The Politics of Literacy

Chapter 13: I had no idea Osama Bin Laden was from a wealthy Saudi family and had been expelled form Sudan. Greg hasn’t changed too much because Haji Ali made him promise not to travel anywhere alone and to find a host he could trust. He did find someone but Greg was so busy trying to fulfill his position at the CAI that he made a hasty decision in trusting Gul. When travel plans changed at the last minute, I was thinking, wait, do not go with this stranger but being Greg he went. When they arrived at their destination I thought well maybe it will be okay. Then to go from a feast of lamb to facing an AK-47 ! I am wondering about the Time magazine. Was it put there because it was about the hostage crisis or was it the only piece they had written in English? In a way I think it was a psychological game they were playing with Greg.
Chapter 14: What an appropriate title: Equilibrium. Greg does seem to develop some balance in his life. The birth of his daughter and the family time he spent with her and his wife. I was saddened to read about Hoerni developing cancer; which made the task of finishing the school and getting the picture a priority for Greg. During this trip Haji Ali reminds Greg again about traveling alone but he also feels Greg has earned the return of the level and plumb line. Haji Ali asks Greg to leave finding villages in which to build schools to the elders. This way Greg “won’t have to flap all over Baltistan like a crow, eating here and there.” When Greg returned and was going to see Hoerni with the picture in a blizzard and then no anti freeze !! I guess by now we just see that this is just how Greg operates. It is amazing how calm his wife was, she just slept in the car. I would have been going crazy ! WHAT !! you brought us out here in a blizzard and there is not anti freeze in the car ??? Hoerni is funny when he wants a hammer to put up the school picture and the nurse will not bring him one; he just politely (or maybe not so politely) tells her he will just buy the hospital so he can hammer something in the wall. Greg’s care for his friend at the end of his life was very touching.
Chapters 15-16: These chapters connected Greg’s life in America to his world in Pakistan. It amazed me how fast word did spread to the elders for a meeting after Greg had a fatwa declared on him. It is hard for me to believe that anyone would want to deny the building of schools for their children. As I read I got the feeling these individuals wanted confirmation that the children would not be “brain washed” into thinking American. Finally, the approval is received that building can continue. It was also interesting how the project has expanded from the children to the women and men as well as sanitary water supplies. One quote that stands out to me from chapter 16 is “Once you educate the boys, then tend to leave the villages and go search for work in the cities, but the girls stay home, become leaders in the community, and pass on what they’ve learned. if you really want to change a culture, to empower women, improve basic hygiene and health care, and fight high rates of infant mortality, the answer is to educate girls.”—Greg Mortenson

Three Cups of Tea Chapters 13 - 16 Susan Matthews

Chapter 13: Throughout each chapter in this book Greg’s dedication and determination to build schools in Pakistan gets stronger with each obstacle he is faced with. That is very evident in this chapter. Greg was instructed by Haji Ali not to travel alone and to find a host that he could trust to guide him around the villages. Tara was due soon with their daughter and Greg knew that he had to get back to the US so he made a quick decision to follow Gul. At the last minute Gul had a change of plans and didn’t go with Greg to the village they were headed to. It turns out that Greg was being kidnapped and would be help captive for eight days. Being the nice and dedicated person that Greg is, he tried to befriend the ones that captured him by asking for the Koran. I am sure that Greg was frightened but he did not let it show. It is amazing at how he was still thinking about how he was going to build all of the schools and which ones he needed to build first. His determination got him through the eight days in that small dim room. If I had been Greg, I would have wanted to get back to the US and never return to Pakistan. At the end of the eight days they let him out of the room and had a feast for him. They also gave him money to put toward another school.

Chapter 14: In this chapter Greg’s daughter is born and he goes home to spend time with her and his wife. He had to cut his time with his family short when he found out that Hoerni had developed cancer. Once he heard this, his goal was to get back to Pakistan so that he could finish the school and get a picture of it back to Hoerni. Greg wanted to go visit new villages to see where he could start other schools. Haji Ali suggested that Greg leave it up to the elders to find new villages. Greg finished at the school, took the picture, and made it back to the US so that he could show Hoerni what he had built before he died. Greg, his wife, and daughter got in the car and headed to see Hoerni. A blizzard came and they had to sleep in the car. They finally made it to the hospital. Greg showed Hoerni the picture and he wanted it hung on his hospital wall. Greg took care of Hoerni during his last days before he died since he had a nursing background. It was very touching the way he cared for him until the last minute. He is a very caring and gentle person.

Chapter 15 – 16: In these two chapters Greg had to prove to the people how dedicated he really was to educating their children. Word spread quickly to the elders for a meeting after the fatwa was declared on Greg. Greg put on his cleanest shalwar kamiz and walked to the Imam Bara Mosque. There he was presented with a red velvet box that held a “scroll of parchment wrapped in red ribbon.” They told Greg that he could build the schools. The scroll said that all children could be educated even the girls. They gave Greg their permission, blessings, and prayers to continue building schools and educating their people.

Susan,

You are right, Greg's obstacles never stop him he just keeps on going. I am with you, I would want to come back to the US and never go back to Pakistan. I guess that is what has made Greg such an icon, I thought the feast was crazy! First they kidnap him and then they have a feast and start giving him money. I am not sure why?

Response Comment for Kathy Childress

I was also surprised to read that Osama Bin Laden was from a wealthy Saudi family. I also wonder about the Time magazine. How did it get there? Were they playing a game on Greg? You have some intersting thoughts. The quote that you pulled out of chapter 16 also stood out in my mind.

Hello? I thought we had to post at the same time and talk back and forth at 5:00! Who knew...meanwhile I have a VERY DIFFICULT 3 month old right now, so it's probably a good thing that I can take my time to respond!
I hope everyone had a good week! Kathy and Susan did a great job of summarizing the chapters so I'm just going to add my thoughts rather than reiterate the same things that we all read.
I was also shocked that Osama Bin Laden was from a very wealthy family...and I also found it interesting that he hated Americans because they forced him to leave his comfortable life style and live in hiding....HELLO? He is evil...he's gotta know someone would be after him! On the other hand...he must have gotten the funds from somewhere to begin to arm his followers so it makes sense that he had family money.

Meanwhile, if my husband were to be anywhere other than next to me that last month of pregnancy, I'd kill him! I was shocked that Tara let him go...but I'm slowly learning the character of these people and obviously, she was ok with it! I'm just very different...and more neurotic obviously! ;) And I too thought, "Why isn't he listening to Haji Ali? I have a bad feeling about this" as he went with Gul.

Another thought I had in this chapter. So when the men gave him money in celebration, did they have the expectation that he would build a school in Waziristan? Because I would think he would get out of there FAST and never return after the way he was treated.

I loved Chapter 14 because so many good things happened...the birth of his daughter, the completion of the Korphe school, and Greg bringing such happiness to Hoerni, a very difficult man to make happy.
Having recently had a daughter myself, I see how it changes a man. Hannah has Josh (my husband) wrapped around his finger. That is why I found it really difficult to understand how he could leave only a few weeks after Amira was born. On the other hand, I really admire his persistence in completing his promises and doing the right thing.
He is really a good person, and I can not question his priorities.

i have to pause to give Hannah a bath but I'll be back...

Ok...I'm back!
In chapters 15 and 16 I found myself really learning about the culture...and constantly thinking about how different ours is. I also found it amazing that word spread so fast about the schools...especially considering the means of spreading it. In our society you just pick up your cell or post something on facebook...not the case in this scenario. But it makes you think about how people find a way to communicate something important. And I appreciate that they recognize the importance of Greg's mission.
I loved the story of Julia Bergman happening on the school ironically funded by her cousin's husband! Totally random but fateful...and another way that proves that his whole mission is meant to be.

Kathy, I also agree that its interesting that the projects have expanded beyond schools. I think that is inevitable though...everything is interrelated when it comes to education, don't you think? It impacts everything! And I was also drawn to the quote you highlighted...it says a lot and I think there is truth to it.

Carrie,
I agree with you about his wife's pregnancy. I would have killed my husband if he would have left me so close to the due date! You can see how dedicated he is when he left his family after only a few weeks after Amira was born. He is really focused on building the schools and helping the Pakistan people to educate their children.

Carrie,
I love it ! I would never call you neurotic ! I think it is only natural to want your husband with you not only to be there for the birth but also to be with you after the baby was born; too many horomones at this time and new moms need alot of support. I think this really shows Tara's strength. It also show us Greg's character. When he makes a promise to do something obviously he keeps his promise, no matter what ! I still find the scence of the feast and stuffing money in his pockets so odd. I still wonder too, who really had the deciding factor in whether Greg lived or died?
I think most everything about Greg seems to have been "totally random but fateful" don't you think?
--Kathy

These few chapters have been my favorite so far. I agree that it made me feel good to read all these great things happening in Greg's life: the birth of his daughter, the completion of the school and coming together of CAI. In Chapter 13, I didn't know how to react to Greg's kidnapping. Once again, he did not listen to advice given and went by himself into unknown territory. I feel like at times the descriptions are "hit or miss" but I felt like the author did a great job of describing the seeming wasteland of Waziristan. "The stones gathered the desert sun and vibrated with it, lending the landscape the feeling of a fever dream." I'm still confused about his kidnapping, did the kidnappers think he was with a government agency. It reminds me of a story my pastor tells when he was arrested in a Central American country because they thought he and his seminary friends were CIA. Later, they were released but asked to play baseball before they left.
Chapter 14 does give me "warm fuzzies." I begin to see the compassion that Greg shows towards others especially towards Hoerni. Driving all that way to show him a picture of the school that he had been so enthusiastic to build.
Chapters 15 and 16 I also enjoyed. It seems that Greg has finally found his niche and a balance in his life between his work and his family. I understand now how he was able to build so many schools. Even with the fatwa, he had a committee raring to go and was able to handle the adversity better than he had in the past.

Carrie,
I am beginning to understand the family dynamics of the Mortensons a little bit better as well. And as hard as it seems to believe that a husband could be so far away from his wife during that last month of pregnancy, it probably seems very normal to them. I have a feeling that later in the book Tara may have a heart to heart with her husband.

Susan,
I can definitely see Greg's dedication and determination grow with the completion of the school in Korphe. I start to "get" how important his work is to him. Also, I came to the realization how important the school was to Hoerni as well. I thought he was just a rich guy giving out money but he really wanted to leave something of importance behind.

Kathy,
I was surprised that Osama Bin Laden came from a wealthy family as well. I thought it very tragic that all of his anger was directed towards ALL Americans. I think it makes Greg's endeavors all the more important.
But, I also had to roll my eyes when Greg mentioned he had forgotten to put anti-freeze in his car when there is a BLIZZARD! But, the reason he was in that blizzard was a very noble cause.

Amanda,
I feel the same way you do about the kidnapping. Did they not understand who he was or what he was doing? This book has so much detail. I like the quote that you put about the wasteland of Waziristan.

I think the kidnapping really needed a little more elaboration. You are right, Amanda, he was on a noble cause in the blizzard, this part just shows us how strong his wife is, nothing seems to shake her.

I have enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts, but I must say, I enjoy our class discussions much better.

Kathy...totally with you...I like class discussions better as well! And yes...Greg is VERY random...but I do believe that everything happens for a reason. I believe that in my own life as well.

Ok Amanda...seriously? Your pastor had something similar happen to him too!? I don't understand how they treat someone horribly and then turn and ask them to play baseball or have a party and stuff money in your shirt...I just don't get it.
And I LOVED how you rolled your eyes at how he forgot antifreeze...you're hilarious.