very good point, however..Qatari are a very private people...altho the ones I've met and made friends with are always the most polite and humorous folks, its still difficult to know the family life.

I would also never think anything cultural would be boring. I certainly would attend to learn more about the Arab culture and traditions. What I learned about the area and people here before I arrived, is now quite funny, having experienced life in Doha. Its like anywhere else...the slanted viewpoints that you get from your own country and what is reality are so very different!! And yes, that goes from both directions! I have met friends from Iran that thought all Americans were mean and rude...and were so surprised when they met actual Americans who were kind and friendly that it changed their opinions immediately. Its sad that we can't all just make our own impressions of other countries by ourselves without the outside pressure of propaganda.

Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked,the good fortune to run into the ones I do,and the eyesight to tell the difference.