An American in Boston...

Hi all, we are here in Boston for a week, hubby has some work meetings & such so I tagged along for some fun & to meet one of my long time glass bead clients & maybe do some shopping...

Last night when we came in to Logan airport, while going through passport control, I was treated very badly by the immigration officer. We both walked up together & she took my passport first. As you may know when you are an American Citizen that was born in another country, your passport states your country of origin, so as soon as she opened my passport, she said, "where are you coming from & what are you bringing in to the US?", I had a Borders bag with books in it, and about $110.00 cash, so I said, "I got some books & $110.00 cash"...she said "have you been to Iran on this trip?", I said, "no". She looked at me & held my passport up a bit, with a nasty half smile & said, "why not? you are Iranian aren't you?"

I looked at her with wide open eyes & said "I am an American. I have not been in Iran for 30 years"...I said "I cannot even travel to Iran on my American Passport." She held up my passport again & said, "yeah well not on this passport", implying that I had an Iranian one, I explained with a sting of tears in my eyes, "years ago I tried to go to Iran to see my grandmother before she died, but could not." The contempt & the distaste that she had for me was so easy to feel, see & hear. Hubby was shocked after he saw the shock on my face. We both did not want to tangle with Immigration officers on racism or other attitude issues. So we just stood there while she drilled me some more, about where had I exactly been before I came to Boston, I explained we have been living in England for 5 months, I pointed to the English Visa glued inside of my American Passport & again said, "I have not been to Iran on this or any other trip for 30 years"...she gave me another disgusted look, asked where we were staying in America? Why we were here? How long we were staying?

Do all Americans have to answer this question when they return back to America from another country, is this how it works...? I cried all the way to baggage claim & beyond.

As many of you know I am a very patriotic American, I love this country, I love what it has done for my family, As much as I appreciate America, I am disgusted with Iran's new government of the last 30 years, its views, all of its hate mongering & all of its human rights violations. But I guess you can not walk around with sign around your neck that says, "I may have been born in Iran, love my Iran that is no longer there, love my family in Iran, but am an American through & through..."

Off to see Boston, the bed of so much of what is American History...

Thanks for stopping by...

Jelveh

Peace