Show Navambtir Page 4 1 5 i 1 972 flf -- I n & a vJS SONDHI LIMTHONGKUL Mohsen Bayherian Iranian student at USU to save face Iranian student brings ‘Sam Tor’ talent to USU by Sondhl Llmthongkul International editor Wearing a double breasted checked suit and flashy tie he looks more like a middle-eamovie star than a student of the Intensive English Institute His Omar Shariff's mustache adds more charisma to his personality His name is Mohsen Bayherian an Iranian student and incidentally the Rhythm Rhapsodies’s top winner “Amir an Iranian friend told me about the Rhythm Rhapsodies That’s why I was in” Mohsen told me when I met him in the Briar right after the Royal Philharmonic Mohsen’s musical instrument is called “Sam Tor” a sitar-lik- e instrument which he has played for eight years “I st have played before a crowd in Iran so I wasn’t nervous” Mohsen is fresh from Iran He came from a family of Seven — four boys and three girls He’s the second oldest in the line up His father is a telephone company manager Mohsen graduated from high school four years ago and has spent two years in the army with another two years working for a bank before he discovered America “Army in Iranian terms is to mke a boy become a man and I am happy to have served It taught me Mohsen told me over a rotten cup of coffee in the Briar Mohsen spent almost two months in the mid-webefore to on USU a friend’s coming self-disciplin- e” st THE RED FOX Play it One often wonders how seriously the Orientals regard face-savin- g is derived To begin with face-savin- g mainly from traditional customs whose roots lie profoundly within each oriental heart Traditionally one would not argue or question an elder’s wisdom He should obediently comply with and respect whatever has been handed to him Inevitably g is a matter of being respected honorably bettaanNewYork or Chicago g plays a very influential role in the daily life of any oriental There’s no exception even for those who have received western education I am reminded of one incident regarding this matter In 1966 when I was in Taipei Taiwan I shared a room with an American in the Taipei International House Michael Hoffman was doing his research in Chinese the feeling that i was a stranger literature The director of the House happened to be a like I am having here now but we very prestigious woman who graduated from Wesleyan “Maybe it s are ail human’Teings and why College in the forties Her name was Mary Sun should we be classified according toYuinstall Qne (jay Mrs Sun had orderedY the workmen to our religion or anything at all? r yY the an electric component in every shower faucet so thatTlu Mohsen priased American girls shower would be instantly heated whenever it was turn face-savin- Face-savin- the-reiigi- enthusiastically However he did not elaborate about what their good qualities are: The only thing that they dislike about them is that they are very impersonal “If she kisses you once she may on Mohsen explained his philosophy on American girls device I Hoffman resented the idea because of the fact that he might be the victim of electric shock if leakage should happen Mrs Sun in order to calm Hoffman brought in of the kiss someone else twice” the electrical engineer to explain the safety q ' of Mohsen said the night-lif- e Logan was incomparable to Tehran “I would imagine nightlife in San Francisco or Chicago would give me more excitement than a rock dance in the UC or the Cactus” He misses life in Tehran “At this time in Tehran on Friday night I would be sitting in the Moulin Rouge the nightclub in Iran" In Iran Friday is the only holiday for Saturday and Sundays are working days Mohsen cited “formality” as a difference between American and Iranian culture “At home formality is a must” he said He thinks American food is okay although he perfers Iranian food He now lives with five American students- in an - apartment off-camp- us He would like to have more associations with Americans He often writes home and tells them of the many new things that he hears in the United States He would like to travel to other parts of the country to see more “But unless the greyhound has found my luggage which they lost then I won’t be able to go” Mohsen intends to enroll as a freshman in the field of Electrical Engineering at USU “The staff members in the Intensive English Institute are the only locals who show their warmth and friendly attitude to me and I want to thank them” Mrs Sun had totally refused Hoffman’s plea with such a philosophical notion as “I took hot showers before you so don’tyou worry” Translated into English: “I’m Older than you so take my wisdom” However Hoffman resented her wisdom and wrote a letter to one of the Chinese newspapers That did it Mrs Sun who was very influential in Taiwan contacted some figures in the American Embassy Within three weeks Hoffman left the country on the charge of possessing an undesirable book called “Formosan Betrayal” which was banned in Taiwan I haven’t heard from him since g There is another aspect of which westerners can hardly comprehend That is who’s going to take care of the dinner check? When one goes to dinner in the Far East usually there won’t be “you pay yours” and “I pay mine” Whenever the bill arrives at the table everyone seems to reach for the pocket with the right hand while the left will signal others not to pay for itThe degree of sincerity will depend on how seriously the party means Sometimes it takes almost half an hour of heated argument before one can win the table’s concensus to let him pay the whole tab While at dinner the younger will have to toast wine to every elder around the table with such notion as : “May I toast one glass for you the elder and bottom up” Halfway around the table I used to find myself almost completely high on the Chinese rice wine and I still had five more glasses to go to complete the round and g Many people question this tradition of ridicule the way the orientals practice it To the g orientals is a matter of life or death Deadly rivals often being generated from conflicts in faceface-savin- face-savin- face-savin- g can not reconcile with I ao because it is impossible for Chiang to accept saving Chiang Kai-she- k defeat Tse-tun- T-- y g Nevertheless is not only being practiced in the a general meeting for ail Far East but it’s also been held by ths most has been modernized societies such as the US too What does rfP°rter SjU® the11 with honor” mean to Nixon if not withdrawl uPeace in student Ue offic Without floor of the university center being defeated g has a price tag on it too Finally i'c?py ° win be discussed jfun senio? Sometimes it costs as little as a meal but sometimes it writers and staff reporters are can also cost in terms of human lives Such is the case of urged to attend Vietnam face-savin- K : - face-savin- $ 4 4 |