Katherine--

The back story:

His parents worked with Tanzanians to build a hospital.  Mortenson was  
brought up in a completely multi-cultural society.  He also learned  
languages easily.

His parents returned to the US, his father died, as did his sister.   
After high school he enlisted in the army to go to college. Then he  
went to nursing school and became a nurse.  He went with a bunch of  
climbers to climb K2 and put his sister's necklace on the top. He got  
lost on the way down, was rescued by a porter and taken to a village,  
where he got to know the people there, shared their lives.  Determined  
to build them a school., the headman of the village wanted a school  
particularly for his daughter.  After some more episodes, Mortenson got  
the money, paid for the materials, the villagers built the school.

The headman himself could not read, could only thumb through the Koran,  
this is a very sad part in the book. And on and on.  Google his name  
and up will come a time line.  This guy has been thoroughly vetted, I  
think.

The book is inspirational, it makes me say:  What can I do?  This is  
much of the impetus I think of those who go into adult literacy,  
particularly as volunteers.

Andrea

On Apr 29, 2008, at 11:38 AM, Katherine wrote:


> I thought best selling authors were rich.  Besides, where did he get  

> the

> money to visit all these places and then fund a school?

>

> Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt

> www.luxuriouschoices.net

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: "Andrea Wilder" <andreawilder at comcast.net>

> To: "The Poverty, Race,Women and Literacy Discussion List"

> <povertyracewomen at nifl.gov>

> Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 11:26 AM

> Subject: [PovertyRaceWomen 2135] Re: Mastery

>

>

>> Katherine:

>>

>> The guy isn't rich.  Where did that come from?

>>

>> Andrea

>>

>> On Apr 29, 2008, at 11:05 AM, Katherine wrote:

>>

>>> " Real education, not just information

>>> and skills development, now that is what I call

>>> radical, and there are precious few who actually have

>>> the courage to do it."

>>>

>>> AMEN.

>>>

>>> However, in defense of Mortenson, it could be his best seller is what

>>> keeps

>>> funding these schools.  If I had a best seller and were rich, I'd  

>>> keep

>>> earning money so I could give more away : )

>>>

>>> Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt

>>> www.luxuriouschoices.net

>>> ----- Original Message -----

>>> From: "Ujwala Samant" <lalumineuse at yahoo.com>

>>> To: "The Poverty, Race,Women and Literacy Discussion List"

>>> <povertyracewomen at nifl.gov>

>>> Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 10:53 AM

>>> Subject: [PovertyRaceWomen 2128] Re: Mastery

>>>

>>>

>>>> I work for an NGO where that is what we do. We have 75

>>>> schools in the NWFP region of Pakistan, all owned and

>>>> run by villagers. And aside from us, there are plenty

>>>> of local people who have done this, in the face of

>>>> serious opposition. But they have not had millionaire

>>>> godparents, nor bestsellers written about their work.

>>>> They just get on with what they see as necessary and

>>>> crucial for development. I am not undermining what

>>>> Mortenson did. But there are others, local unsung

>>>> people such as the founder of KHOJ, Ms Nasira Habib

>>>> who have done this  despite regular threats from local

>>>> landlords, thugs in highly traditional Pakistani

>>>> society. Now that, is radical! And the education her

>>>> communities receive, I wish my own son had. Her first

>>>> two graduates (women) stood for local elections amidst

>>>> much opposition. Real education, not just information

>>>> and skills development, now that is what I call

>>>> radical, and there are precious few who actually have

>>>> the courage to do it.

>>>>

>>>> Cheers,

>>>> Ujwala

>>>>

>>>>

>>>> --- Katherine <kgotthardt at comcast.net> wrote:

>>>>

>>>>> So you ladies don't think there is ANYTHING

>>>>> revolutionary about going back

>>>>> and opening a school?  That's pretty radical in my

>>>>> mind.  It's out of the

>>>>> ordinary.  It's EXTRAORDINARY in fact.

>>>>>

>>>>> Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt

>>>>> www.luxuriouschoices.net

>>>>> ----- Original Message -----

>>>>> From: "Andrea Wilder" <andreawilder at comcast.net>

>>>>> To: "The Poverty, Race,Women and Literacy Discussion

>>>>> List"

>>>>> <povertyracewomen at nifl.gov>

>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 8:51 AM

>>>>> Subject: [PovertyRaceWomen 2124] Re: Mastery

>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>>>> Ujwala--

>>>>>>

>>>>>> Yes, he was extremely lucky.  As I recall, the

>>>>> porter who rescued him

>>>>>> had knowledge of western ways, so Mortenson was

>>>>> somewhat understood, as

>>>>>> a person and as an acceptable member of his

>>>>> western group--he was not

>>>>>> an oddball.  There were  other factors specific to

>>>>> Mortenson that

>>>>>> enabled him to do what he did--beyond luck, and

>>>>> having to do with his

>>>>>> background.

>>>>>>

>>>>>>  He was also captured and (briefly) imprisoned

>>>>> when he did NOT follow

>>>>>> the rules.  He got out of imprisonment when he DID

>>>>> follow the rules.

>>>>>>

>>>>>> Read the book.

>>>>>>

>>>>>> Andrea

>>>>>>

>>>>>> On Apr 29, 2008, at 2:29 AM, Ujwala Samant wrote:

>>>>>>

>>>>>>> Andrea,

>>>>>>>

>>>>>>> That's the book I am struggling to read, to get

>>>>> into.

>>>>>>> I give him full marks for adapting, that must

>>>>> have

>>>>>>> been extremely hard; given the mountains, the

>>>>> culture

>>>>>>> and the language. I also think he was extremely

>>>>> lucky

>>>>>>> to have found the welcome he received, given

>>>>> those

>>>>>>> areas.

>>>>>>>

>>>>>>> Cheers

>>>>>>> Ujwala

>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>

>>>>>>> --- Andrea Wilder <andreawilder at comcast.net>

>>>>> wrote:

>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>> Ujwala--

>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>> Greg Mortenson of "Three Cups of Tea" succeeded

>>>>>>>> because he was able to

>>>>>>>> learn the rules, I think his story is pretty

>>>>>>>> dramatic;  shows what can

>>>>>>>> be accomplished when some one has the diligence

>>>>> and

>>>>>>>> desire to learn how

>>>>>>>> to behave properly in order to get a job done.

>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>> Andrea

>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>> On Apr 28, 2008, at 6:18 PM, Ujwala Samant

>>>>> wrote:

>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>> Just noted a typo my post. It should read, "We

>>>>>>>> call

>>>>>>>>> people by their first names." Or, "It's normal

>>>>> to

>>>>>>>> call

>>>>>>>>> people by their first names."

>>>>>>>>> Ujwala

>>>>>>>>> --- Daniel Rizik-Baer <drizikbaer at gmail.com>

>>>>>>>> wrote:

>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>> Ujwala-

>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>> "> I think everyone knows the hidden rules,

>>>>> they

>>>>>>>> are

>>>>>>>>>>> just not in plain site.

>>>>>>>>>>> Knowing that they are there is a big step

>>>>>>>> towards

>>>>>>>>>>> understanding.<<

>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>> I think there is a huge leap of faith in the

>>>>>>>> first

>>>>>>>>>> statement. Rules are learned, through

>>>>>>>> observation,

>>>>>>>>>> education and interaction. How many of our

>>>>>>>> learners

>>>>>>>>>> have positive, direct, educational interaction

>>>>>>>> upon

>>>>>>>>>> arrival? "We don't ask someone their age or

>>>>>>>> income."

>>>>>>>>>> comes to mind. "We don't call everyone by

>>>>> their

>>>>>>>>>> first

>>>>>>>>>> name." When asked "How're you doing?" it is

>>>>> not

>>>>>>>> an

>>>>>>>>>> invitation to discuss your state of mind or

>>>>>>>> being. I

>>>>>>>>>> could go on..... I think there are things to

>>>>> be

>>>>>>>>>> learned through interaction, and some through

>>>>>>>>>> teaching."

>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>> What I meant is much closer to what you

>>>>>>>> described.

>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>> What I mean is that people know the hidden

>>>>> rules,

>>>>>>>>>> and yet do not know that

>>>>>>>>>> they know them, Things as simple as which hand

>>>>> to

>>>>>>>>>> shake hands with, or many

>>>>>>>>>> other things that are cultural that may seem

>>>>>>>>>> "natural," but in fact are

>>>>>>>>>> socially constructed.

>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>> So just as you said, rules are learned- but

>>>>>>>> people

>>>>>>>>>> learn them without really

>>>>>>>>>> realizing they are being socialized into a

>>>>>>>>>> particular culture.

>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>> This is why I think it is so important for our

>>>>>>>> youth

>>>>>>>>>> to have the opportunity

>>>>>>>>>> for world travel- to see how other cultures

>>>>>>>> express

>>>>>>>>>> their humaness, to see

>>>>>>>>>> the simliarties and differences in how people

>>>>>>>> live

>>>>>>>>>> their lives may help our

>>>>>>>>>> youth to open their minds to see how their

>>>>> lives

>>>>>>>> are

>>>>>>>>>> socially constucted at

>>>>>>>>>> home.

>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>> Like Katherine said:

>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>> "We don't ask someone their age or income."

>>>>>>>>>> comes to mind. "We don't call everyone by

>>>>> their

>>>>>>>>>> first

>>>>>>>>>> name." When asked "How're you doing?" it is

>>>>> not

>>>>>>>> an

>>>>>>>>>> invitation to discuss your state of mind or

>>>>>>>> being.

>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>> *I mean, if someone asks how you are, why

>>>>> should

>>>>>>>> you

>>>>>>>>>> hide how you are

>>>>>>>>>> feeling?

>>>>>>>>>> If I ask, don't I really want to know?  If I

>>>>>>>> don't,

>>>>>>>>>> then I shouldn't bother

>>>>>>>>>> asking!*

>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>> Well yes, if we took the statement at face

>>>>> value.

>>>>>>>>>> But imagine if for

>>>>>>>>>> everyone you said "how are you doing?" to,

>>>>> they

>>>>>>>>>> actually told you about

>>>>>>>>>> their life, allo the trials and tribulations

>>>>> etc.

>>>>>>>> We

>>>>>>>>>> would never get through

>>>>>>>>>> our day!  It has become a greeting that means

>>>>>>>>>> "hello" while appearing to

>>>>>>>>>> show caring, which I do not think is

>>>>> necessarily

>>>>>>>> a

>>>>>>>>>> bad thing. Certain people

>>>>>>>>>> really do want to know- close friends and

>>>>> family.

>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>> *True we don't call everyone by their first

>>>>> name,

>>>>>

>>>> === message truncated ===

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

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>>>

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>>

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