People from different cultures have diverse ways of interacting and exchanging ideas. Witnessing how they conduct themselves in public spaces is a crucial way of appreciating such variances. During my thick description project, I chose to observe English culture to compare the same with that of an Islamic setting since I am a lady from Qatar. This could have helped me to understand my audience further and appreciate the fact that even though we were created in the same image, we are diverse in how we conduct ourselves. My observation was done at London on midday since this could accurately bring out the aspects of the subjects given that it is on a busy day that various elements can be highlighted.

During my observation, my focus was on women. This is based on how they dressed, greeted each other and even talked with their male counterparts. In the English setting, more than sixty percent of the ladies I saw wore pairs of trousers although in an official way. This means that jeans were not more evident. This could be attributable to the fact that it was on a Monday since most of them are working in various offices. Thus, they should appear decent even though there is liberty in dress codes. Compared to the situation in Qatar, it is evident that the two are severely different incidences given that Islamic women wear hijabs which cover their faces. Therefore, it is hard to see the hair of Muslim women or even ascertain whether she wears trousers or not. The hijab usually runs from the head to the feet, and this is regarded as the universally accepted dress code for Muslims. Considering how I dressed during this activity, I could feel that I was the odd one out since the Britons did not wear hijabs, a dressing that I was profoundly acquainted with since I was young. Thus, I believe that religion plays a crucial role in deciding what one wants to wear. This is because, even in Christian settings, one is not allowed to put on short skirts or dresses, which would expose much of their skin. Thus, dignity is valued in each religion in different ways.

Also, as I watched how women conducted themselves in the public space that I chose, I could see that they talk with their male counterparts freely. They could look at each other in the eyes and converse while they are intimately close. This means that in this culture, women are considered to be equals with their males’ counterparts and they can interact and share ideas as they deem fit. Comparing this to the situation in Qatar where women are still considered to be submissive to their husbands and males in general, it is clear that eye contact is not frequent in the Islamic setting. Even though women might be accessing education in the 21^st century, the way they interact with their male counterparts cannot be the same as that of an English setting. Also, in the streets of London, there were more women than in Qatar. This might be as a result of the high number of occupations that take up females as compared to the case in Islamic countries. At around noon, most of the women were out of their offices for a lunch break, and this proved my hypothesis that most of them were absorbed in the corporate world in Europe than in Qatar.

From my observations, I found out that there were resting places where college students and the working class would sit and have some fresh air away from busy schedules. A good example is a group of young women and men who were seated near one of the tallest buildings where there were community benches. They seemed to be making jokes of themselves and laughing. However, they were keen not to make noise which would affect the third parties within the public space. Even though such groups are common in the streets of London, idling is not accepted in British culture. Thus, those gatherings do not take time since they appear like resting sessions for busy individuals. This is also common back in my Qatar even though women are not usually many in such settings. This phenomenon shows how people are free in Britain and elaborates face to face communication, which is a crucial way of passing information. However, this has been threatened by the use of mobile phones or related gadgets which appear to harm the social skills of individuals.

Another aspect that was evident during the exercise was the use of mobile phones. Most of the people within the chosen public space were glued to their phones, and this is a trend that is witnessed in the current era of technological advancement. This is not only synonymous with England but also other parts of the world. This aspect might not be dependent on one’s culture since everyone seems to be engrossed in the new trend so that they can catch up with global news of interest. Most of those who I saw using their phones were young adults of between 17 to 30 years. These are the millennialssince they were born in the technological era characterized by the crowded social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and many others.Moreover, the older adults engaged in face to face communication within the time I conducted the exercise.This was a clear indication that most of them are not active online given that they have less interest in the use of the Internet. This can also be compared to life in Qatar where old men and women have not joined social media platforms. Regarding the use of smartphone technology, it was evident from the observation that the number of young ladies was approximately the same as those of their male counterparts. This shows that the English culture is inclusive and cases of gender and income disparities are minimal.

In conclusion, the full description exercise was an excellent platform for observing and learning how people belonging to another culture conduct themselves. The main focus involved the presentation of women in the English culture, and the public space was a street in London. Regarding dressing, women have the liberty to wear trousers unlike in Qatar where they are strictly supposed to put on hijabs to cover their faces. This is one of the most significant differences between the two cultures. Additionally, most of the women in London are working in offices showing that there is higher gender equality compared to the case on Qatar where the traditional notion which involves confining women to household duties is still prominent.

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