On Saturday, I will attend Georgetown’s New Student Orientation (NSO) for the second time.
This time, I’ll be a seasoned Georgetown veteran halfway through his college career. No longer am I a baby freshman living away from my parents for the first time. Yet, as I begin to think about stepping foot on Georgetown’s campus in Qatar, I still have many of those feelings I had two years ago. I wonder how I’ll make friends, how difficult my classes will be, what I’ll do for fun, etc. But above all else, I’m filled with anticipation and excitement.
The School of Foreign Service – In Qatar!
The main reason why I chose to study abroad in Doha is to take Georgetown classes with renowned Georgetown professors. There are several classes I wanted to take in DC but couldn’t because they had that sneaky little designation making it available only on the other side of the world in a small but prosperous island nation. Although I haven’t yet secured my class schedule fully and will most likely move things around during the add/drop period, I know I can’t go wrong with my classes.
I will be able to classes that are all too real, studying in a hotspot for important subjects such as US Foreign & Security Policy, Intelligence & National Security, or Nuclear Proliferation & International Security. More importantly, I’ll be able to gain a new perspective on the ongoing disputes in the Middle East. With classes like Media in the Middle East or Religion & American Politics (from a Middle Eastern perspective), I’ll certainly be able to expand my worldview. When I return to the classroom in the United States, I’ll have priceless first-hand experiences in my back pocket when immersed in animated discussions about policy in the Middle East.
Something New: Introducing Doha
I’ve been fortunate enough to travel many places in my young life, but I have not yet been to the Middle East. In fact, I am currently composing this blog while visiting friends in Germany. Having lived in Germany, the German culture is an integral part of my life. I know what to expect here. I have a checklist of what I want to see, the food I want to eat, and the friends I want to visit. On the other hand, I have no idea what to expect when I arrive in Doha on Saturday. While I’ve done some research, I’ve intentionally left many of my questions unanswered so that I can keep my mind open. What I do know is that this experience will be unlike any I’ve had before.
The first subject that comes up when I tell people I’m traveling to Qatar is the weather. As I’m writing this, it’s 40°C or about 105°F in Doha. While this seems insane at first, think about the summer weather in DC. During the day it’s often 90°F in Washington – before the effect of humidity is added. Knowing that the heat in Qatar is dry heat (and everything is air conditioned anyway), it’ll be easier to survive than one may think at first.
Of course, the standard question from my college peers is not the weather but how to survive an entire semester without drinking alcohol, since Qatar is an alcohol-free country. Well, I intend on diving into Islamic society headfirst. It’ll be refreshing to live in a new way, following not just the alcohol policy but all of Qatar’s interesting laws. When I first arrived on campus as a freshman Hoya, there was little discussion among us anxious college students of what to do for fun beyond partying. Staying in Doha for an extended period of time that includes my twenty-first birthday will definitely give a new meaning to the college social scene.
It goes without saying that life in Qatar will certainly open my mind to new opportunities and ideals. Doha appears to be a fascinating city, bridging the gap between Islamic and Western culture more than most cities in the Middle East do. Its exotic skyline resembles an American powerhouse city such as New York or Chicago, yet Shari’a law connects it to centuries of history and proves that Islamic tradition still takes priority over western innovation. In a sense, Doha, which brings to the table a character of modernity mixed in with traditional values, symbolizes of who I want to become as I travel abroad. I will bring with me my own set of values I gained from my Christian Midwestern upbringing, but I will grow in understanding of what it means to be a Muslim in the modern world.
As I embark on my daylong journey to Doha on Saturday and enter unfamiliar territory, I will use what is familiar to me to be a guiding principle, but I recognize that embracing the unfamiliar is what will make this semester most meaningful for me.
