Influences of living in Qatar Setareh Gerashi 9B When asked where I lived, I would choose to dwell, Qatar was never my first choice. It was not until recently that I realized Qatar is my home. Despite the fact I was born in Tehran, Iran, and visit there every year, Qatar is the place that has molded me into the person I am today. It is where I was raised for most of my life, so this is the only home I know of. I moved to Qatar as soon as I was old enough to start grade one, and those first years I spent in Iran are transparent and faint. While thinking about my country of origin, Iran, I realized how different my life would have been if I lived there. It is then that I appreciated the significance of living in Qatar and the impact it has had on me. Living in Qatar has allowed me to interact with people from all over the world. I met people who had come here as expatriates just as myself, and we discover the mutual thoughts we share about this country that we fondly call ‘the sandbox’. Living here has not only enabled me to not only attend an International English speaking school, but meet people from diverse countries and cultures. I realize that every year I meet new people I learn something about their culture. I used to believe a couple of years ago that I would have a good understanding of different cultures from just knowing what the country’s religion and main language was. However, I was completely wrong. Now I realized that, to learn about other people’s cultures, you must talk to one who has experience it. From all the years of residing here, I had managed to acquire a basic understanding of the Arabic language. I hated this language at first. I despised the strong accent they used to pronounce unusual words. As time passed by, I began understanding the value of this beautiful language, the language that has allowed me to have a wider choice of communication with people. It’s had a significant impact on me as it has enabled me to get spiritually closer to the religion of Islam. This, I believe, has made me become a better and more responsible Muslim. Qatar, as a Muslim country, has helped me to preserve my religion and be within a community that shares common beliefs. Arabic has not only helped me to communicate within Qatar, but also in the vast amount of Arabic countries in the South West Asia and Middle East region. Arabic has also become a mandatory subject in school which was an effective way of learning this common language. Knowing about the Arabic script has enabled me to become a decent Muslim. It has enhanced my knowledge about the several branches Islam has, and how I can differentiate between them. I have learned to respect them along with the other religions such as Christianity, Buddhism and Judaism. Living here for twelve years, English, the language with the highest usage in the world, has become my second language. This gives me an edge while facing the real world. I learned the basics of the Arabic language which I can now use to talk with the Arabic speaking people. The significance of speaking Arabic is that I can now communicate easily when I visit souqs. This is important since souqs are one of the main traditional areas of this country. Knowing this
language has helped me talked easily with the sellers. It made me to learn the Qatari culture easily, allowing me to fit and blend in better once knowing this country . I have noticed that language has greatly impacted me culturally. It has allowed me to learn the holy religion of Islam much better, getting me spiritually closer to god. It has not only made me read the Qur'an script more precisely, but has made me understand the meaning and the importance behind it. This language has helped me blend in with the rest of the Qataris and Arab community helping me make more Arabic friends. Living in Qatar has helped me form my identity and realize who I am.