I’m sad to say that my time in Qatar is over but I can’t leave out how grateful I am to have experienced life over there for two weeks as it’s opened my eyes greatly in regards to the Middle East. First I’d like to state how from my first impressions most of those things have held true till the end. I still feel the connection that’s between there religion and culture and how it cultivates a society much different from the United States. Qatar feels very peaceful in my opinion and I think it comes from how people carry themselves and there work ethic there. Most of the people I saw worked hard to make sure we were satisfied and taken care of. Visiting two more companies we saw how important metals and oil/gas are to Qatar as they help the economy there tremendously. It’s also important to note that my perspective of Qatar/the Middle East has changed greatly since going on this trip. I feel like I had a very cruel view of the Middle East and seeing Qatar in its seemingly peaceful nature made me realize that despite some parts of the Middle East experiencing unrest, there are some areas of peace and tranquility. Also I think I felt like that area of the world was very oppressive to women and others not in positions of power but after experiencing society there I felt like this is much farther from the truth than I imagined. Women still do things many men do and they view the cloth that they cover themselves with as a protection from others forming questionable views of women. I still feel that some progress can be made for women but I do think that my opinion of how oppressed I feel that they were has changed. Overall I’m glad I took those two weeks to experience Qatar and dive into their culture. I hope that one day I can go back to experience it all again.
Center for International Business Studies Blog