Tyrol
- Marjane wakes up every morning to the sound of Lucia's hairdryer. The dulcet tones of Steve Innskeep, it ain't.
- At school, Marjane is teased for her less-than-expert French: one of the kids tells her the word for "dick" instead of "ruler," prompting her to ask a boy "can you lend me your dick?" (21.17), much to the delight of her peers.
- She does make friends, though: Momo, Julie, Thierry, and Oliver.
- Soon it's Christmas break and everyone goes home for the holidays… except Marjane. They don't celebrate Christmas in Iran.
- Lucia invites Marjane to the Tyrol, in the southwest of Austria, to spend time with her family.
- Marjane really likes it there, except for the midnight Mass that lasts until 3 a.m.
- After the trip, Marjane feels, "I had a new set of parents [and] Lucia was my sister" (21.51-21.52).