I imagined Iran would be far more
conservative than what I found it
and very restrictive and when I arrived here,
it was so different than what I expected.
I've never felt anything but really
welcomed so when people walked past
and talked to me in the street they're just
talking to you because
they want to welcome you to their country
and they're generally just interested in who you are and where you come from
and that's not something I've experienced 
anywhere else.
We also went up into the mountains
 for a village stay with a local family
And made this completely beautiful
 home cooked cooked meal for us
As part of the village stay we made
local bread with the mum.
She made it look effortless and then when I sat
opposite her trying to sort of copy what
she was doing I realised really quickly
that it was actually quite difficult,
but it was really really fun and they were really
encouraging and there was lots of laughing
and I was really great experience
My absolute favorite thing about Iran is the people hands down the people
The food's been amazing I must admit I do like food
but definitely the people, 
the people are so warm, so hospitable and just so kind
You can ask all sorts of
questions about what it's really like
being an Iranian and how things are
changing in society so it's it's been
fantastic to have people who are really
quite open and willing to share things
about their life with you.
I think more than ever now is the time
for people to want to get out there and travel
to show people that you're not
afraid to come somewhere in the Middle East
that you're open to their culture
and to who they are.
