MAAS student Kate Eyerman wanted to properly document the 2007-2008 academic year she spent studying Arabic at Qatar University (QU) in Doha, so she and her roommate, Macey Stapleton, recently created a short film about their experience as students at the university and as residents of the country’s capital city. Please see below for Kate’s introduction to the film.
Zain, by Kate Eyerman
My roommate and fellow scholarship student, Macey Stapleton, and I created this short film, entitled Zain, during our last week in Doha for our graduation ceremony at the Arabic for Non-Native Speakers Program at Qatar University. We attempted to portray our experiences at the university, but we also aimed to depict characteristics of life specific to the city, such as the falcon shop. I also garnered a certain level of fame and new friends in the souq as a result of my donkey-riding escapade. Each viewing of Zain reminds me of the hilarity of that situation as well as all my collective experiences in Doha.
The film’s title is a word from the Qatari dialect meaning “good” or “okay,” though it comes from an Arabic root meaning “beautiful.” It’s heard everywhere in Qatar.
My year in Doha amounted to much more than just a period of studying Arabic, and I hope this film aptly portrays the depth of my experience.