After unsuccessful attempts for admission in public and private universities, Babak enlisted for his military service. He in fact served some time when a private university, perhaps as a result of some accepted incoming students choosing not to enroll and their spots now becoming available, contacted him and informed him that he had been accepted. Babak immediately enrolled and was released from his military service. One night as we all had gathered around at our house, Babak began telling us about his brief period in the military.

“We all went to the main office on the designated day and just stood around waiting for instructions as to when and where we should report for duty. After spending some time on the grounds and socializing with one another, a minibus pulled up and everyone was ordered to board it. Initially we thought we were headed for a different office but once the minibus approached the outskirts of the city, we realized that wasn’t the case. We got kinda worried as to where we were being taken but one guy on the bus told everyone to stop worrying and that once we got to our destination it would all become clear. What he said put everyone’s mind at ease and to further emphasize a relaxed atmosphere he began singing a Hayideh song and everyone clapped along.

“As he was singing and we were clapping, an older religious looking passenger from the front of the bus approached us and started yelling about how could we possibly be singing and causing such a ruckus when everyone is concerned about the uncertainty of our situation. The guy who was singing replied back that in fact it’s in these kind of circumstances that you need to do something to take your mind off of what’s happening. The older guy was clearly still upset and stormed off back to his seat. As if to hammer home our point, the singing guy started singing a Hayideh song again and everyone clapped along.

“After we all quieted down we suddenly started thinking that due to that guy’s age they might put him in charge of the whole group so we should probably go and apologize to him. A few of us made our way to the front of the minibus and offered him an apology. He was quick to accept it and showed his understanding by saying that he knew we were all concerned about our unclear fate and every person reacts differently to such situations. Once everyone seemed to be at peace with one another they returned to the back of the bus and celebrated with the singing guy singing a Hayideh song and everyone clapping along.

“After many hours on the road we finally stopped at what we later learned was Mahabad. We were taken to a dorm and we each picked a bed. Once we each had chosen one and had ourselves settled in the singing guy started singing a Hayideh song and everyone clapped along before we all finally fell asleep.

“In the middle of the night we were all awakened and taken to a location nearby where we were told to just lie down on the ground and await further instructions. As we all waited to see why we were brought here we were all jolted by the sudden sound of gunfire and explosions coming from every direction. Initially we thought it was just a drill but pretty soon realized it was real. We stayed flat on the ground hoping to go undetected by whatever group it was that was on a shooting rampage. We just lied there motionless, doing all that we could not to piss our pants, as the sound of the gunshots continued and the night briefly lit up with each explosion…”

Mohammad suddenly interrupted Babak and said, “And then probably the singing guy started singing a Hayideh song and everyone clapped along.”