A Day in the Life of an SFS-Q student

On Monday I will return from the week-long Eid al-Adha holiday break to dive right into what is now a very familiar daily routine at the School of Foreign Service in Qatar.

I wake up around 8 am, have breakfast, and then catch the shuttle to Georgetown. Unlike main campus, all of Georgetown’s property in Qatar is in a single building. In the morning I either have a philosophy class on the meaning of happiness or a US foreign policy seminar. Taught by a former British journalist, the foreign policy class is especially interesting because I am the only white American male in the class. This has challenged my conventional beliefs about US foreign policy and has opened my eyes to non-American views of American dominance in the world.

I then head to the library to finish some schoolwork before sitting down to lunch. In no time I find a group of friends to sit down and enjoy my meal with. Since the campus is so small, it’s basically impossible to miss a familiar face when I walk through the atrium. The small atmosphere reminds me of high school: since it’s such a hassle to return home via shuttle bus, we hang out and interact on campus in the Georgetown building until our last class. The community here is very tight; I’ve gotten to know a significant amount people very well during a short period of time.

The rest of my classes take place in the afternoon. On Sundays and Tuesdays (yes, you read that right: because Islam’s holy day is on Friday, the work week begins on Sunday) I have Water Resources in World Politics and Nuclear Proliferation, and on Mondays and Wednesdays I have Religion & American Politics. Similar classes can be taken on main campus, but each class here is unique because of the different perspectives students have. For example, in Religion & American Politics, when discussing the rise of the BJP in India, we heard a very thoughtful and personal account from an Indian Christian about the vulnerabilities of religious minorities in her country.

After my 9-5 day on Campus, I either head to dinner or basketball practice, depending on the day. One of my greatest prides of my time here at SFS-Q is that I can now say I’m an official member of the Georgetown basketball team! I won’t be competing in the Verizon Center, but I’ll still have the privilege of wearing a Georgetown basketball uniform. Currently we’re preparing for the fall season in which we compete against the other schools in Education City.

In the evening, I return to the male dorms to finish my homework. Occasionally, I sit down in the common room and interact with the exchange students and freshmen from all of the various schools in Education City. By the time midnight comes around, I’m ready to rest after another fulfilling day in the small desert nation of Qatar.