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When Nadya Khalilian and her family traveled to Iran this past summer, they crossed a great barrier of cultures and languages to meet their extended family.

"My dad is Iranian and he hadn't been back home in 27 years," said Nadya, a freshman at Patrick Henry High School.

So Nadya, 15, boarded a plane to Tehran with her mother, father and two brothers, Sam, 13, and Kian, 8. Together, the family embarked on an 18-day adventure, ready to get a taste of life in another country and to spend time with relatives, many of whom they had never met.

"Most of our family spoke a little English," said Nadya, "but we had cousins who spoke no English, so we played a lot of cards, and we made up a game using tops. We taught them how to play spoons and that was very popular."

Iranian cuisine was one of many new experiences for Nadya and her family. "When you asked for a soda, they would ask ‘orange, white or black’ for Fanta, Sprite, or Coke," Nadya said.

"We had a lot of fast food. Everything was completely different than American fast food, although they were trying to copy what we have. Their hamburgers were twice the size of ours, even the kids’ burgers. Their chicken nuggets were 4 or 5 inches long, and their french fries tasted like real potatoes."

A typical home-cooked meal, Nadya said, was always served with rice. Iranians, she said, are also "world famous for their kebob, or grilled meat."

The Khalilians also had to adjust to the Iranian style of dress. "Outside, the women wore high waters or long pants," Nadya said. "They covered themselves with something similar to a thin trench coat, but stylish and sometimes extremely tightfitting.

Nadya’s coat was bright orange, and she said she always wore a leopard print scarf to cover her head. "The scarves were many different sizes and very colorful," she said. "The woman in the store told me that the style for teenage girls was to be sure to let their long hair show from the back."

Nadya observed that one of the big differences between America and Iran is the amount of freedom that young people have. In Iran, she said, "the opposite sex is not allowed to be seen in public together if they're not married to each other or related."

Instead of going out, she said, they do a lot of instant messaging, and "some of the more daring ones go out when the rest of the city is napping. They go to the malls or do a lot of hiking in the mountains, where the rules are more laid back." When hiking, some teenage girls even take off their scarves and put on baseball caps instead.

The MTV in Iran was uncensored, and Nadya said many people seemed to have the TV on constantly. Other popular activities for teenagers included playing and watching soccer, swimming and hanging out at the gym.

But even though their freedom is often restricted, the Iranians Nadya observed still managed to have a vibrant social life. "Iranians cook, eat and dance a lot," she said. "They go out late at night to eat or shop and stay out past midnight even on the weekdays."

Nadya was very surprised by her trip, saying that Iran was "not at all" what she expected. She said she thought that "it would be dirt roads and poor living conditions, but in reality, it was modern and busy." The only time she didn’t feel safe, Nadya said, was in the cars.

"The only way to describe the traffic," she said, "is that it’s completely and utterly insane. For instance, on a busy highway they might stop and back up for any reason, like a missed exit."

Nadya has many memories from her trip that will last a lifetime. But she said there is one simple reason why she wouldn’t want to live in Iran: "I would have to wear a scarf every day," she said, laughing.