Persian Section Spring Immersion

Six cadets participated in DFL Persian Section’s Spring Immersion program to Southern California. They volunteered for a week at a Persian-community Adult Health Day Care center where they spoke Persian to elderly Iranians with no English. In the afternoons, cadets got involved in events in the large and growing Persian community where they learned about Persian culture and participated in cultural activities leading up the Persian New Year, which fell on 19 March this year. Activities included the Los Angeles Persian Parade; a Persian professional association’s New Year gala; a Persian elementary school’s New Year performance; the House of Iran Cultural Center events; Westwood Persian New Year Fire Ceremony; and the Los Angeles Public Library’s Persian New Year event. They also visited several Persian bookstores, a publishing house, and the IMAN Iranian-Islamic center of Los Angeles. While there, they visited Persian art and rug galleries, clothing boutiques, and jewelry stores, in addition to a number of Persian grocery stores and restaurants. Cadets participated in several Persian-related private events, including one on Persian New Year’s Eve.