Learn Persian with Chai and Conversation Growing Up Ironi, an interview with Yara Elm Jui.

Hello and welcome to Growing Up Yerunee, an interview with Yara Elm Joui.

I'm your host, Leila Shams.

In this series, we profile members of the Iranian diaspora who are navigating their relationship with the Iranian culture and Persian language.

Yara is a Webby Award-winning,

James Beard-nominated, video producer, journalist, and host at AJ Plus. He produced a four-part

documentary series for AJ Plus about Iranian-Americans in which he profiled many Iranians living

in the United States. One particularly touching part of the series was about his own family.

Despite growing up in the US, he moved to Iran after college for two years to work as a journalist and translator there.

I've been following him on Twitter and Instagram for a while and have always been drawn to his engaging videos

and loved the way he translates Iranian culture for an irrational audience.

So I wanted to talk to him and see what sparked his love for Iranian culture and how he was

so well versed in the language despite having grown up in the United States. So here's my interview

with Yara. Hope you enjoy. Well, Yara, El Mjoui. Welcome to Learn Persian with Chai and Conversation.

Thank you so much for talking with me today.

Thank you so much for having me, Leila.

Yeah, so you're my first interview where up until now I've done this series,

Raising Nimrunis or Growing Up Nimruni, so you're my first full iruni.

Oh, yeah, Tamomiruni. Exactly. So you're my first full, Yiruni. Oh, yeah, Tamom Yiruni.

Exactly. So you're my first guest as a growing up Yerini. So thank you.

Amazing. It's a pleasure.

Yeah. So tell me a little bit about your background. So where were you born?

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