A native of Shiraz, Iran, Farideh landed in Tidewater in 1975 She is the author of two memoirs, Wedding Song: Memoirs of an Iranian Jewish Woman, about her childhood in Iran, and Leaving Iran: Between Migration and Exile, about her family’s departure from the country, her relationship with her father, and her adjustment to life in the United States.
Not one to sit still, Farideh lectures for presentations and workshops on a variety of subjects and is now a frequent traveler on the highways between Norfolk and Washington, DC.
Profession/Job retired from: Director of Old Dominion University’s Institute for Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding and senior lecturer in English.
Retired: December 2016 after serving as director for nearly six years and teaching for 15 years at Old Dominion University and at Tidewater Community College.
Previous work: Taught English as a second language in Iran when in college; was a salesperson in New Orleans, selling Argentinian leather purses, shoes, gifts at LeSac; selling designer dishes, flatware, gifts and furniture at Century 21; and sold jewelry at Adler’s.
Work continues: In my husband, Dr. Norman Goldin’s office, doing account payables.
Favorite aspect of retirement: I can spend more time with my daughters and grandchildren without feeling overwhelmed.
Now spending time: I have always wanted to study journalism. I am enrolled at Georgetown University School of Continuing Education, getting my master’s degree in journalism. Being a student in the digital age has been quite challenging and fun.
Future goals: I hope to be able to find a job freelancing. I have loved my video classes. I am learning how to tell a story through images. I find it to be quite fascinating. I am working hard to learn it as if it is a foreign language. Most my classmates are in their 20s. My teachers are sometimes younger than my daughters. It is at times scary, but I love it.
Advice for people contemplating retirement: Retirement is the time to do what you have always wanted to do, but couldn’t find time or didn’t have the opportunity to do.