It had been more than three years since Ara Khatchadourian had seen the Lebanese coastline, the country where he spent his childhood years.
On Tuesday he stepped into Lebanon again – not at Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport but from the boat he had rowed nearly 4,000km from Marseille to the Lebanese capital in a charity fund-raising drive.
“I've not realised what I've done. Every time I do something like this, I need two months to realise what I've done,” the Lebanese-Armenian adventurer tells The National in his first interview since arriving in Beirut only a few hours before.
Mr Khatchadourian's Rowing for Peace quest began on May 27, in which he sought to contribute to the fight against poverty, wars around the world and discrimination against people with disabilities.
His lowest point was off the Italian coast when his boat broke and he had to pause for a couple of days.
He describes his effort as a humanitarian mission – but it is not his first. Previously he ran in 2018 from France to Armenia in a Running for Peace fund-raiser, covering the distance of 107 marathons in the process. He also climbed Mount Everest in 2016 in memory of all genocide committed in the 20th century including in Armenia, from where his ancestors came.
But Mr Khatchadourian, showing off his heavily calloused hands, says the rowing was the hardest and the conditions, waves and current in the Mediterranean Sea brutal. He talks of blisters and almost constant discomfort.
“You know happiness when you have passed this kind of challenge, pain and difficulty.”
Mr Khatchadourian, 58, left Lebanon aged 19 as the country was engulfed in its brutal 15-year civil war. He went to Marseille in southern France to join an uncle and worked as a jeweller.
“When I arrived in France, I didn't speak French, I had $100 in my pocket. I said I must work a lot, I worked 16 hours a day, seven days a week.”
But it wasn't until he was 40 that he began to become interested in sport and running, including the Beirut marathon.
Than more extreme adventures came. What followed was a series of ultra marathons, Ironmans and long multiday runs in France. He discovered an interest in climbing, which led to summits of Kilimanjaro, mountains in the Bolivian Andes, the 7,134 metre Lenin Peak, and – of course – Everest.
“I began small, I liked it. After, I said I must do these things for humanitarian causes.”
The row for peace had been several years in the making – he used to come to Lebanon every year – but the Covid-19 pandemic then the fatal 2020 Beirut port explosion put a dent in the plans.
“The city … it's the people that are most important for me.”
Mr Khatchadourian's journey ended at a naval base in Beirut, in sight of the port where the explosion took place killing more than 200, injuring thousands, and levelling large parts of the capital.
He says he has raised about $10,000 for charity. There are two main beneficiaries of the fund-raising; Achrafieh 2020, a grass-roots organisation based in the Lebanese capital that supports the local community, and T’Cap21, a French organisation that supports people with Down syndrome.
Mr Khatchadourian says the decision to support Achrafieh 2020 came after he saw an interview on French TV with Akram Nehme, who heads the organisation.
“After Everest, in 2018 I ran from France to Armenia. When I'd ran 100 marathons, I said 'what am I going to do for Lebanon? I would like to do something.'
“This time it's not only for peace, but to help an NGO. We have raised around $10,000. I would like more, because I said – 4,000km, I need $10 per kilometre. There's still time. I'm going back [and forth] until I have $40,000,” he jokes.
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Launched: 2014
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The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
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Most memorable achievement: Leading my first city-wide charity campaign in Toronto holds a special place in my heart. It was for Amnesty International’s Stop Violence Against Women program and showed me the power of how communities can come together in the smallest ways to have such wide impact.
Favourite film: Childhood favourite would be Disney’s Jungle Book and classic favourite Gone With The Wind.
Favourite book: To Kill A Mockingbird for a timeless story on justice and courage and Harry Potters for my love of all things magical.
Favourite quote: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill
Favourite food: Dim sum
Favourite place to travel to: Anywhere with natural beauty, wildlife and awe-inspiring sunsets.
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Dos
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- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
The national orchestra
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
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National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
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252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
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Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
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In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Tomorrow 2021
Jurassic%20Park
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
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• Round up: Experts share their visions of the world to come
EA%20Sports%20FC%2024
SPECS
Scoreline:
Everton 4
Richarlison 13'), Sigurdsson 28', Digne 56', Walcott 64'
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton)
The biog
Hobbies: Writing and running
Favourite sport: beach volleyball
Favourite holiday destinations: Turkey and Puerto Rico
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Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Ahmed Raza, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Chirag Suri , Zahoor Khan
ABU DHABI TRIATHLON
For more information, and to enter the race, please visit www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
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The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
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Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
