Lebanon versus Qatar
I was born in Lebanon, but I lived and breathed in Qatar for 16 years. Although I am not Qatari, it is my home just as much as Lebanon is. For that reason, I have decided to talk about the differences and similarities between Qatar and Lebanon, since these two countries encompass my definition of home and comfort. I will also be discussing intercultural communication between the countries.
Airplane Window Pictures (taken by me) :
Beirut, Lebanon at midday Doha, Qatar at night
Spoken Language:
Lebanon's main spoken language is Lebanese Arabic, which falls under Levantine Arabic. Lebanon's secondary languages are English and French. French was picked up during the French Mandate Era and was made obligatory in schools all around Lebanon. English, however, came in to importance in Lebanon a bit later, but has hastily caught up to French in becoming another secondary language.
The main spoken language in Qatar is Arabic with predominately two different dialects: standard Arabic and native Gulf Arabic. English is the secondary language used in Qatar, and this is due to Qatar previously being a British colony back in the Colonial Era.
Cuisines:
The cuisine in Lebanon is a Levantine Cuisine, consisting of mainly whole grains, vegetables, fruits, starches, and seafood.
Some popular Lebanese dishes are Tabbouleh and Sayyadieh.
Qatari cuisine is a derivative of the traditional Arab cuisine. Their National Dish is called Machbus, which consists of rice, chicken, vegetables, and spices.
Cuisine Pictures (retrieved from Google images):
Machbus, the Qatari National Dish
Lebanese Cuisine
Traditional Clothing:
The traditional clothing in Lebanon for men is a Sherwel and a Tarboush. A Sherwel is a garment worn that resembles baggy pants. It is still found today due to its practicality among mountain folks and villagers. It is said that the baggier/fuller the pants are, the wealthier the owner. Some of the finest sherwels are made of wool and are made to stay put for a long while. Traditional clothing for women constitutes of long skirts, veils, scarfs, and a long cone-shaped headdress called a Tantour. The Tantour is not popular anymore and is barely sported.
The traditional clothing in Qatar for men are thobes, gahfeyas, ghutras, and agals. A thobe is a long white garment, worn as a sign of respect to the Qatari culture. Gahfeyas are head coverings worn by young Qatari boys along with their thobes. Ghutrahs are pieces of fabric (usually red and white) that are placed on the head, that are worn hand in hand with agals which are black ring-shaped objects used to hold the ghutrah in place. Qatari women wear a dress called a Abaya, usually accompanied by a black veil head covering called a sheila.
Intercultural communication between Lebanon and Qatar:
If we were to talk about intercultural communication between Lebanon and Qatar, we would see that there are no apparent language barriers since both countries' mother-tongue is Arabic. However, the dialect could slightly impede communication but its not a huge problem.
Intercultural communication is very important for the growth and prosperity of any country and on a smaller scale, of every person. Having intercultural knowledge helps increase your awareness of other cultures and makes you more open-minded to traditions that are foreign to you. Having lived in both Qatar and Lebanon has made me notice both the differences and the similarities between the cultures and traditions, and on a more basic level, between the habits of everyday life (and how people go about them.) This knowledge is very valuable because through understanding other cultures, we grow to understand its people.
"To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others." - Tony Robbins.
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