On Independence Day this year, Will Boland of Helena will savor his freedom a little more than he has in the past.

A trip to Iran in April gave Boland a better understanding of what it's like to live in a country where the government and organized religion combine to dictate everything from what people wear to how they live.

But it also reinforced his belief that people in the world have more in common than they might think and that just because two nations are enemies doesn't necessarily mean that their residents are adversaries, too.

"The people we met loved Americans," Boland said. "When we would step off the bus they would flock to us. They could smell the freedom around us in the way we acted, in our behavior and in the way our speech was uncensored. They're constantly watching what they say and do because of the government.

"Their lack of freedom made me realize how fortunate we are here to have that, no matter what's going on in this country. We have fundamental, rock-bottom freedoms that are priceless."

Boland, who has traveled the world since he was a teenager, said his Iranian adventure began last winter when he was searching for a new destination to explore. He heard about a group called Neighbors East and West, which sponsors trips to countries the U.S. government has hostile relationships with, and was intrigued.

"They travel to ostensible enemy countries, to try to create neighbors. They're peacemakers, who went to the Soviet Union in the 1980s, to Cuba in the 1990s and to Iran last year," Boland recalled this week, sipping coffee at the Firetower cafe. "They had a line on visas, which aren't easy to get, and I knew if I was with them I might be able to get one of those visas."

His decision to travel to Iran - where 52 American diplomats were held as hostages for 444 days in 1979-80 and one of President George W. Bush's infamous three "Axis of Evil" countries - came as a shock to many of his friends and family members.

"A week before I went I stopped saying I was going to Iran because everyone I told would make the sign of the cross over me," he said, laughing. "They'd ask if I had a death wish, then tell me to be safe and watch out. So when we landed (in Tehran) all of us were kind of pumped up from fear.

"But as usual, that was overblown."

His group included 24 people, and the Iranian government wanted to keep them on a tight leash. They were told to be with their guide, a woman called Mana, at all times and to stick together as a group. They were fingerprinted upon arrival and initially weren't even allowed to leave the hotel at night to go for a walk.

"Some of us felt we might do more friend-making, like meeting organizations of like-minded unions, student organizations or government officials, but there was none of that," Boland said. "(Our guides) got their marching orders that if we were coming as tourists, that's all we could do."

But those were the government's rules. Boland quickly found out that many people in Iran wanted to talk to Americans, didn't always agree with their government, and rebelled against being told what to wear - including their guide. Eventually they also were allowed to split into smaller groups.

He's quick to point out that they mainly stayed in urban areas, and that the rural communities probably are much more conservative and in agreement with government policies.

Boland describes Tehran as a little shabby, a sprawling city of concrete, steel and glass structures bordered by majestic mountains toward the north.

"The downtown is almost like New York City, with a big, bustling feel, but there weren't any big trucks or SUVs, just little cars," Boland said. "They have the biggest traffic problems I've ever seen, though, it's just gridlock.

"And they have no respect for the rules of law when it comes to traffic. The red lights mean nothing, nor do the stop signs. Yet they have to be really cooperative with their attitudes, otherwise they don't move anywhere."

He said the oppression in the country manifested itself at unusual times. One day, he watched women in the black burkas come out of a van - Boland called them the morality police - and check to ensure other women's hair was fully covered by scarves and that couples weren't holding hands.

Another day, they were in the town square at Esfahan, surrounded by people relaxing and chatting, when Boland heard loud, strident music.

"A van with speakers came into the square, and behind it was a line of men who looked like hoodlums," Boland said. "Thousands of people in the square suddenly got quiet; they were still talking and trying to have fun, but something had changed."

He learned that the men were members of the Basij, a pro-government military group among the most feared in Iran. They're known for shadowy nighttime raids and violent attacks.

"It took 25 minutes for them to pass through the square, and when they had left a cloud still remained," Boland said. "That quashed any idea that maybe this place wasn't so bad. It was spooky. You could feel fear in the air."

His group also visited the town of Abyaneh, founded in 900 A.D. and Shiraz, home of the famous wine-making grapes. In Qom, the religious center of Iran, they spoke with an ayatollah, a name given to respected leaders among Shiite Muslims.

"He seemed very smart, very hospitable and let us pepper him with questions," Boland said.

Despite the predominance of government and religious rules, Boland said he did see small signs of rebellion, like women dressed from head to toe in black sporting bright green shoes or blue sunglasses, or showing a little hair. In private conversations, he was told that nine out of 10 women would like to do away with the mandated head scarves

He had mixed emotions when he left; sad to have stayed for only two weeks, but happy that he doesn't live in a country like Iran.

"The government takes away your public freedoms and the religion takes away your personal freedom. You're told how to dress, what to say, what kind of music to listen to. You can't even hold your girlfriend's hand walking down the street," Boland said. "But under all those black burkas is all this color coming out, and that's what represents Iran to me today.

"I've been to many hard places, but I've never come back feeling so good about the freedoms we have here. That covers up a lot of our sins."

Eve Byron: 447-4076 or eve.byron@helenair.com