{"id":4702,"date":"2025-01-30T09:16:09","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T05:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adcrc.me\/?p=4702"},"modified":"2025-01-31T10:42:54","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T06:42:54","slug":"martin-and-mseihan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adcrc.me\/ar\/martin-and-mseihan\/","title":{"rendered":"Martin and Mseihan"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Rider Portrait: Martin and Mseihan<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Martin is a bit of a pioneer himself, and one of the few people who had the confidence to invest in a camel and take care of it. He became a big part of our community, guiding other riders and volunteering at events and sharing the love and care for camels. His kindness and cheerful nature never fail to bring a smile to our faces.<\/p>

The bond between him and his camel is truly special, and their journey together is admirable. We had the opportunity to ask him a few questions, which he answered in an interview.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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When did you join the school and what are some of the key memories with camels that you cherish? (ADCRC camels or others)<\/strong><\/p>

“I arrived in Dubai in October 2022, joining King\u2019s College Hospital as a Consultant Urological Surgeon. This was my first experience in the Middle East, and it took me six months to discover the ADCRC\u2014thanks to a CNN news clip. Before that, I had come close several times, often stopping in Al Lisaili to watch the race camels being exercised. The atmosphere around the racing camels reminded me of the horse racing and hunting communities back in England\u2014familiar yet distinctly different.<\/p>

Some of the key memories I cherish are:<\/p>

  1. Before finding ADCRC<\/strong>: I once spotted a local man, about my age, resting with his camel near Fossil Rock. They appeared to be on a journey, and I felt a deep connection, wanting to experience a part of what he had.<\/li>
  2. Swimming with camels<\/strong>: It\u2019s hard to put into words\u2014there\u2019s something surreal about the experience. If you haven\u2019t tried it, I\u2019d highly recommend it.<\/li>
  3. My first time ‘in control’ of a camel<\/strong>: A moment of triumph when Tariq let me take the reins.<\/li>
  4. Solo camping in the desert<\/strong>: Waking up to the soothing sound of camels ruminating nearby.<\/li>
  5. Trips to Oman<\/strong>: Spending time with camels, deepening my connection with these amazing animals.<\/li>
  6. The ongoing learning process<\/strong>: Every day with camels teaches me something new\u2014truly, every day is a school day.”<\/li><\/ol>
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    What inspired you to seek out camels as your hobby?<\/strong><\/p>

    My home in the UK is in Dartmoor, a green, hilly, and often wet area of natural beauty. It shares some similarities with the desert\u2014just without the sand! I\u2019ve spent years riding horses, running, hiking, and camping there. My wife, a veterinarian, and I also have horses, sheep, tortoises, and dogs. In addition, I\u2019ve served as a racecourse doctor for local semi-professional horse races and am part of the Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team. Simply put, I\u2019ve always loved being outdoors.<\/p>

    Back in school, I learned the basics about camels, and I\u2019ve been fascinated ever since. Their physiology, temperament, and resilience are truly remarkable and piqued my curiosity from a young age.<\/p>

    The ADCRC\u2019s logo, with two camel heads facing in opposite directions, reminds me of Janus, the Roman god with two faces\u2014symbolizing the future, the past, and transitions. I feel that this perfectly represents what Linda and Obaid are achieving at the center: shaping the future with a deep respect for tradition, using camels as their guiding force.<\/p>

    Ultimately, I\u2019m drawn to camels because of their unique, indomitable nature. They are individualistic, resilient, and truly one-of-a-kind.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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    How did your journey shape up in reality vs. what you initially expected? Highlights? Low points?<\/b><\/p>

    It\u2019s been an incredible journey\u2014one I feel very privileged to be part of. The pace has been perfectly suited to my abilities and evolving skills, which is exactly what I had hoped for.<\/p>

    Highlights:<\/p>

    • Solo camping (after plenty of group trips). There’s something magical about waking up to the sounds of camels in the morning. They can be quite noisy, but there\u2019s a comforting feeling in knowing they haven’t wandered off during the night. So far, I haven’t had to make the embarrassing call to Linda asking if her camels ended up back home!<\/li>
    • The acceptance I\u2019ve received from the Al Lisaili community despite my less-than-perfect Arabic.<\/li>
    • The first time a camel approached me unasked (Hero, while camping) with no food involved\u2014just a genuine connection.\u00a0<\/li><\/ul>
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      Low points (with valuable lessons):<\/p>

      • Getting \u2018spat on\u2019\u2014which I learned is actually camel vomit, not spit! It\u2019s a bit smelly but not as bad as I\u2019ve experienced in my 30+ years in healthcare. It taught me to better read a camel’s body language and recognize the signs of anxiety before things escalate. Now, I know how to de-escalate situations before they reach the \u2018vomit stage.\u2019<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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        \u00a0You recently purchased your own camel. Why? How? And what are your plans for the two of you? What is his name?<\/strong><\/p>

        A great question\u2014why? It just felt like the right time. I\u2019m proud to be the first \u2018liveried\u2019 camel owner at the Center.<\/p>

        Let me introduce you to mSheihan (the \u2018m\u2019 is silent). He\u2019s originally from the Omani desert and doesn\u2019t speak much English, which has encouraged me to improve my Arabic. Our mutual understanding is growing, and he even features prominently in my Emirati lessons! He\u2019s around 5-6 years old with a nice, fast walk\u2014when he\u2019s in the mood, which is about 50% of the time.<\/p>

        Advantages of owning mSheihan:<\/strong><\/p>

        1. His daily care is handled by the Center\u2019s team, who treat him as one of their own.<\/li>
        2. No more disappointment from fully booked lessons.<\/li>
        3. I have much more flexibility to take him out, which suits my irregular schedule.<\/li>
        4. I can still attend riding classes and other events, keeping us both engaged.<\/li>
        5. It gives me a stronger sense of commitment to the UAE, the Center, and Linda and Obaid\u2019s goals.<\/li>
        6. I\u2019m learning about camel husbandry\u2014from food prep to poo picking!<\/li>
        7. The Center\u2019s team provides valuable oversight, preventing me from making too many mistakes.<\/li><\/ol>

          Plans for us:<\/strong><\/p>

          1. Building a strong relationship and getting to know each other better.<\/li>
          2. Exploring local desert routes and camping together.<\/li>
          3. Bringing little Uli along as a future partner in crime.<\/li>
          4. Promoting responsible camel ownership.<\/li>
          5. Who knows\u2014maybe we\u2019ll even see a \u2018take your camel to work\u2019 day!<\/li><\/ol>

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            A key learning, piece of advice, something to share with the community<\/strong><\/p>

            You don\u2019t need prior experience in animal ownership to own a camel.<\/p>

            Sometimes, it\u2019s about taking a calculated risk\u2014a leap of faith, if you will. Things will never be perfect from the start, but they evolve over time, and you have the power to influence that evolution.<\/p>

            English marriage vows say, “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.” While I don\u2019t expect mSheihan to hold up his end of the bargain, I\u2019m committed to doing my best to keep mine. This means acknowledging that life can be unpredictable. If or when the time comes for me to leave, I have peace of mind knowing that mSheihan will be in safe hands at the Center.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            “I arrived in Dubai in October 2022, joining King\u2019s College Hospital as a Consultant Urological Surgeon….<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4970,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"postBodyCss":"","postBodyMargin":[],"postBodyPadding":[],"postBodyBackground":{"backgroundType":"classic","gradient":""},"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adcrc.me\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adcrc.me\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adcrc.me\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcrc.me\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcrc.me\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4702"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/adcrc.me\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4702\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5006,"href":"https:\/\/adcrc.me\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4702\/revisions\/5006"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcrc.me\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adcrc.me\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcrc.me\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcrc.me\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}