Yesterday we were able to get in touch with nature.
In the morning, we visited Qatar Foundation's which was home to Al Shaqab, a
complex that nurtured and trained horses in preparation for races.
Al
Shaqab is made up of stables, training areas, as well as an enormous stadium
for everyone to view the races. We were able to get an exclusive view of the
behind the scenes of how and where they trained. We even met some of the
horses! As we were touring our tour guide (humbly) listed the awards the horses
have won. The horses that we met hold countless national, regional, and
international titles.
Later
in the day, all of the students visited the Sealine Beach which is roughly an
hour away from the main city. We arrived at the beach around four o'clock in
the afternoon and decided to have dinner on the shore. We laid a couple
blankets down, purchased some food from an Arab restaurant nearby, and ate
until we all got tired.
After
about an hour or two of multiple conversations and lots of laughs, we decided
to take a walk along the water. I know it sounds like a movie, but that's
exactly how it felt. We walked down a couple miles and stopped to photograph
the beautiful sunset that was ahead of us. On our walk back we met a man who
began sharing his appreciation for Qatar’s beautiful views when he saw us
taking the pictures. He seemed just as amazed as we were, which made me realize
one thing about the Qatari people.
Since
I've touched down in Qatar I recognized that the Qatari people are truly proud
to be where they are from. They treat their country with pride, from the Royal
Family all the way down to the grains of sand. During the tour at the horse
stadium they treated their horses as people, and were not sorry to share their
accomplishments. The man at the beach was clearly proud to experience the
nature that Qatar holds. I believe believing in your country is important, and
appreciating all of the good that it gives is important as well; and that is
one beautiful quality that most Qataris possess.
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