Shabnam Jahromi | Muslimah PDX

In Between Portland and Iran

Shabnam Razeghian Jahromi, a 35-year-old Iranian woman, had always dreamed of coming to the United States. After her fifth visa denial, she secured an F-1 student visa in 2011 and arrived in America at the end of that year. Maybe Portland is her lucky city or six is her lucky number. She started her Ph.D. program in computer engineering at Portland State University. She now works at Jama Software’s Portland headquarters as a software engineer.

By Winnie Huang

June 01, 2017

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“If I were in Iran, I wouldn’t mind saying that I’m a Muslim.”

Shabnam talks about her personalized lyrics poster, Pardeh Neshin and introduces herself inside Portland apartment.

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“Portland is mostly white, but it’s open minded white people mostly.”

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Shabnam speaks of her daily life experiences as an Iranian woman in Portland, Oregon.

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“I was going through a divorce that was very difficult. I didn’t have the right to get a divorce.”

Shabnam tells the story behind the photo with her brother on her fridge: her 30th birthday’s celebration after she arrived in America.

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“What if this is it? This is immigrant life.”

Shabnam’s parents still live in between Iran and US and her brother’s family lives in Los Angeles, California. She hopes that one day her family will all be together in one place.

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“I sat on that rug right in the middle of the circle. . . I was crying so loud, and I couldn’t stop.”

Shabnam fell in love again after her “unacceptable” divorce. She talks about her recent breakup in Portland, Oregon.

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“Love is just this spectrum, that just like different variations of it, but it’s all love.”

Shabnam is reading Wine of the Mystic : The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (Self-Realization Fellowship) for her book club. It illuminates new interpretations for her on life, love, and family.