Groceries delivered to my door? Yes, please!

On Friday I did something I have never done, even when living in America.

I ordered my groceries online! Yes, folks. This is the new Qom.

After using the mobile site, www.kowsareshop.com, I signed up as a new customer/user and submitted my order. Within an hour we got a call from a customer service representative who confirmed the order and told us to expect delivery within 1-3 hours.

Here is our delivery! Comes with a free tote bag!

Only a couple of things ended up going out of stock after my order, but the representative called again to let us know.

We were able to pay via card or cash upon delivery. Yes, the delivery guy comes with a card reader.

Did I mention this was FREE DELIVERY?

I found the site easy to navigate with a drop-down menu of all things related to shopping for household items. It was not only grocery, but as you can see I ordered wooden skewers and what you can’t see, is the laundry detergent (it’s in the green tote bag).

Looking forward to doing this again soon!

Shahrak Mahdiye life

After a few years of living in the “city,” we have now moved to the outskirts of Qom. To a shahrak, or small city, if you will. It’s called Mahdiye, and many Iranian and foreign students live here.

Although the shahrak itself is not new, the student complexes are now more populated and slowly the shahrak is bustling.

I was a little worried about moving out here. For one we were in the midst of it all – everything seemed relatively close, or at least a short taxi ride away. Now going anywhere close to the haram takes about 20-25 minutes. 

And what about a social life? Living in Dor e Shahr and Somayeh, I got used to walking to class or being able to easily grab a bus and go to the haram. Plus I had a couple friends literally a hop, skip and a jump away. 

But Alhamdulillah, it’s been a wonderful transition for our family. Because of our move here, we ended up buying a car to help us offset taxi costs (6-7 tomans one way?!) and traveling with kids. And we have been blessed to be in the company of great friends, who are neighbors! That means playdates in walking distance!

In fact the Western ladies in Mahdiye have started a Dua Tawassul night. We rotate the gathering of dua and Quran every week at each other’s homes. We talk, share food, and enjoy each other’s company. 

My kids also enjoy the shahrak life. They like running outside the building and we like not worrying about cars zipping by. They like to take adventures around shahrak, and it’s a nice change from being cooped up at home or always dealing with a taxi or a ride.

And did I mention Bustan Alavi is right next door? It’s a great, large park and perfect for those quick trips to alleviate boredom.

It’s interesting how we react to life’s curveballs. And how everything can change for the better simply by having a positive outlook.