Mount Everest in Winter? Why not!

Some like to relax during the winter break before an oncoming semester; some like to visit a bustling city or a serene island - not our peer advisor Vishnu Narayanan. Narayanan, who've never been interested in trekking or any similar activities, decided to spend his winter break trekking up Mount Everest. Yes, Mount Everest!

Vishnu is a 21 year old Finance student working as a peer advisor at IXO. He became a peer advisor after doing a semester abroad in Maastricht University, Netherlands. Although that was a year ago, Narayanan had an all too-familiar urge that almost all our returning students face once they've explored a different country; he now had an itch to keep traveling. During his time abroad, shortly after his finals, he had taken some time to backpack around Spain and Portugal. In an unusual little hostel in Barcelona, he had met a woman with an enormous backpack, exhilarated about her trek up beautiful Mount Everest. Their meeting was brief, but for weeks, Narayanan couldn't seem to shake thinking about doing the same. A few weeks ago, he did just that.

Narayanan's trip lasted fifteen days in total, twelve of which consisted of trekking up towards base camp as well as making his way down with the group. Accompanying him on this exciting endeavor was his cousin and thirteen other people all aiming to complete this trail. Narayanan later explains that it wasn't the trek that was the most petrifying element of his trip. "I was terrified on the aircraft" he recounts. "it was one of those small aircrafts that practically sway in the wind, and flights would get cancelled if the weather is the slightest bit rough". The aircraft he was referring to was one that took the travelers closer to the start of their trekking trail.

When he finally began his first day of trekking, Narayanan was not feeling himself. He was feeling faint, weak and nauseous. Pretty soon, Narayanan realized that he was about to undertake a 12-day trek to the base camp on Mount Everest in unfamiliarly frigid weather... and he had food poisoning.

One can only imagine how difficult it would be to be trekking upwards for 8 to 12 hours a day when they can't eat anything in order to get their energy. Suffice to say, Narayanan's first day on the mountain was not pleasant. He couldn't bring himself to eat much or drink anything, and was therefore exhausted. He struggled to force himself to keep going during the first few days, especially when the weather - a bustling -20 and some days more - was a challenge of its own.

"When first deciding to make this trip real, I was full of doubt and fear. Doing this would mean completely stepping out of my comfort zone - both me and my cousin" Narayanan elaborates. As you can tell in the magnificent photo above of our Vishnu Narayanan proudly displaying our IXO flag at the base camp of Everest, he succeeded. He later explains that after coming back down and returning home, there was little else he felt he couldn't technically conquer: "everything was against us... the weather, the altitude, my food poisoning... and we did it!"

He believes his experience has filled him with more confidence that before, and allows him to think that when faced with a challenge in the future, he needs to only remember he had trekked up Mount Everest! We suppose that's a definite way one could realize they can accomplish anything!

While interviewing Narayanan, even when discussing the tougher parts of the trip, he never sounded regretful. In fact, he concluded "I'm just glad I made it back alive" with a grin stretched across his face.

Check out our Instagram and Twitter for more photos from the trek.

We can't wait to see where else Vishnu Narayanan finds himself in the future!





Bayan Almasri 
Publicity Specialist 

8 Years and Counting: A Success Story

"Blow after blow"

Like almost all good stories, Mohamed Metwally's was full of unnerving complications. During his interview, as he recalled the eventful journey he had embarked on, Metwally shook his head with a smile on his face. It seems things did not go his way too easily when he first grew excited to read that AUS had established partnerships abroad through ISEP mid 2010. "Blow after blow," he called the struggles, the technicalities and the hurdles he was faced with. Not only did Metwally overcome everything that attempted to derail him, he progressed significantly at every turn.

How it began

Metwally had dreams of going to medical school, but ended up signing up for an electrical engineering major here, at the American University of Sharjah. His first semester, he recalls, was one that discouraged him. He remembers a brilliant physics professor who intimidated him sometimes  into wondering if he was fit to do his major at all. By the time the end of his second semester rolled around, he wasn't doing as well as he had hoped. Consequently, Metwally went into "full workaholic mode", as he phrases it - "I buried myself in work". This went on throughout his entire summer. While hard at work, one random summer afternoon, the bulletins on the American University of Sharjah website caught his attention. Our International Exchange Office had just signed an agreement with ISEP that would enable him to travel abroad whilst maintaining his scholarship! Incredibly excited by the news, Metwally had rushed to IXO to apply, only to be told he had missed the Fall semester deadline. He then attempted to apply for the following Spring semester, but realized he did not have the sufficient credits to travel abroad just yet. It seems that once faced with that reality, most people would have waited the amount of time it took to accumulate the required number of credits - but not Mohamed Metwally!

"It was a brutal semester"

Mohamed Metwally decided to take his case to the dean at the time, and attempt to cram more credits into one semester than advisable in order to go abroad by Spring like he desired. The dean had encouraged and supported him throughout the complications he encountered, whether it was fixing Metwally's schedule to accommodate overlaps or believing that he would pull through even with the intensive workload. Instead of complaining about having three finals in one day, Metwally requested permission to line up his finals that way. He had to work harder than he ever did before, and he recalled days when it felt impossible that he would pull through. Nonetheless, he refused to give up no matter how discouraging the complications were. Simply put, Metwally was driven to be on a plane that coming January.

Vermont

The University of Vermont (UVM) was not on Mohamed Metwally's list of host university options. "Vermont was a very delightful, very fortunate mishap. It was not part of the plan," he explains. With his first option for a host university not working out, he was advised to think about Vermont by one of his professors. With so little time until the deadline and having to focus on such a heavy workload, Metwally had settled on the University of Vermont without doing much research. He had no idea the weather would be an unfamiliar 0 degrees for the first six months he was there! He recalls the following:

"My mom dressed me up like an eskimo. I felt like a teddy bear - no arm movement possible whatsoever. I landed to a foot and a half of fresh snow, first time ever. Magical moment. Beautiful little town, beautiful place. I'm convinced I'll retire there. If you want to fall in love with Vermont, go there in May/June, then in the Fall, you fall further in love... before you get hit with the harsh reality of winter."

 Metwally's semester was drawing to an end in the University of Vermont when he was asked to extend his stay another three weeks and work on a fun project that tickled his interest. With his stay covered, Metwally decided to stay the extra three weeks. Funny enough, before he left to go home to the UAE, he applied half-heartedly to a paid summer internship that quickly responded the day after the interview - he was hired! Thinking this would be a great experience, Metwally spent the summer traveling around the United States through his job, meeting a variety of people and cultures each time he boarded a plane. He traveled 2 to 3 times a week on average, and helped update and solve problems of softwares in pediatric hospitals. By the time he was almost done with his internship, it was finally time to head back to AUS to start the new Fall semester. However, UVM asked if he would like to stay onboard another semester. His home university, AUS, allowed for the extension. Metwally ended up staying in the US for what he thought was one more semester.

Thanksgiving 

Thanksgiving had now rolled around, and Metwally was not going home for the holidays. Instead, to keep busy, he asked one of his professors if he had any projects for him to dabble with. His professor gave him a task - to build a clock of certain specifications - and left for the holidays. The UVM professor was so impressed by Metwally's work that he asked Metwally if he could do a Master's degree with him. Baffled, Metwally was both honored and confused. He was only in his third year of university, over a semester away from getting his Bachelor's. After his professor secured some of the funding, and it seemed he could do an accelerated Master's whilst obtaining his undergraduate degree, Metwally found himself working for two degrees at once. He was doing extra credits again and was busier than he's ever been. Metwally even lost his thyroid temporarily due to stress. He summarizes his chaotic and busy year, "All that... turned into a Master's degree". He was only 21 years old when he finished his Master's.
After that, Metwally gained some experience after accepting an offer from MIT Lincoln Labs, did some research that was funded by NASA and is now working with Fast Enterprises - a government software and consulting company. Metwally is now 26 years old and lives in Denver, Colorado, waiting for his next project.

And now

When asked how he made the jump from electrical engineering, Metwally explains, "I have an electrical engineering degree with a concentration in technology, did my Master's in ground-penetrating radar and space systems and I now work in software consulting and government system design. I've always loved academia and most importantly, problem-solving. Nobody has to simply stick to one thing and do nothing else".
IXO's director, Dr. Linda C. Angell adds, "People go through a huge transition when they brave those amazing abroad experiences". Simply traveling abroad for one semester has opened up numerous doors and opportunities and completely changed many of our student's lives. Mohamed Metwally is one example of many whose life was altered through the opportunities IXO provides. We are confident in the fact that Metwally's list of achievements will only ever grow and make him and his family proud. We can't wait to hear more of his life for years to come.



Bayan Almasri
IXO Publicity Specialist 
Design Management student

Our Partners Keep Growing

We're always looking to expand our horizons, and one of the ways we do so is by pursuing and creating partnerships with universities all over the globe. Those are some of our old and new partners, though we never stop working on having more!

For a more extensive list of our partner universities, visit www.aus.edu/ixo

Melissa Tomassini Visits AUS

Melissa Tomassini is a Master's student at the University of Siena, Italy. Tomassini's education and training took her to Belgium and the United Kingdom on Erasmus Studies, Italy for her Bachelor's and Master's and even Abu Dhabi for Model United Nations in 2017. In early November, she arrived in the UAE for a two-month stay as a Visiting Guest in-Residence (VGiR). She was hosted within the Department of International Studies (College of Arts & Sciences) by our very own International Studies professor Matteo Salvadore, who is a well-known historian and author in his respective field of study. Constantly seeking achievements as well as travel and cultural understanding, she chose the United Arab Emirates for a two-month period to work on her dissertation researchregarding public diplomacy strategies implemented by the UAE. She also conducted a historical analysis of the country itself and collected numerous data, including in-depth on-site interviews.

Tomassini provided us with the following feedback, reflecting on her thoughts and experiences of the time she spent at AUS and in Sharjah:

  "[The International Exchange Office has] treated me with a lot of affection and I will treasure these memories....[A]s soon as I got to the top-rated and multicultural American University of Sharjah...in the dynamic and magnificent University City, I was clear on what I needed and how to obtain it...[During] my two-month stay in this unique and internationally-recognized educational hub....my research question [was]enriched...by the forward-thinking and cultural vitality undertaken by the Emirate of Sharjah, of which AUS is a proud emblem, with remarkable benefits for the outcome of my work.  Not only has my time at AUS given me a one-of-a-kind chance to familiarize myself with the true Islamic culture...but it has also inspired me to be more welcoming, in line with the great and inclusive Zayed's vision echoed in the [recently] announced Year of Tolerance.  This harmonious coexistence of civilizations is strikingly reflected in the fabric of the University staff and students, which creates an enabling and friendly environment where cross-border dialogue and academic excellence can flourish....Despite my stay being just two months, I now consider the UAE to be my second home."

Furthermore, Tomassini's host, Professor Matteo Salvadore, kindly provided his own take and feedback on her and her work. He states the following:

"Melissa is an enterprising young scholar who turned a short sojourn in the UAE into an opportunity to both conduct quality research and develop meaningful relations in the country. I followed her progress throughout her stay, and I was very impressed with her can-do attitude. At the end of her stay, she gave an excellent talk on her finding, which was well received by both faculty and students,"

  We hope this isn't the last we see of Melissa!