Three Cups of Tea

I have no idea why it's taken me so long to read this book. It is excellent. It tells the story of Greg Mortenson, a mountain climber turned philantropist/peace activist. In his attempt to scale K2 (a feat that I could only dream about), Greg ends up in the tiny village of Korphe in Pakistan. He is taken aback by the villagers hospitality amidst their poverty, and also by the lack of education options available to the children, especially the girls. He vows to come back and build them a school, a rash promise for a mountain climber with no job prospects at home. Fast forward almost 15 years and that rash promise has turned into the reality of 53 schools in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

What really strikes me about this man's work is his commitment to offer both boys and girls an education, and the willingness of the native people to turn from their ancestors thinking and embrace a more balanced education. Never before have women been educated in these countries. I wept when reading the tales of the FIRST women educated in entire villages. Wow. I consider myself a pretty global minded person, and keep abreast of international issues, especially in Africa, for whose people my husband and I have a burden for. I know that it is a complete reality for these countries that education is very limited, but this book further opened my eyes to how stark that reality really is. However, what Central Asia Institute does is offer a "balanced education", rather than the militant education formerly offered. In other words, this agency is teaching peace in otherwise war torn countries in hopes that with each student, the message of peace will be spread just a little more beyond the borders of the villages.

What I ALSO realized while reading this book is that Greg Mortenson is not a celebrity. He does not have millions of dollars at his disposal, can't drop what he's doing to film a movie to finance his next trip. He has made friends on the government and private sector level, in both countries, who have lain aside their differences in order to give their next generations oppurtunities they never had. I can't help but think, in the middle of so much death and destruction, that some part of these government officials long for the next generation to stand and declare peace. Yes, yes, that is a far fetched hope, and a feat that would take great courage...but I applaud Greg Mortenson for making a small, yet HUGE difference in this fight for peace. Although I appreciate the efforts of people with so much available to them, because every little bit helps, but in my eyes, people like Greg, and the others involved with CAI are the real heroes. And I feel challeged, challenged to have more than a global mind. To be globally active, to search out oppurtunities that are available.

I challenge anyone that reads this to pick up Three Cups of Tea. Be challenged, read into Greg's passion and turn it into passion for what's around you.