June 2025 Update: A Trip to Remember

This year has pushed Carly and me to new limits as a couple. We moved out of temporary housing and into a new apartment under challenging circumstances, navigating layers of stress and instability. At the same time, we’ve been raising two young children with an unreliable patchwork of childcare, repeatedly disrupted by daycare and babysitter cancellations. Just as the demands increased, our initial local support system dwindled, but other friends and Marcel and family have stepped up to support us. Through it all, Carly has been nothing short of superhuman. 

She’s now reached B1 in German, a milestone that alone feels like a full-time job, all while caring for a one-year-old and a four-year-old every day. Her strength and perseverance continue to inspire me.

In May, my father-in-law and I took a meaningful trip through France and Switzerland. We briefly stopped in Strasbourg before continuing on to Souboz and several towns in the canton of Bern, my birthplace, to trace his genealogical roots.

Carina now speaks German and has a native accent, and Jacey will be starting daycare soon. At home, I’m very much committed to speaking Persian with them, doing my best to help them stay connected to that part of their identity.

We don’t know when we’ll next visit Seattle, but the thought isn’t constantly on our minds. 

On the research front, I’ve made a few submissions recently and have two or three more either in preparation or in revision. I’m learning to be bold, to quadruple down on my convictions, and it’s beginning to show.