBestNotes.com.
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