Like a Sunrise for Me
I have been in RC in Tehran, Iran, for more than eleven years and was recently certified to teach RC. In October, another Co-Counselor from Iran and I went to Mumbai, India, for a three-day teachers’ and leaders’ workshop led by Niti Dandekar, the Regional Reference Person for India.
We worked on many topics, like how our discharge was stopped after our birth, how leading can feel lonely, and all of the obstacles that prevent us from fully fighting for ourselves. Many good directions helped me discharge on deciding to be a leader, which is good for my Community. We also worked on the Guidelines* and shared our difficulties with using rules.
All the classes were translated into the languages represented at the workshop, and each language was made central by being up in front for twenty minutes. This worked against English-language domination and was good for all of us.
The last day started with discharging anger. At first I was afraid to try it. People were screaming so loudly! I was scared to take a turn, because I had never had permission to show my anger like that. But after trying it, I could feel how much of a difference it made and how it would change my life if I could keep having those kinds of sessions.
When we shared our highlights of the workshop, mine were the hope and love from each face. Saying goodbye was difficult for me, because it felt like saying goodbye to people who had become like my dear family.
Before we returned to Iran, we had the chance to attend an RC class in Mumbai. People came from many places across the city to share their hope and love for us in Iran. I think the Indian and Iranian RC groups can help each other even more now that we have built our relationships more deeply.
We returned to Iran full of hope and energy for progress in RC. My goal for RC in Iran is to teach RC to many people to help them change their lives.
Each workshop I attend is like a sunrise for me.
Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
(Present Time 182, January 2016)
* The Guidelines for the Re-evaluation Counseling Communities—the policies for the RC Communities