Iran delegate Lily Tinker Fortel has been posting more entries throughout the trip at her blog Lily in Iran. Now that the delegates have returned, she promises more reflections to come. I hope there will be more of her beautiful pictures as well.

There is a sense of urgency among us—I think a feeling and fear that our work here will not be enough. That said, I have struggled some with the reality that the past four days have been mostly cultural and/or historical sightseeing days. The reverse of that, of course, is an appreciation for the opportunity to further understand the cultural history of Iran and Persia. History, culture, religion, belief, lifestyle and political ideologies are intertwined, not separate.

I believe the lack of education about Iran and Iran’s cultural inheritance is at least partly to blame for the ever increasing and more terrifying situation between our governments. The opportunity to experience the cultural and historical sights of this land are important in this process of understanding that is at the heart of FOR’s friendship delegations. This is what I remind myself when it crosses my mind that I might rather be in a meeting than at another museum. The people we meet along the way help me to realize the importance of remembering that the time is always right now (Lizzie!) and that the moments—even the unexpected ones—make the world go round. All of that to say, I’m not going to have all the answers when I get back and I hope you’re not expecting that of me. But I will have stories and I will have pictures and I look forward to working together to make our elected officials—our representatives—realize how important this issue is for us.

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We spent a considerable amount of time in Imam Square on Wednesday and Thursday. From what I remember, it is the second largest square in the world. I got up early on Wednesday morning and walked to the square with two other members of the delegation. There, we met a miniaturist, a carpet salesman and others. We also had what will likely be remembered as one of the most touching moments of the trip. While buying scarves from street vendor, we met three women. One of them spoke English. She was with her sister and her best friend. We showed our buttons that say "peace advocate" in Farsi and talked about the importance of understanding and dialogue. As our conversation was concluding, she started to make one final request, but before the words came she began cry. Through her tears she asked us to go back to the United States and tell people that Iranians are friendly and loving. The connection we shared in that moment is something I will carry with me forever. The fear, the understanding, the love. All on a Wednesday morning in a busy market square in Esfahan, Iran, among strangers. It’s there always, the love, the “we,” the hope for peace.

In Esfahan, we visited bridges the city is famous for; had a meeting with the Armenian Arch Bishop of Esfahan; and had a couple of presentations/dialogues with members of our group who have insight into Iranian culture and history. And, of course, there are always the informal encounters that happen as we’re walking in the street or as we’re on our way to a meeting. “Hello!” “Where are you from?” they call out to us and a conversation is born. We talk, we show them our peace advocate buttons and we try to express in one brief moment that we love them. We take pictures together and have as much of a conversation that is possible with our non-existent Farsi skills and their varying degrees of English fluency.

One woman in the delegation started saying “Please always remember that there is somebody in the United States who loves you” to people she encounters. There are somebodies all over this country who love us and believe in us and who understand that our government’s actions do not represent our beliefs and desires. This, of course, does not excuse our inaction. Nor does it relieve us of the incredible responsibility we have to demand diplomatic resolutions to international conflict. Being understood does not mean we are free of the responsibility to demand the truth from our media. Being loved does not mean the building of partnership is over. There is work to be done! I look forward to it!

- May 9th