Fathom,
I was in Iran last in 2004 and as of that time, I can confirm what your german girl said. We both gave our numbers on pieces of paper as well as received them that way. Remember, there are no clubs/bars so the street is the dominant hollering venue. How it works is this: Young people will holler anywhere but at any given time, a certain street or area will become the dominant pick-up spot, until it becomes too popular, at which point the authorities crack down. That place becoming exhausted, a new spot will "break out." When I was there, "Iran Zameen" which means "Iran land" was the pick-up street. At all times, one should be vigilant for the moral police who can cause trouble if the hollering is blatant.
Parties are also as you/she described, in Tehran (not necessarily elsewhere). However, my experience was not such that you come into a party and girls are looking to "jump you" figuratively. That said, there is definitely a great novelty factor being an american, and at the time, hip hop and house music was definitely played quite a bit at the parties I went to.
The biggest issue, hands down with hooking up in Iran is the lodging logistics. You cannot bring a non-spouse into a hotel room with you, and as of 2004 (and still today, to my knowledge) apts were not easily available for short rental a la AirBnb. This means you must have a friend with his own place, if you are visiting and hoping to hook up. This can be a challenge given that many if not most young single people still live at home in Tehran.
I was in Iran last in 2004 and as of that time, I can confirm what your german girl said. We both gave our numbers on pieces of paper as well as received them that way. Remember, there are no clubs/bars so the street is the dominant hollering venue. How it works is this: Young people will holler anywhere but at any given time, a certain street or area will become the dominant pick-up spot, until it becomes too popular, at which point the authorities crack down. That place becoming exhausted, a new spot will "break out." When I was there, "Iran Zameen" which means "Iran land" was the pick-up street. At all times, one should be vigilant for the moral police who can cause trouble if the hollering is blatant.
Parties are also as you/she described, in Tehran (not necessarily elsewhere). However, my experience was not such that you come into a party and girls are looking to "jump you" figuratively. That said, there is definitely a great novelty factor being an american, and at the time, hip hop and house music was definitely played quite a bit at the parties I went to.
The biggest issue, hands down with hooking up in Iran is the lodging logistics. You cannot bring a non-spouse into a hotel room with you, and as of 2004 (and still today, to my knowledge) apts were not easily available for short rental a la AirBnb. This means you must have a friend with his own place, if you are visiting and hoping to hook up. This can be a challenge given that many if not most young single people still live at home in Tehran.