Originally Posted on March 13, 2022

“That’s what not smart people do,” a little boy standing 4-feet tall announced to the group of 30 volunteers gathered at the base of a sand dune on Qatar Environment Day.

He voiced his opinion after one of the leaders reminded the volunteers to put their “rubbish in bins” the next time they’re out and about.

In response to the little boy, everyone laughed and nodded, and some commented, “That’s right.”

Two local organizations, Qatar Museums and Sea Shore Recycling, hosted the event on February 26.

The volunteers and I arrived at the Singing Sand Dunes on that Saturday morning to pick up trash. I didn’t know anyone there—but I felt welcome among the diverse group, which included students from Texas A&M University.  

Not to my surprise, I was mistaken to be one of students.

“Are you with Texas A&M?” one man asked me.

“No, sir. I’m from Oklahoma, but I have a sister who lives in College Station,” I said, not hiding the excitement in my voice.

One woman wore a maroon-colored “Hey, Y’all” shirt. The experience of seeing the Texas A&M logo on hats and T-shirts in the Middle East was surreal.

For as much as I joke with Jacy and Chris about Texas not being “the best,” I was happy to be in the company of Texans.

In one hour, we collected all the cans, wires, and cardboard cluttering the sand dune and stashed the trash into burlap bags.

With the grabber in one gloved hand and the bag in the other, I climbed up the dune with two women from the Philippines, who have been friends for years.

From the moment Jenny and Kleese said “hi” to me, they took me in as though I were already their friend.

When they headed toward the dune, they called me along. When they talked in their native tongue, they translated their dialogue to English. When they took photos, they called me over to join in.

We ventured up, across, and, back down the sand dune until the whistle blew, which was the signal for everyone to stop picking up trash and gather at the base of the dune.

Volunteers of all ages and heights stood in jagged rows for impromptu photos. Then, we stopped by a tent to pick up a box of shawarma and bottle of orange juice before listening to the event hosts thank us for our efforts and emphasize the importance of keeping our world clean.

It was during the brief speeches that the bold little boy interjected to share his thoughts. I hope his passion only grows with time.

After waving goodbye to everyone, Jenny and I piled into the backseat of an SUV, while Kleese took shotgun. Hazem, one of the event leaders, drove us out of the desert and back to the paved road.

As we bumped along the dirt, rocky road, I felt a sense of freedom.

The desert lay open before us for miles. The sun shone bright on the dashboard of the SUV. Jenny and I sat content listening to Kleese and Hazem dive into a deep conversation as they reflected on the past couple hours.

 “This is life,” Hazem said. “The word royalty does not exist at the end of the day. We need each other.”