This First Person article is the experience of Maryam Azimzadehriani, a freelance journalist in Montreal. For more information about CBC’s First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
The fear of being isolated has long been the most potent stressor in my life. When I was born in Iran in the 1980s, my country had already been at war with Iraq for years. Some of my first memories are of my family isolating in dark underground tunnels to stay safe from bombardment attacks on Tehran.
I stayed in the tunnels with my grandmother during the day while my parents went to work. I
