Iktashif Qatar: How We Make Adventures Happen at Georgetown

By Lawrence Mararac (SFS’26).

One adventure at a time. That’s basically how I live my life, not just in general, but especially here at Georgetown. For almost three years now, I’ve been organizing Iktashif Qatar trips, and let me tell you, they’ve been some of the most rewarding adventures I’ve had the chance to lead as a student employee.

Iktashif Qatar, which translates to Discover Qatar, is a program hosted by our Student Affairs office. It’s all about diving deep into the rich culture and history of Qatar, giving Georgetown students the chance to explore this country from different angles and with fresh perspectives. It’s open to everyone, but we especially encourage first-year and international students to join. It’s such a great way to discover Qatar beyond the classroom.

We’ve gone to all kinds of places: the National Museum of Qatar, Embrace Doha, Heenat Salma Farm, Dhow cruises across the Doha Corniche, and the list keeps growing. Each trip offers something new, something exciting.

What makes it even better is organizing these trips with my amazing fellow student colleagues Khin, Sakhra, and Yasmin, and of course Angela, our lovely supervisor. It’s not always smooth sailing; there are definitely challenges along the way. But that’s part of the adventure too.Behind every trip, there’s a lot of planning—thinking about which places will be fun and educational, what students would really enjoy. Then there’s the logistics: creating posters, booking buses, coordinating with different stakeholders for reservations.

And we get to flex our creative muscles too. One of my favorite parts recently was organizing scavenger hunts, one in Souq Waqif and another around Katara’s public art. Our team came up with clues, puzzles, and handled all the promotions on social media. It was a blast.

Then comes the best part—the trip itself. That moment when everything we’ve worked for comes together. From the bus rides, where I’m often handing out snacks and pretending to be a flight attendant for a laugh (especially given my love for traveling), to the actual destinations, where we give mini tours, share cool facts, and create an engaging, lively environment for everyone. Seeing students have fun, laugh, and connect makes all the behind-the-scenes effort so worth it.

At the end of the day, despite the workload, the coordination, and the occasional hiccups, it’s always fulfilling. Always worth it. And for me, it’s about taking life one adventure at a time. Whether it’s discovering Qatar, building community, or just sharing a laugh on the bus, these experiences have shaped my time here, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

If you want to learn more about what we do in Iktashif Qatar, come visit our webpage! We can’t wait to discover Qatar with you.

“The posts and comments on this blog are the views and opinions of the author(s). Posts and comments are the sole responsibility of the authors. They do not represent the views, opinions or policies of the University.”