A Humanitarian Cup of Tea

Tea A Magazine

Autumn 2007

A Humanitarian Cup of Tea

By Kirsten Kristensen

Sometimes a special event or happening can change the direction of your life. March 8, 2006 changed not only my life but brought together community members, friends, and students of our local Brookdale Community College and neighborhood in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Listening to ABC News, Good Morning America that cold rainy morning, I heard Diane Sawyer mention something about tea, which tweaked my attention. Diane Sawyer interviewed humanitarian Greg Mortenson of Bozeman, Montana about his then recently published book , Three Cups of Tea. The book is now on The New York Times Best- Seller List, is getting exposure all over the nation, and has even been translated in Italian.

With co-author David Oliver Relin, Greg Mortenson tells his story of how he was injured in 1993 while climbing K2, the second tallest mountain in the world, in Baltistan, located in the Karakoram mountain region of Pakistan. The village people of Korphe nursed him back to health. During his recovery he learned that the children did not have any schools, not even at elementary level. This is still an unpleasant fact in many secluded villages in the mountains bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan. He made a promise to the villagers to come back with funds to build them a school. Realizing the impact this change could have on a village, Mortenson discovered his mission in life and founded the non-profit organization, Central Asia Institute. Since 1993, he has been instrumental in building 58 schools in the Karakoram area, enabling the children especially girls who didn’t have a tradition of schooling with material from the area, which is a major part of the success of the program.

You may wonder what mountain climbing and school building has to do with tea. Three Cups of Tea is exactly what this is all about. As one of the oldest drinks in the world, tea is associated with culture and history. In these remote mountain areas Paiyucha (salty butter tea), is not only a healthy drink, but also the way you welcome a guest. According to their culture the first time you take tea you are a stranger, the second time you are an honored guest, and the third time you become family- and for the family they are prepared to die! These are the important words of Haji Ali, the nurmadhar (chief/mayor) of Korphe, Pakistan who became Father to Greg Mortenson. He taught him important lessons: how you need to allow time for three cups of tea before you can attempt any changes in a culture or society. The three cups are of course symbolic, but teach that it is important to get to know one another before decisions are made. Mortenson emphasizes that Americans, who often run though the fast lane and gulp three cups in one jumbo cup, can learn about respect and understanding from this lesson. I think many of us tea drinkers struggle with the same problem, with just getting people to wait for a proper cup of tea to steep for the recommended five minutes.

As a past president of Alpha Pi Theta (the honor society of Phi Theta Kappa) , and the 1^st Vice President of the Alumni Association at Brookdale College, I introduced Three Cups of Tea to the students and alumni members who have whole-heartedly adopted it as their two-year college project: Knowledge is Power- Three Cups of Tea. Our mission is to create awareness of the situation in the Karakoram region with a goal of raising $ 35,000 to build a school in Brookdale’s name. Since the fall of 2006, students, employees, and community members have supported the project with an unbelievable dedication. The college has a website and a Yahoo group dedicated to the project.

The Alumni Association at Brookdale Community College gave Greg Mortenson the 2007 Global Humanitarian Award this past May. The success of Greg Mortenson’s projects have not come easily. Mortenson sold all of his belongings and even slept in his car to raise enough money to fund the first school.

Asalaam Alaikum – Peace be with you!