“Everyone has their own Everest to climb”

He shared his recent experience of climbing Mount Everest with academics and students at University College London (London) through a lecture entitled Follow Your Dreams: The story of an Arab with Altitude.

The event is part of the Qatar-UK 2013 cultural exchange programme. Professor Anthony Smith, UCL Vice-Provost (Education and International) said in his welcoming remarks: “This lecture provides an important contribution to UCL’s Global Citizenship Programme and an exciting platform to share ideas and experience between Qatar and the UK.”

Perhaps, the reason for Sheikh Mohammed’s ability to connect with an audience stems from his honesty. In the film of the climb shown during his talk he shows himself at vulnerable moments such as when he momentarily froze while crossing a precarious crevasse on a flimsy ladder. “I’m stuck,” he said — but with the encouragement of his team, he overcame his fear and went on to become the first Qatari to conquer the world’s highest mountain.

It is this willingness to share his moments of doubt, as well as his moments of strength and triumph, that make him a compelling and engaging speaker. He admitted that when he found himself struggling for breath he feared that six weeks into the expedition he might be ordered by the medics to abandon the climb. They feared he might be developing High Altitude Pulmonary Edema, or HAPE which occurs when fluid accumulates in the lungs. However, it was discovered that he was, in fact, suffering from asthma. He reflected with a wry smile that this was not the best place or time to find out he suffered from the condition, but he was relieved to be able to continue with the climb.

He asked the young people in the audience to imagine what they wanted their lives to look like in one year’s time, then five years’ time — and even further ahead — twenty years’ time. Thinking about the future and setting goals was a way, he said, of dealing with “the pain and frustration of not knowing where you are heading in life”, of wondering “What next?” and “Now what?”

After, by his own admission, scraping through university he found himself asking exactly those questions. Then, when he did set himself a goal of climbing the world’s highest peak he had to deal with the often negative reaction of people around him, including family members, who weren’t enthusiastic about his plan.

“Most of the time it is the people closest to you who won’t believe in you,” he observed. People will say; “Who do you think you are? You can’t do that — you are mad!”

This, he said, is where self-belief comes into the equation as well as the willingness to put in the time to prepare for fulfilling the goal.

“Everest took two months to climb and five years to prepare for,” he explained. “I wasn’t born a mountaineer — I had to put in thousands of hours of preparation.” Film clips showed the gruelling training sessions in the desert and gym. Looking back he observed: “The biggest sacrifice you will make is your time; time away from family and from hanging out with friends.”

He confided that during the climb he was still nagged by self-doubt. A little voice would go round in his head saying, “Is it worth it?” This was especially, intense when he experienced the physical pain and sickness that is part and parcel of taking on such a great challenge. Overcoming that self-doubt is key to success, he maintained.

“Your biggest challenge will come from you, and you will have to come through,” he said.

Having the support of his fellow climbers was also vital to success. He climbed with Raed Zidan, the first Palestinian man to summit Everest, Masoud Mohammad and Raha Muharrak, the first Saudi woman and youngest Arab to scale the mountain, and the videographer Ellia Saikaly. Raed Zedan, who was present at the talk together with Masoud, said: “We constantly pushed each other mentally and physically. We had the mental picture in our minds of being on the summit raising the flags of our countries.”

The team was also highly motivated by their goal to raise a million US dollars for educational projects to benefit Nepali children. Sheikh Mohammed is a Doha Reach out to Asia (ROTA) Brand Ambassador.

Speaking after the talk, UCL Vice-Provost, Professor Michael Worton said: “I think it is terribly important that all of our students understand that life is not just about studying, or fun or sport — it is about seeing a purpose in everything we do.”

He added: “Sometimes we have to explain to our families that our goals are so important that we must go ahead with them. But it is important also that they understand that we are not going against them.”

He noted that Sheikh Mohammed’s father, HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ali bin Abdullah al-Thani, had flown in especially from Sharjah to listen to his son’s talk. Sheikh Abdullah when asked by Community about his feelings over his son’s achievements said: “I’m very proud of him.” That pride however, he added, was mingled with memories of constant worry over the dangers his son would face on the climb.

It was interesting to hear reaction from students to the talk. A lively group of school students from the UCL Academy in London, set up and sponsored by UCL, were clearly inspired, particularly as Vice-Principal Robin Street explained, they are currently raising money to fund their own expedition to the Amazon jungle in Ecuador next year. They will continue the work of previous volunteer groups to improve the drinking water system and contribute to a school for children of the impoverished Puma Rumi community.

Student Suban Mohamed said that listening to the Sheikh Mohammed had “made me think a lot and broadened my ideas.” Lancelot Comrie said that what he had taken from the talk was the idea that, “the first step is a goal and everything else comes afterwards.”

Ruri Maeda added: “I thought it amazing that someone could reach such a high goal.” Amy Chan said: “It gave me tonnes of ideas on how I can better myself.” Abyan Mohamed observed: “He did something completely out of his comfort zone and raised a lot of money for charity which I find inspirational.”

Their teacher, Paula Kearney, said: “I am thankful to Sheikh Mohammed for inspiring our students. Hearing his passion for his project can translate into the passion that they have for their project.”

Particularly moving was the reaction of Qatari student, Aldana al-Nesf, who has just commenced her degree studies in bio-medical science at Birkbeck, University of London. She said that she was struggling with home-sickness and that listening to Sheikh Mohammed had given her the courage to deal with the challenges of university life far from her home in Doha.  “This is the first time I have left my family and my home and friends and it is so hard. So I needed this push to give me the power to complete my studies here,” she said.

A very special moment came during the Q&A session after the talk. Ananda Lomani from Nepal stepped forward to present Sheikh Mohammed with a Khada, the traditional Nepali scarf, which he placed around his neck.

When asked about his impressions of the Nepali people, Sheikh Mohammed said: “Nepali people put you before themselves and their safety.” He paid special tribute to the Sherpa who accompanied him on the climb. “My life was in the hands of my Sherpa; he was with me every step of the way — up and down. Without him, I would have been in huge trouble,” he said.

Speaking to the Community at the end of the talk Sheikh Mohammed said: “Everyone has their own Everest to climb. I would like everyone to reach their ‘Mount Everest’ — that’s what I am trying to do. If I inspire by this talk just one person to stand up for their dream — whatever it is — then that makes it all worthwhile.”

Noor al-Chaarani, Project Co-ordinator, Strategic Cultural Relations, Qatar Museums Authority, said: “Having Sheikh Mohammed with us as part of our Qatar-UK team is thrilling. ROTA is one of our permanent partners for our culture years every year.”

 Qatar-UK 2013, a year-long cultural exchange programme between the State of Qatar and the United Kingdom is co-ordinated by Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) and the British Council with the support of Platinum Sponsors Qatargas, Shell and Vodafone. UCL, in partnership with the Qatar Foundation and QMA has created UCL Qatar, a world class research-led facility, focusing on the cultures and society of the Middle East.