Upon initially entering the city of Doha, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect in terms of the customs, culture, and way of life. My only experience with the gulf region was from before starting elementary school while visiting my grandparents who used to live in Abu Dhabi, but even if I did remember anything from that distant memory, the immense amount of development in the past 20 years has completely transformed the region. The technological advancements and incredible infrastructure was evident upon arriving at the airport, ranked among the best in the world. After exploring the city for the first few days it seemed like the country had bottomless pockets when it came to infrastructure development. The metro worked quite well, the malls had an endless amount of shops, and the downtown area had stunning skyscrapers along the coast.
In a business sense I hoped to gain valuable insight into how companies operate within the framework of a monarchy, especially with recent requirements of majority Qatari ownership for businesses being lifted. The attractive tax laws and proximity to many major economic players in the world allow for ventures to scale fast when given the resources. Understanding how people interact and how to make connections in a foreign setting plays a huge part in business expansion should I ever intend to tap in to the Qatari and broader middle eastern markets.
In terms of contrast from American culture, many of the locals wore their traditional clothing despite the majority of the expats wearing what seemed to look like “normal” western clothing. Religion plays a massive part in daily life, and we were able to witness the call to prayer as well as a difference in business hours to accommodate Islamic obligations. Although there were stern differences, pop culture and many American restaurants had proved their immense influence while observing my surroundings.