Monday 20 April 2009

I always knew tea was important!

I have been reading 'Three Cups of Tea', by Greg Mortenson; an American mountain climber who after a mountaineering trip up K2 went wrong, arrived exhausted and lost in a mountain village in Pakistan. He was welcomed with tea and rest and eventually regained enough strength to leave, but in that time, the warmth of hospitality shown to him by people who had no idea who he was, made a huge impression. He decided, despite having no money, to return and build the school the community wanted.

It is a great book about one person seeing something through new eyes and deciding to help. He had lots to learn about how differently things were done there and there were lots of difficulties, but it is a thought-provoking story, both in terms of seeing a need and being willing to help, but also in terms of the hospitality that started it all.

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