A couple of weeks ago I spent some time with my uncle and aunt. They don’t live super far, only 35 mins driving like my mom and 20 mins driving like me (I’m kidding). Although they aren’t too far from me their house seems a world of way when it comes to nature. My aunt has massive gardens with every vegetable imaginable (even some I don’t like but pretend to eat). They also have a couple of fruit trees and bushes and are even growing pomegranates. Starkly while my dad doesn’t have a green thumb, my aunt’s gardens flourish. Greener than Kermit the Frog or the Starbucks mermaid logo, her garden seems like it never dies and if it’s lagging in luster just a smidge my aunt always says, “It’s just taking a nap, it’s tiring to be beautiful you know.” But above all what stands out the most in my aunt’s “farm” of a backyard is her Narenj tree. While known by meaning names: California Sour Orange, Bitter orange, and Seville orange, my family knows it as Narenj. A Narenj is a sour type of circus fruit that resembles an orange. It wouldn’t be the most delicious snack by itself due to its bitter taste but it’s great for cooking and that is in fact what my family uses it for. Looking at the tree as I spent some time embracing the sun made me think. While it may just seem like some orange knock off it means a lot to me. When I was younger my cousins and I would always go out and pick the fruit at my aunts and grandparents house. We would then help juice them or cut them up to put on rice and meat. But now thinking about it the tree meant more than just the fruit or the picking and cooking, it was a connection to my family and my heritage. As it has been stated before, this summer I have spent time trying to find and understand my identity. It’s a struggle believe me, but I’m slowly making progress. We call the fruit of this tree Narenji because in Iran that’s what they call it. Many don’t know but my mother is half Iranian (making me a ¼)  and thus I grew up around Iranians and Iranian culture. Although the genetics are there, I never felt “that” Iranian because of my skin color, and that made me feel isolated. To be honest there aren’t many black Iranians out there, and most Iranians like to have a fair complexion. However, harvesting this tree and knowing things about it always made me feel like I fit in with my cousins. It was a time to learn Iranian culture, dishes, and just have fun and as a kid that made all the difference. Now looking at the tree I see my ancestry in it. I see a way to stay rooted in my culture even if I’m thousands away from where my mom grew up. I see my great-grandparents, my grandparents, my cousin, aunts and uncles, etc in the tree. I’m excited that I’m starting to really make connections with nature and the way I perceive myself. Memories make my tie to nature and the environment so much stronger. I too hope to plant a Narenj tree at my house and help cultivate it with my younger siblings so that they don’t have to feel the sense of lack of clarity and confusion when they are their roots.