By Courtney Aquadro ’11
Throughout our lives we will probably read hundreds of books. A large percentage of these books are either required for specific courses or strongly recommended by schools we attend. At the end of the 2010 school year the Williston community was all asked to read Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. The school went as far as to make it possible for every student to be able to borrow a copy from the library. A special cart in the library was stocked with hundreds of copies to check out. I was one of the students who availed myself of this opportunity. As I began to read this book, I was immediately captivated and knew The Cups of Tea would be a pivotal read for me and many of my peers.
The book’s first chapter is called “Failure.” This struck me. Although I knew enough about the book to realize it was going to be about a man who made changes in the Middle East for thousands of children, why was the first chapter called “Failure”? In this chapter we learn about Mortenson’s failed attempts to climb the world’s second largest summit, K2. During his attempt Mortenson gets lost on his climb and ends up stumbling into the small village of Korphe. In this village Mortenson is embraced with hospitality rare in our society and common in theirs. Here he learns of the children who do not even have a school. The teacher who teaches them en masse in an open piece of land only comes a couple of times a week. Korphe cannot afford to pay the salary of the teacher at a cost of only one dollar a day. Mortenson promises the village that he will return and build them a school.
Mortenson, himself, does not come from a large trust fund, but he knows that he has more money than this impoverished village that accepted him with open arms. Mortenson tried raising money back in the United States but his efforts were slim when he sent letters to hundreds of celebrities telling them his story and asking for money. He only received one check back for a hundred dollars. A doctor in the emergency room where Mortenson worked as a nurse gave him the name of a man who donated to causes such as his. The doctor suggested the donor would be able to single-handedly fund the school. This mans name was Jean Hoerni. In the future Jean Hoerni would cofound the CAI with Greg Mortenson and help to establish many schools.
In Korphe, while building the school, Mortenson encountered many detours. One of these detours included a bridge that needed to be built so that the village people could transport building materials back and fourth over the river. Building the bridge also facilitated hospital commutes which saved lives. Mortenson found that the Pakistani people lived lives differently from the one he knew in the United States, or even in Africa where Mortenson was born.. Mortenson “wondered if Pakistan wasn’t more of an idea than a country.” The elder of the village instructed Mortenson to relax and let the village of Korphe take over construction of the school. In just a few weeks the school was built.
Each school Mortenson has built has actually become the work of the individual villagers who complete much of the manual labor. Even with the extra labor that it imposes on a village, the people been extremely appreciative of Mortenson’s work. Without his supplies, plans and know-how, no new schools would be built. But trust has to be established first, before any construction starts. The guest has to sit down for tea with the villagers. Mortenson learned in Pakistan that on the first cup of tea you’re a guest, the second you’re a friend, and the third you’re family. It has taken years to build all the needed schools, yet Mortenson has completed many in remote villages.
It will not take you long to read the book. If you have not yet read Three Cups of Tea, I strongly suggest it. It was one of the most meaningful books I have ever read. After I completed it, I knew that even though I was just an average everyday person, I could make a difference in the world.
