My Life in Iran — Part 1
Growing Up With Uncertainty
My name is Mohammad, and I am 25 years old.
I live in Iran.
To someone looking from the outside, my life might seem ordinary. But growing up here has taught me that ordinary life can sometimes be difficult to hold on to.
I grew up during years of economic pressure, sanctions, uncertainty, and war.
There were times when having a stable income felt like a dream.
Prices kept changing. Things that were affordable yesterday could become expensive tomorrow. Planning for the future was not always easy because you never knew what the next few months would bring.
And then there was the fear that came with war.
When you live through difficult times, you begin to understand that peace is not something everyone takes for granted. Sometimes, simply being able to live a normal day without worrying about what might happen next feels valuable.
I am not writing this because I think my life is more difficult than everyone else's.
Millions of people have their own stories.
I am writing because this is my story.
I am 25 now, and I still don't have everything I want.
There have been times when I had little or no income. Times when I wondered how I would build a better future. Times when I looked at other people's lives and wondered why some things seemed so much easier for them.
But I am still here.
Still trying.
Still looking for a way forward.
Maybe that's what growing up in difficult circumstances teaches you.
You learn that life doesn't always give you a fair starting point.
But you can still keep walking.
This is only the beginning of my story.
And I have a lot more to tell.