My time in Qatar was thoroughly enjoyed, I highly recommend everyone travels to the Middle East. We as Americans have a lot of misconceptions about that area of the world, as do they about us. I can tell you firsthand that I felt safer in Doha than I have in any city I have visited in America; contrary to popular belief, the Middle East is not a constant war zone. It’s a beautiful place with a beautiful culture. However, during my interactions with the locals, I grew aware of stereotypes Americans hold in this country. To many Qataris, America is seen as “sin city”. This is primarily due to our media. Our society has grown insensitive to these things while in Qatar, things like this are filtered. Both stereotypes made me think deeply about the world, we must take the time to understand one another before judgement. People are people.
A huge realization I had while abroad was what it means to have a US passport. It is a privilege that I was unaware of. Business in Qatar is unique. The market is not a free one. The country is ruled by a royal family, an amir. Whatever the amir says, goes. There is no disagreeing with him. Before coming to Qatar, I assumed that this country would not operate under a capitalist market and that the government would have their “hands” in every business. This assumption was accurate. Almost every business is 51% owned by someone of high Qatari power. There are some exceptions to this rule, but in general it would be hard to independently own a company in this country.
Overall, I had an amazing experience studying at TAMUQ. The campus was beautiful, (but much smaller than the campus here at college station). One of the best parts of the trip was interacting and hanging out with the local students. The student population is diverse, it led to a lot of interesting conversations. I am thankful for this experience and the students that I traveled with- they made the trip exceptionally great!
