Q Life Magazine Q Magazine (US) December 2015 | Page 30
| Issue 1
| Students visit Al Jazeera English Headquarters
“These trips build
bridges of international
understanding and
appreciation... it’s
so important to travel,
to go to places like
Qatar and see them
for yourself. I really
wish more Americans
would venture out
of the U.S. and study
abroad; it would change
everything.”
Carol Zaru,
Arabic Studies lecturer
30
| Students visit Qatar Foundation
As well as spending three days at the Doha Forum,
the students met with Qatar’s National Human Rights
Committee, and visited Qatar Foundation for Education,
Science and Community Development, and the sports
academy Aspire.
“These trips build bridges of international understanding
and appreciation,” Zaru says. “It’s so important to travel,
to go to places like Qatar and see them for yourself.
I really wish more Americans would venture out of
the U.S. and study abroad; it would change everything.”
The students echo these feelings. Sheaffer says they
were really surprised by Doha: “Because of the
American media and its perspective on the Middle
East, we really weren’t expecting such a beautiful,
modern city, such nice people. The architecture,
the skyline, they are just incredible.”
The students liked that Qatar is focusing on uniting
the Arab world. They were impressed by the visit to the
Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, which
is responsible for the preparations for the 2022 FIFA
World Cup in Qatar.
A highlight for all the students was the Museum of
Islamic Art, housed in an iconic building designed by
I. M. Pei on an island in the harbor. “It’s gorgeous,”
says Sheaffer; “the building itself, and the portico,
and seeing all the amazing artwork: old copies of the
Quran, modern depictions of Arab folk tales, that was
really cool.”