Three Cups of Tea

This is an inspiring and fascinating read. I have never given much thought to mountain climbing, apart from the random television show or article. I have heard of the Sherpa, but I cannot remember ever hearing about the Balti. Greg Mortenson, on the other hand, came to know and care a lot about the Balti people. After a failed attempt to the summit of K2, Greg Mortenson stumbled into a village so small it did not even show on the maps of the K2 area. The little village, Korphe, nursed him back to health and soon came to think of him as a son. Greg Mortenson's life completely changed course by that chance encounter.

This is his story. It is a story about how one person can make a difference. About the things which can really be achieved when setting your heart into something. Greg Mortenson gave up his old life to fullfill a promise about a school. Operating in such a remote and isolated area, where no foreigner has ever set foot before, can be a daunting task. Still, Greg Mortenson set out to learn the Balti language and understand their culture in order to help them.

For a long time Greg Mortenson strived to build the school fo r the children of Korphe as he had promised he would. He faced loads of problems, but kept on trying - stubborn as few. In the end he managed to find the people that were the puzzle pieces he needed to complete the school. Later on, he built many more schools for the children in the impoverished and remote areas of the Karakoram Mountains. He is their hero. He gave them the possibility of an education. It may not seem like much to you, but for them it meant the world ♥

" "When the porcelain bowls of scalding butter tea steamed in their hands, Haji Ali spoke. "If you want to thrive in Baltistan, you must respect our ways," Haji Ali said, blowing on his bowl. "The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family, and for our family, we are prepared to do anything, even die," he said, laying his hand warmly on Mortenson's own. "Doctor Greg, you must make time to share three cups of tea. We may be uneducated. But we are not stupid. We have lived and survived here for a long time." 

"That day, Haji Ali taught me the most important lesson I've ever learned in my life," Mortenson says. "We Americans think you have to accomplish everything quickly. We're the country of thirty-minute power lunches and two-minute football drills. Our leaders thought their 'shock and awe' campaign could end the war in Iraq before it even started. Haji Ali taught me to share three cups of tea, to slow down and make building relationships as important as building projects. He taught me that I had more to learn from the people I work with than I could ever hope to teach them." "

Three Cups of Tea, p. 150

I hope you enjoy the book as much as I have.


More teasers:
Flukten fra virkeligheten
Should Be Reading