Come and dive into the wonderful country of Qatar with me and see all that it has to offer! Typically, when a Westerner thinks of a Middle Eastern country they may believe it to be underdeveloped, dangerous, and not modernized. However, since landing in Qatar one week ago, I?ve realized that all these preconceived ideas and stereotypes are not truthful.?
As soon as I exited the plane, I found myself in an airport much nicer than many airports in the United States and greeted by many friendly workers. One of the most noticeable things about the airport that I continued to see everywhere I went in Qatar was how clean everything was. Cleanliness is a value that the Qatari people take great pride in and is even reflected as an important ideal in the Islamic faith.?
One of the most exciting parts of my trip so far was our group’s first major outing, which was an overnight desert safari. We began the evening by driving four-wheelers in the desert. It was my first time ever driving a four-wheeler and it was so much fun doing circles and going really fast with everyone. Next up we hopped into the Toyota Land Cruiser and made sure we were all buckled up because for the next hour we would drive through the dunes. It was a bumpy ride, but an amazing and thrilling experience. I wouldn?t dream of doing something like that back in the United States, but to people from Qatar this was a normal occurrence. For the rest of the night, we enjoyed each other’s company and explored the beach. The next morning we woke up before the sun had even risen and took pictures on the beach. To finish off the outing each of us took turns riding camels. I had never been that high up on an animal and it was a surreal moment, thinking about how people in this region have been riding camels for hundreds of years for transportation, trade, and recreation.?
On top of the amazing outings, sites, and activities I?ve gotten to experience, the food and hospitality here in Qatar are way above what I expected. Everyone here is so friendly and doesn?t hesitate to say good morning or strike up a conversation. One very pleasant interaction our group had that I can recall was with our waiter, Hamed, at a restaurant called Food and Drink. Hamed asked us about where we were from and what brought us to Qatar along with being super friendly and helping us with anything we needed. We left the restaurant not only full but with a greater understanding of Qatar?s culture and a new friend in Hamed.?
I want to close off this post by thanking Mays CIBS for creating such a wonderful abroad opportunity for myself and my peers. Additionally, a huge thank you to Dr. McFarland and Stephanie Martinez for helping to organize events and make sure everyone is having a great time!
