I am currently at my gate, two hours early, ready to board a flight to Miami. After that I will fly across the states to L.A. before boarding my final flight to Seattle. I woke up at 2:45am so I am well rested for this long day ;)
Nearly upon arrival in Costa Rica, or at least in the first day or so, I realized how extremely different two of the countries are that we will be living in this year. Let me explain:
When you hear Costa Rica you think (or at least I did):
Now think about Qatar and what comes to mind:
Now that we are 1 week out from our departure to Doha, I wanted to be sure to write these thoughts and stereotypes down so I could look back on them after living in both places. In my mind, the countries couldn't be more different. After living with a Costa Rican family, we got to experience first hand the tight-knit, not-much-is-hidden-from-anyone, gregarious family nature. While traveling throughout the country, and running the local streets, I had to endure the cat calls and honking that seem to be perfectly acceptable in this culture. In Qatar, I have been told, it is inappropriate to stare at a woman at all, and I have been warned not to shake the hands of my student's fathers.
The landscape, the colors, the people, the central aspects of each culture seem to be as far apart as the two countries are geographically located. I am excited to look for similarities and observe the differences in two countries that I had never before seen. So much to be learned!
Here are the first pictures that appeared on google images of each country:
See what I mean? ;)
Nearly upon arrival in Costa Rica, or at least in the first day or so, I realized how extremely different two of the countries are that we will be living in this year. Let me explain:
When you hear Costa Rica you think (or at least I did):
- Green
- Volcanos
- Beaches
- Nature
- Creatures
- Colorful
- Loud, friendly, family-oriented culture
- Tropical
Now think about Qatar and what comes to mind:
- Desert
- Brown
- Oil
- Conservative
- Shiny buildings
- Not much to do
- Very reserved people
- Rich
Now that we are 1 week out from our departure to Doha, I wanted to be sure to write these thoughts and stereotypes down so I could look back on them after living in both places. In my mind, the countries couldn't be more different. After living with a Costa Rican family, we got to experience first hand the tight-knit, not-much-is-hidden-from-anyone, gregarious family nature. While traveling throughout the country, and running the local streets, I had to endure the cat calls and honking that seem to be perfectly acceptable in this culture. In Qatar, I have been told, it is inappropriate to stare at a woman at all, and I have been warned not to shake the hands of my student's fathers.
The landscape, the colors, the people, the central aspects of each culture seem to be as far apart as the two countries are geographically located. I am excited to look for similarities and observe the differences in two countries that I had never before seen. So much to be learned!
Here are the first pictures that appeared on google images of each country:
 |
| Qatar |
 |
| Costa Rica |
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