Brownie Book II in Iran
(Note: Brownie Book I traveled to Iran in 2008, and soon will be on display
at the Tehran Peace Museum.)
In Late April, Erica Wirtala, Troop Mother for Brownie troop 3385 of
Kalispell, Montana, encouraged the troop members to create a scrap book
telling about their interests, and where they lived. The book
needed to be self-explanatory, so that children in other countries, who
might not know English, could look at it and learn about other children
like them in Western Montana.
This was not the first “Brownie Book”. A year earlier
Troup 3385 had created such a book and it had been carried to
many cities and towns in Central Iran by members of a People to People
tour sponsored by Neighbors East and West of Richmond, Indiana.
Brownie Book II was completed on April 20, and thanks to the efficiency
of Fed-Ex it arrived in Indiana just in time for this year’s
departure five days later. The book includes a page for each
troop member, with photos depicting their life and interests. Sprinkled
among its pages are pictures of Montana wild life, a wild turkey
feather and artistic collages of hearts, flowers and other designs
created by the children. It also includes a map of the United States,
and a map of Montana, so that children could find the location of the
Kalispell troop.
Brownie Book II traveled happily to Iran in the back pack of Ruth Neff
of Whitefish, one of the leaders of the tour group of 24
Americans. Iranians of all ages were curious about the travelers,
since so few Americans visit Iran these days. The Iranian
children were often the least shy, willing to try out the little bit of
English which they knew on the foreigners. When the Brownie Book
inevitably made its appearance, other onlookers would be drawn into
this little vignette of the lives of 9 young girls living in the
Northwest. The turkey feather was always popular, eliciting cries
of “boogalaman”, the fitting Iranian name for that big bird.
Eventually there would be further conversations between Iranians and
Americans, and it was not difficult for both sides to realize that they
shared a mutual friendliness and desire to learn about each other.
All in all, the Brownie Book was looked at in six large cities in
Central Iran, and in many small villages in between. Along the way it
was part of a picnic near the tomb of Cyrus the Great, was read by a
group of Oil Company workers in the Shiraz Bazaar, and was serenaded
with the ABC song by kindergartners in Abadeh. It also was seen
at the tombs of the hallowed Iranian poets Sadi and Hafez in Shiraz,
among the ancient columns of Darius’ palace in Peresepolis, and
in the beautiful Nagash e Rostam Square in Esfahan.
Brownie Book II returned to the United States on May 10. In
its new role it will be part of programs to show that Americans and
Iranians can be friends, despite the rhetoric of their
governments. Its first appearance, fittingly, was at a Brownie
Troop meeting on May 11 in Fishers, Indiana.
(Note: Neighbors East and West is an organization based in
Richmond, Indiana, which seeks to promote understanding among citizens
of the world through people-to-people travel experiences. It
concentrates on travel to countries which are thought of as our
enemies, such as Cuba, the former Soviet Union, and, at present, Iran.)
