Sixteen students and two trip advisors from Northwestern University in Evanston arrived in Doha last Saturday to spend their week-long spring break on Northwestern’s Qatar campus.

The Evanston delegation includes eight journalism and eight communication students, namely journalism students Isabella Alvarenga, Matthew Connor, Aric DiLalla, Paulina Firozi, Stephanie Haines, Nesa Mangal, Kalina Silverman, Theodore Tae, and communication students Eliza Abramson, Roberto Drilea, Ashley Mills, Sarah Mustian, Jack Olin, Adam Pecena, Danielle Pierre, Corrine Worthington.

“This is a great opportunity when students come out here to experience NU-Q,” said LaKisha Tillman, coordinator for student activities and residential life at NU-Q. “We have three distinct campuses, but we are one Northwestern. It’s all about building, enhancing and strengthening bridges (between those campuses).”

Each student from Evanston has been paired with a “Shadow Buddy,” a student from NU-Q, to help show them around places in Doha, participate in different activities and attend classes together.

“The experience so far has been mind-blowing. The scale of things in Doha is so magnificent compared to the Evanston campus,” said Sarah Mustian, a communication sophomore from NU-E.

Students both from Evanston and Qatar expressed learning new things through this exchange.

James Copplestone Farmer, a sophomore at NU-Q and a Shadow Buddy for the Evanston delegation, said he was surprised to learn from the NU-E students that there are more things to learn and explore in Qatar than in Evanston.

“It is surprising because I would expect there are more things to do in America, at least for a college student,” Farmer added.

The students will be staying in Doha from March 22 to 27, the week when NU-Q celebrates its Go Wild Week 2014, a week full of events for students to celebrate their purple spirit, including annual events like the Purple Fest carnival and the Media Awards.

“It’s no good when you only learn about a place through media, news or what you see on TV, so it’s a good opportunity for me to see the country for itself,” said Kristen Reid, Assistant Director for Student Life at Northwestern’s Medill School in Evanston.

“For me personally it’s very viable as an academic advisor to get to see this campus, because I feel I can now advise my students (coming to Qatar) so much better,” said Freda Smith, academic advisor and lecturer at NU-E.