ABSTRACT
The author's immediate circle of friends expanded to include Martha from Uganda, Claude from France, Barbara from the UK and Krista from Germany. The interaction of the different cultures among the girls was as natural as our being there was unnatural. Our childhood curiosity about differences found satisfaction in the common emotions and feelings that we shared as roommates, classmates and friends. The arrival of four other Persian girls at the school was, however, significant. The notion of being taken for granted for doing well and being 'OK' can be a double-edged sword. England became home. The friendships with girls from diverse cultures opened my eyes to what was going on in the world at the time. Holidays were spent with the Nicklen family in Bournemouth. They were a middle-class couple with two girls, Judy and Katherine. Iran was prospering as a result of the large inflow of oil revenue and the Shah's determination to move Iran toward Western values.
