In the middle of nowhere

What I am about to write is something I couldn't believe years ago. Lavan is an island far from the hustle and bustle of cities and the most deprived area you could ever imagine. Located at south of Iran, Lavan Island is one the richest areas in the country in terms of oil and gas. However, its people are living in misery. They even don't have the minimum requirements for a normal life such as a hospital or utilities.

Discrimination is the major problem there. People who their homeland provides the whole country with money and resources live in a devastating situation. Some of them even have nothing to eat. Whenever a pregnant woman wants to give birth, she has to be conveyed on a boat for almost hour. Many women die on that boats. The two huge oil facilities near them just exploit them without any provisions. Although some of them work in those companies, they face discrimination every single day.

My wife, Ensie, was so determined to live beside me despite the fact that I had to work in Lavan two weeks monthly for a living, where no stranger could resist beacuse of its harsh weather. The temperature would as high as 50 degrees Celsius and was unbearable for a young girl.

But love is the most powerful driving force to endure the difficulties. She insisted on living in Lavan because of me. Because she loved me unconditionally. The very first day of arrival was terrible. Our refrigerator was not functioning and when we opened the door she almost vomited. There was a bad smell inside the house and we had to clean up everything and fix the refrigerator.

Time passed by and we went to another house. One evening when I came home from work, I saw my wife was almost dying. The electricity was gone and she had passed out because of the extreme heat. Although I yaled at her and told her not to come here anymore, she responded with a beautiful smile "I love you". I couldn't sleep that night. I had never seen someone so desperately in love to the extent of sacrificing herself.

Our house was filled with lizards and we had to get rid of them every single day by a long stick.

After a while we saw a snake in our house and we were frightened. We escaped the house and went to our landlord's. She couldn't sleep that night and was overwhelmed by nightmares for months.

I know it's unbelievable but when she went to the only school of the Island and told the principal she would voluntarily teach pupils whom then didn't have a teacher, he humiliated her and told her she's not certified to be a teacher although she had a M.Sc. degree in Chemical engineering.

She persisted and came up with the idea of starting an English class for kids. Kids where delighted because no one had held such classes before. As people there speak Arabic it was too difficult for us to teach them correct pronunciations. We realized that they were super talented. They soon excelled, much faster than a child in cosmopolitan cities.

My wife was the only nonresident lady in the island and she felt too lonely. However, she established a campaign to collect garbage from the streets on which were lots of plastics or discarded food.

She is the most perseverant woman in the world, in my view. And has uplifted love and affection to a new level.

She has touched my heart and has made me a better person. Her exuberance set a good example for me to never give up.

I love you Ensie.
This is a true story.