26 April 2012

Georgetown Day at the School of Foreign Service in Qatar is a celebration of epic proportions. Now in its third year, the event was originally crafted in Washington, D.C., the home of Georgetown’s campus in the United States. Its purpose is to celebrate the successful completion of a year’s worth of coursework by Georgetown students, a substantial accomplishment given the rigorous and high quality of education provided by the university.

“It was a very successful event,” said Alex Silberman, Student Development Officer involved in the event at SFS-Q. “It definitely helped students to relax before they dove into exams.”

While designed for Georgetown students, the event uniquely welcomes the entire Georgetown community of employees, their families and SFS-Q friends to participate and join in the fun. It features an extensive and impressive number of activities, including a Faculty and Staff Appreciation breakfast, henna and face painting, an outdoor grill put into overdrive by Uday Rosario and Marco Zanferrari, a bouncy castle for Hoya children, a frozen yogurt stand that lured closet gourmands into sneaking seconds and thirds, express massage stations to unwind knotted shoulders and carpal tunnel aches, and plenty of tunes to set the Georgetown Day mood.

The weather complied dutifully, as it was a sunny and warm day, perfect for the outdoor portion of the schedule. Catering was extensive, with falafels piled high onto trays lined in a row, stacked faster than they could be consumed. Shawarmas stuffed to overflow awaited hungry revelers, and tabouleh was available as a healthy meal option.

Keeping Hoya faculty, staff and students cool were brightly colored t-shirts provided gratis by helpful volunteers. They featured Aviator glasses bearing reflections of Healy Hall at Georgetown’s Washington, D.C. campus and the VIP entrance at SFS-Qatar, symbolizing the unity of Hoya spirit from the U.S. with Qatar.

The extra change of clothes came in handy for participants in the water balloon fight, who were able to get wet without worry, while others joined in a friendly tug-of-war. Beyond the fun and games, was an acknowledgement of students involved in extra-curricular activities this year, with SFS-Q’s Office of Student Development giving the best clubs and events of the year appropriate recognition.

A quiz show tested the mettle of SFS-Q lovers of minutiae, the winners being given gift certificates for use at Virgin Megastore.

The highlight of Georgetown Day, however, was the Faculty/Staff vs. Student basketball game. Despite facing an energetic and popular student squad, the Faculty/Staff team came out victorious in the end.

Hoya Saxa!