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One Library, One Boook: Three Cups of Tea
About the Book:
After a failed attempt to climb the second highest mountain in the world, K2, Greg Mortenson accidentally wandered into the village of Korphe in rural northern Pakistan, which starts him on a new mission to build schools and other projects across northern Pakistan. This is the story of his life and his mission to help those who are living in poverty in a politically unstable country. His work is especially geared at educating women, who would not have any education at all. The story of the three cups of tea is that the first time you have tea with someone, you are a stranger. The second time you have tea with someone, you are the honored guest. The third cup of tea makes you family. Mortenson learns many wonderful lessons from the people he meets, showing him that even people with no electricity and no education have their own kind of wisdom. Mortenson is proof that one man really can make a difference.
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- Park Forest Public Library
- Park Forest, IL, United States
- The Park Forest Public Library is committed to opening doors to a world of information, education, and recreation, and is dedicated to being a vital part of the community.
2 comments:
The biggest "challenge" Dr. Greg had to overcome, in my opinion, was the cultural difference between our forthright, brash American ways and the centuries-old customs of the Pakistani people. Where we go directly after what we want/need without too much worry about being inadvertently disrespectful or rude, the people of Korphe and the surrounding areas had a sort of "proper" procedure to follow when dealing with new acquaintances. They went about things more slowly and carefully so as to make everybody involved look and feel good about themselves and the transaction being worked out. I would have found it terribly slow and frustrating and I'm not really an impatient person! However, I do acknowledge that the Pakistani way seems much more loving and caring than the American way.
Dr. Greg is changed by these people and their culture in many ways, I think, not the least of which is his empathy for them all and the women and girls especially. He gives up his mountain climbing and all the funds he would have spent for that go toward helping less fortunate friends. He does an about face and goes from free-wheeling, work-til-I-save-enough-money-for-the-next-climb to concentrate-on-helping-the-people-of-Korphe as soon as possible. That's a pretty major mind shift!
I agree that Greg Mortenson had a lot of learning to do in order to communicate with the people of Korphe and other villages. For one thing, he had to learn a new language, but he also had to learn how to cope with different cultural values and opposing forces, such as the village leader that put out a fatwa on him.
I also thought that Mortenson faced challenges in the United States, trying to fit in to a culture he didn't really grow up with, even though his parents were American. It seemed like there were times when he was more at home in Pakistan than in the United States. Perhaps it's hard for someone to go back and forth between cultures and really feel at home anywhere.
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