I was born in Tehran, Iran, on the 11th of Shahrivar, 1356 (September 2nd, 1977), and lived in Iran until 1985, when I moved to Germany with my family.  The events taking place in Iran and the role of the government in society have had a tremendous impact on me and my life.  They have helped shape my perspectives and ideals.

I moved to a city named Aachen (axis la chapelle) in Germany at the age of 8.  In attending Catholic school in Aachen, I expanded my perspectives on religions of the world and my own religion.  I traveled throughout Europe a great deal during my residence there.  At the age of 13, I moved to the U.S. on Dec. 20, 1988!  Learning English was rough, but I hardly remember the process now.  I was in the sixth grade then! 6th grade was fun, Being around a lot of other kids, but not having a single clue as to what they were saying!

In 1988, I moved to Atlanta and have resided here since.  Now, nearly 13 years later, I graduated from Emory University  and have tried to do something with my life, to take advantage of the opportunities available to me in this great country.  I think I am doing ok at that!  The sky's the limit for dreams!  And I love to dream! (Didn't someone famous once say, "When you stop dreaming, you stop living!")  The United States is truly the place to do that, "to dream"!   It is truly a land where opportunity exists for everyone and anyone who has the  will can achieve what they desire.  I am now at the Medical College of Georgia where I graduated with my medical degree and am now training to be a neurologist, a profession that I hope will allow me to do that.

Experience in college and medical school have helped me realize that laboratory and basic science research does not hold my attention for very long, but that clinical research in an area of interest can be very stimulating and rewarding.  It is with the changing face of medicine today, that I feel staying involved in research throughout my career in the future will be a great opportunity to be involved in advancing the cause of medicine, in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Being an expatriate from Iran, I do not agree with many of the beliefs and actions of the new regime, yet Iran is still the land of my birth, a land whose people are under oppression. For me, claiming that I am Persian and Iranian goes way beyond the present government. I take claim of the 2500 year history of Persia, the civilization, culture, and kind-hearted people that have come to represent what being Iranian and Persian is really about.   So every now and then I have to choose Iran over the US, such as in Soccer and Wrestling.  Andre Agassi made Tennis easy for me, I can just root for the Iranian American!   "Vatanam Iran, Khoone Tanam Iran!"

I am an avid fan of music, plays, and foreign films.  I play a little guitar too.  I love sports, all sports, running, basketball, soccer, and volleyball. For the past 5 years I have been running 10 kilometer races (6.2 miles), more competitively in recent events. I trained for the United States Marine Corps marathon in Washington DC, but was unable to participate due to injury.  I hope at some point, I will try to get back to the 40/week mileage and be able to run the USMC or Chicago marathons.  I did have a chance to tag along in the Brussels marathon, when I was backpacking there.  For the record: I did not finish. 

I love digital photography, editing, and web design.  I'm just starting to experiment with Flash, and love it.  Look for more flash on my website soon.

In summary, I am focusing on trying to live a happy life with my beautiful wife, making the most out of my life and career before retiring and starting my own business with my wife, and contributing to the society that has given me so much!  I hope I succeed at one level or another.