Mary+Rose

Mary Rose

Connector --> Director --> Passage Master --> Researcher

Chapter 1 opens up with Greg Mortenson wandering through Karakoram, the mountain range in Pakistan that holds the second highest mountain in the world K2, lost after trying to follow Mouzafer down the dangerous descent. We learn of Mortenson's background, his sister Christa who died of a massive seizure on her 23 birthday having suffered from acute meningitis when she was little. His plan was to leave a necklace of Christas at the K2 peak, but ended up having to use all of his energy along with Scott Darsney, another climber, saving French climber Etienne Fine-a rescue that took 3 days. So now Mortenson is lost, and he realizes that its his body that failed, "It was his body that had failed, he decided, not his spirit, and every body had its limits." pg. 16. Finally he wakes up and finds a trail that leads him to his guide Mouzafer, where he immediately makes Mortenson drink tea to gather his strength. They start to make their trip towards the city of Askole, but once again he falls behind Mouzafer and ends up in Korphe. Mouzafer makes his way there too, and Mortenson takes a couple weeks to regain his strength. In that time, he sees the frail and decaying school system, and decides this is what he must do in honor of his sister. He promises to come back to Korphe and build a school.
 * Summary chapters 1-3 (5/4/10):**

What do you guys think of the writing technique used? Was Greg Mortenson married during the initial stages of his climbing/deciding to build a school? What was his inspiration for climbing?
 * __Tuesday May 4__**--Discussion Director

Greg arrives back in Berkley California, where his little personal items are being held in a storage unit. We then are introduced to his past, starting with his childhood. He was born in Minnesota, but at 3 months old his parents decided to move to Tanzania as missionaries. Mortenson's father, "Dempsey" also had an "economically exhausted" family but was able to go to the University of Minnesota on a football scholarship, where he met his wife, Jerene. Dempsey soon became involved in the new project of creating Tanzania's first teaching hospital, the Kilimanjaro Christan Medical Center. At 11, Mortenson scaled Kilimanjaro himself, his first major mountain and sparking his passion for climbing. A year later his mom gave birth to 3 girls, the last being Christa. Her being titled an epileptic as spurred from a bad reaction to a smallpox vaccination. Then at 14, the family moved back to the US, after Dempsey successfully finishing the hospital. Mortenson never fully fit back into or felt comfortable in his new American life, except when playing sports. After college, he joined the army and was stationed in Germany for 2 years. He then went to University of South Dakota, after transferring from a small one in Minnesota, working his way through college and sending small amounts of money home to his dad each month. He soon finds out that his father has cancer, and died in 1981. Christa started to visit him every year in California, and Mortenson was soon asked to be a medic on a K2 climbing expedition. He called home to his mother after having a nice fall down Mount Sill and being in the hospital, only to find out Christa had died that day, on her birthday (1992), from a massive seizure. Now he knew how he could honor Christa, by climbing K2. It then went back to Mortenson preparing his trip to Korphe, he starts to write letters to anyone he can think of, even famous people. He starts on a type writer, for its all he knows of, but after going to a shop to rent one out, he meets a Pakistani clerk and he helps Mortenson with a Mac, which greatly speeds his letter process. While talking to his medical friends, he hears of wealthy scientist Jean Hoerni, who ends up paying for the whole cost, 12,000. Mortenson is finally on his way. He arrives in Rawalpindi, and found the cheapest hotel to stay at, not wanting to spend a lot of money on himself. Mortenson quickly becomes friends with the hotel's watchmen, Abdul. He helps Mortenson get rolling right away on what supplies need to be purchased for the school. Abdul teaches him how to bargain, and how important wood and cement are, in hopes of helping him create a long lasting school. The chapter ends with Mortenson at a gas station attending a prayer service, and for the first time he felt accepted, "...for the first moment during all his days in Pakistan, no one was looking at him as an outsider." As for if the essential question of- does history shape an individual or does the individual shape history, I feel in //Three Cups of Tea// Greg Mortenson is shaping history. he is changing the life of those children and people in Korphe by building schools. He is creating a way for that village to have strong education for years and years. I think having grown up in the environment he did and with the parents he had, Mortenson will be the one that changes history.
 * Summary chapters 4-6 (5/6/10):

__Thursday May 6__ --Passage Master pg. 50 5th paragraph: I felt this demonstrated how much technology was advancing, and only in the 90's. Greg was still using type writers, "Someone from Pakistan helping me become computer literate so I could help Pakistani kids get literate." pg. 52 2nd paragraph: "And they did it with something that's basically worthless in our society --pennies. But overseas, pennies can move mountains." I thought this paragraph stood out because it was Greg's first collection of money, and it was from his mothers students. pg. 59 2nd paragraph: This paragraph was very uplifting to Greg, having for the first time pushed aside his doubts and felt connected through the religion, "..But now, alone on the roof, the muezzins seemed to be speaking directly to him." pg. 64 1st paragraph: This paragraph gave me hope about Greg being able to find all his supplies for building the school, "...to see the actual components of his school sitting arrayed all around him." pg. 65 1st big paragraph: I chose this because it demonstrates Abdul's way of bargaining when the contractor named the amount of money, "...A true Muslim would leap at the chance to help poor children instead of trying to steal their money."

Summary chapters 7-10 (5/10/10) Abdul and Mortenson wake up for his final day in Rawalpindi and gather all the supplies into a truck, getting ready for the long haul to Korphe. Locals come for the send off, and Abdul's final words to Mortenson are "Nowadays, you are the same as a Pakistan man." We then learn of the Karakoram Highway, how it dangerously follows the Indus River Gorge and how it develops the name "Friendship Highway". Far into their journey, they approach a group of men blocking a bridge because they paid men to fix the roads so they could sell their timber but only resulting in the contractors running off with the money, causing Mortenson's trip to be delayed one night. The journey continues, and he stops in the town of Skardu to talk to Changazi, the individual who made his K2 climbing arrangements. He then stores all his school building supplies in his warehouse. Long story short, Mortenson finds out he must build a bridge across the river in order to get all his supplies to Korphe, for the only form of transportation they have over the river is a cable car. So he returns to San Fransisco, his "girlfriend" Marina has left him and he's been fired from his job because he stayed 2 extra months planning for the bridge, not coming back on schedule. He decides to make a call to ** Jean Hoerni once more, and he greatly helps by giving him the 10,000 dollars for the bridge supplies. Mortenson returns to Korphe, purchases his supplies, and chapter 10 ends with an american group coming, and the bridge is finally completed. Essential question: I still believe that Mortenson is shaping history, rather than history shaping him. Yes, things like geography influence his decisions he makes, like the river forcing him to make the bridge, but it is still all his force and drive influencing the drastic change Korphe will receive. The bridge will bring more travelers, hopefully positively affecting their economy, and the school is raising their education level.

__Monday May 10__**: Researcher Karakoram Highway: connecting China and Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, built both by the Pakistan government and Chinese government. May like a "road" then a highway... An Ibex is like a wild goat! I knew it was some type of animal they hunted, but to put it into a clearer image... **

Chapter 11 is the chapter Natalie and I have been waiting for :) Mortenson is back in California, working at an emergency room, trying to save up enough money to make his way back to Korphe as soon as possible. His ex-girlfriend Marina comes whining back to him, and he simply says, "the door is closed." You go Greg! So he then proceeds by going to Seattle to meet Jean Hoerni for the first time, and not is he very happy about the bridge and progress Mortenson is making, but he meets a man named George McCown at an event, who is good friends with Jean, and he gives him 20,000 dollars "for him" knowing his saving ever last ounce for his school. Mortenson also meets his wife-to-be, Tara Bishop! After only 6 days of knowing each other, they get married. So, Mortenson arrives back in Skardu to go to Changazi and get the rest of his building supplies, only to find that he can't be found and that they were moved to an abandoned hotel, where a third is missing. But Mortenson always looking on the bright side, goes to Korphe with his head high to see how far the school has come. He is disappointed to see it is not as far as he wished, wishing he hired laborers, but Haji Ali puts things into perspective by saying, "...But the people of Korphe have been here without a school for six hundred years...What is one winter more?" He is then for the first time invited into the villages mosque, with religious leader Sher Takhi. Mortenson returns to America for Thanksgiving with Hoerni, who announces he wants to have an organization for building schools, make Mortenson be the directer, make it be Mortenson's career! The Central Asia Institute (CAI), try to build a school every year. So then we find out that Tara is pregnant, and mother Lila Bishop buys them a small house in Bozeman, Montana. Back in Pakistan, Mortenson becomes the overseer of the building, pacing back and forth, and then Haji Ali takes him aside and tells him to stop because he's making everyone crazy. Then Haji Mehdi, a corrupt leader who rules over the area, comes and tells them how bad it is to build this school, to educate women. So Haji Ali gives him 12 rams (big deal!) and tells him to leave them alone. Chapter 13 is when things get heated. He travels to Waziristan in hopes of discussing building a school for their village, but in the process is kidnapped. For 8 days he is held in a room, not being able to communicate with the Wazir gaurds, it is very difficult for Mortenson to keep positive thoughts. He told Tara that he would call in 2 days, and he knows she must be thinking the worst. He asks for a Koran, and prays 5 times a day, and also has a Time Magazine to which he read in all his other spare time. Finally an English speaking Wazir man comes, and Mortenson discusses what his object of the visit is--to build a school. So the next day Mortenson is blindfolded again and taken into a truck, where Mortenson believes he is going to be shot or his head chopped off, but is brought to a celebration! A celebration for Mortenson wanting to build them a school. Wazir men walk up to him with gifts and money, and Mortenson finally relaxes and joins them. As for the essential question, I believe Mortenson is still shaping history. These villages he's visiting and attempting to make better by building schools have never experienced the outside world like him, and bringing education into their community will change the way they work and see things. However, when he was blindfolded and taken in Wazir, I think the men were basing their treatment to Mortenson, to this american man, from the past. When he was reading the Time Magazine about the American's captured in Iraq, it clicked in my head that these men would always suspect the worst first, seeing an American. So thats an example of history shaping the individual.
 * Summary chapters 11-13 (5/12/10)

__Wednesday May 12__:** Connector I think one of the big messages that was portrayed in the chapters 11-13 was how different us Americans view their time compared to the people in Pakistan, especially in Korphe. The paragraph at the end of page 150 sums it up perfectly (not trying to steel passage master's job)... "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 teach them." Us busy American's never take the time to slow down and talk with someone, its always thinking "i have to be there in 15 minutes". Another thing to continue upon is the education of women. When Haji Mehdi came just to lecture the town of Korphe on the school educating women, it put it all into perspective for me. We take things for granted that seem completely normal to us without thinking twice about it, but some countries are years behind and have not even established womens rights. For example, that bridge opened a whole new window for the people of Korphe. Now the women can walk over every friday to visit their families.

Back in Montana, Mortenson returns home for the birth of his daughter, Amira Eliana Mortenson, born on September 13, 1996. Not long after does Mortenson receive a phone call from Jean Hoerni asking for a picture of the finished school in Korphe as soon as possible because he'd been diagnosed with myelpfibrosis, a fatal form of leukemia. "I must see that school before I die." A few weeks later, Mortenson flew back to Pakistan, for now he needed to beat the coming winter and Hoerni's cancer and finish the school as soon as possible. He also starts to plan where his next school will be built, being director of the Central Asia Institute, and was thinking to visit some villages in the Hushe Valley. Haji Ali gives him the advice of letting himself call a meeting for all the village elders of the Braldu and Mortenson takes his advice. Next, building his heroic image up even more, Mortenson saves a women who had complications with her birth. Then on December 10, 1996, Mortenson puts the final nail in the roof of the school. He then ventures back to America and visits Hoerni in Blaine County Medical Center in Idaho and gives him his much wanted photo of the school. He died happy on January 12, 1997 and left CAI 1 million dollars to keep continuing their great work. We see that Mortenson has finally fallen into a normal, routine life, besides traveling too and from countries every couple of months, but he has a family :) While working in his laundry room of an office, he receives a phone call from Parvi telling him a cleric from a village in the Baldru Valley has declared a fatwa against him, because his schools he was building were educating girls. Mortenson immediately flies out to Pakistan to make a board of men to help him build and accomplish as much as he can incase the fatwa forces him to leave Pakistan. He helps with a number of projects in just half a year, including building 3 schools, adding on to a school, giving a villages teachers salary, and building a womens center in Korphe for women to have space to themselves and do activities like sewing. Mortenson also establishes a board of Americans for CAI. Then Mortenson, his wife Tara, daughter Amira, Jennifer Wilson (Hoerni's wife) and Julia Bergman (Jennifer's sister) travel to Korphe to hold the inauguration for the school. These chapters really sum up what I've been trying to prove about the essential question. Greg Mortenson is changing history with each step he takes. Not only has he officially finished his school in Korphe, but now with the Central Asia Institute up and running, its letting him complete many other projects throughout the Baldru Valley. He is changing the lives of the citizens living in those villages by adding a strong base of education and organization in their lives. These villages have been untouched by the current modern world for hundreds of years, and Mortenson is changing their history for the better. With each step he takes, he is influencing and building a stronger future for these people of Pakistan.
 * Summary chapters 14-15 (5/14/10)

**__Discussion Director:__ Friday, May 14 What do you think are the strongest characteristics Mortenson holds to influence the people of Korphe to trust him so much? Even for people he's meeting for the first time? Its says that the sher can overrule the government at times, explain how this can be either good or bad for a village. Do you think Mortenson and CAI will continue in success in years to come? What happens as Hoerni's money is getting smaller and smaller? Do you believe that Mortenson was born to do this? Why do you think the man who declared fatwa would accept a bribe when he's trying to stop women being educated? Shouldn't he be a stronger individual in staying true to what he believes rather than fall for money?

Mortenson waits nervously as a red velvet box is being passed around, man to man, to come all the way to his room in the Indus Hotel, that holds the decision from the highest Shiite regarding whether he is banned from Pakistan or not. Expecting the worst, he is surprised to hear Syed Abbas read, "...Therefore, we direct all clerics in Pakistan to not interfere with your noble intentions. You have our permission, blessings, and prayers." (pg. 199). The fatwa has been avoided. Now Mortenson can think straight. His first priority is Mouzafer's school in Halde. Mortenson also arranges for Dr. Geoff Tabin, an American eye doctor, to offer free surgeries to 60 elderly patients, and he also sends the only eye doctor in Baltistan to receive special training in Nepal. Next we learn about the Kargil Conflict. Mortenson hears news of the fighting in Kashmir over the Line of Control. Both India and Pakistan wanted it for different reasons. Pakistan felt it was a symbol of "all the oppression they felt Muslims had suffered as British India unraveled." And to India, "Kashmir represented a line drawn, if o in the sand, then across a range of 18,000 foot peaks." (pg. 212) We learn of a girl named Fatima Batool, who's sister dies, and family is relocated along with many other villages to Skardu, being neglected by the Pakistani government completely. Mortenson immediately flies over. Syed Abbas comes to Mortenson and asks for what they need most, water. Asking how many people lived there, he is astounded to hear 1500. Mortenson successfully drills powerful pumps to find groundwater and even builds a school for the women living there. The next chapter is mainly about Mortenson trying to spread word of what he does by giving presentations whenever he can. Not only is it hard to attract a crowd, but money is becoming tight and he needs donations. So he would peruse some rich old person when they'd hint they'd like to give a donation, but several times Mortenson ended up back home empty handed. CAI is becoming a little stretched out, and Mortenson realizes he needs some help, for he holds too much of the work. So he hires an assistant to help him become more organized. He then visits the Bangladesh Rural Reconstruction Associatoin to learn more about the poverty and education. He also makes a short stop in Calcutta to visit an icon in his life, Mother Theresa. The chapter ends with Tara giving birth to their second child, Khyber, a son. Now Mortenson is back in Pakistan, and learning about madrassa, the religious schools in Pakistan that are free, which most parents send their children to. We also learn about the politics of the region, and how its under martial law. Next Mortenson travels to 3 other CAI sights, and attends the inauguration of one of the schools. He starts to receive many visits from people living at villages in need of water or schools, and Mortenson can simply promise that he will bring it up at their next board meeting. Then, September 11 comes along, and he speechless. It ends with him visiting his favorite town Korphe, but only to find out that Haji Ali had died. This portion of reading brought more of the other side of the essential question, history influencing the individual. With each political event we learn about, and even 9/11, we hear how it affects the people and the decisions they make. But I still believe it is equal with Mortenson being able to change history. Perhaps the rest of the book will show equal amounts of the individual changing history and history changing the individual...
 * Summary chapter 16-19 (5/18/10)

__Passage Master__: Tuesday, May 18 pg. 200 "Thought he didn't fully recognize it yet, a new phase in Mortenson's life had now begun. He no longer had the time to speak with everyone who came to him with a request, though, at first, he tried. He'd been busy before, but now each day seemed five or six hours too brief. he set himself the task of sifting through the flood of requests for the few worthy projects he had the means and ability to accomplish." I chose this as one of my passages because it shows how Mortenson's life changed so drastically after the fatwa had been cleared. It can also be viewed as a positive change, or a negative change, interesting to pick which side... pg. 244 3rd paragraph: "The //madrassa// students were "the ruthless and restless, the jobless and the economically deprived with little self-knowledge," Rashid concludes. "They admired war because it was the only occupation they could possibly adapt to. Their simple belief in a messianic, puritan Islam which had been drummed into them by simple village mullahs was the only prop they could hold on to and which gave their lives some meaning." "The work Mortenson is doing building schools is giving thousands of students what they need most--a balanced education and the tools to pull themselves out of poverty." I chose this passage because it is an example of what most schools are like in Pakistan, and how Greg Mortenson is positively changing the realm of education for the country. pg. 257 paragraph 3: "For this tragedy, I humbly ask Mr. George and Dr. Greg Sahib for their forgiveness. All of you, my brethren: Protect and embrace these two American brothers in our midst. Let no harm come to them. Share all you have to make their mission successful." All of page 257 holds amazing paragraphs on a speech Syed Abbas gives, but this one passage shows how passionate and loyal these families are from the villages Mortenson choses to build at. They're referring to the 9/11 attacks, and saying sorry that it happened, hoping the Greg and George won't think differently of them.

Summary chapters 20-21 (5/21/10) Mortenson's taxi driver suggest that they go "see the circus" which was really going to the Marriott Hotel and seeing all the media and press that has evolved from 9/11. He then meets a Canadian journalist Kathy Gannon, who says, "seems like our little corner of the world has become interesting all of a sudden." (pg. 263) She being the Associated Press bureau chief in Pakistan, they start to exchange stories on the current news. Gannon believes that most of the journalists their don't even know the topic they're writing about, not wanting to go near the border, they aren't even checking into stories they're printing. Mortenson stayed at the Marriott for the next week, and decided to take advantage of the press stationed there, promote CAI! He noticed that the reporters seemed like they were at war with each other, but he offered to tell them about Pakistan, and he was interviewed, talking about the root causing of terrorism. Next, Mortenson receives news from the American board that Pakistan is no longer considered safe for Americans, so he decides he wants to get over to Afghanistan himself. There, the guard tells him his visa is not valid, and Mortenson goes straight to the American Embassy, where they conclude that his work is suspicious and decline him. However, they keep his passport and is then interrogated the next day on why he wants to go. He explains why, he has one more month and wants to finish building his schools. The 3 men were testing Mortenson, to see if he really knew what he was talking about. Finally he was called back one more day, and after being asked "Where's Osama?" and him replying "I hope I never know a thing like that." Mortenson was given a temporary one year passport. He returns to American a month later, and instantly looks through a stack of mail. To his dismay, he found himself opening letter after letter of hate mail in response to his interviews in Pakistan. For the first time he thought about quitting. However he also receives a positive letter, and flies out to Seattle, where he was going to deliver a speech and author John Krakauer introduced him. With chapter 21, Mortneson is back in Pakistan. The American action against Afghanistan has come to a stop and ended the rule of the Taliban. He found it hard to hear about people he had met that were captured. He started to schedule speaking engagements, however not all were attended strongly. He meets Representative Mary Bono, who says "I learned more from you in the last hour than I have in all the bfiefings I've been to on Capitol Hill since 9/11. We've got to get you up there." She arranges for him to speak in front of a group of congressmen. This leads to him becoming acquainted with multiple US government people, and though offered money, he decides to decline so it doesn't look like he's working with the US government. I believe this read only deals with history influencing the individual for the essential question. Because of what was happening in the world after 9/11, Mortenson was affected in multiple ways. He couldn't cross the Afghan border, he talked with the media and led to Ameicans writing him hate mail. This led to him doing speeches to cheer himself up, and then meeting Bono, and then the government officials. I believe all that happened to him in these past 2 chapters were all influenced from the tensions that followed 9/11. It truly did affect Mortenson's work.

Researcher, May 21 Blue Area-- commercial and business area of Islamabad, Pakistan. It's called "Blue Area" because the original plans of the city were represented in blue. Home of the Islamabad stock exchange. I was trying to find an average number of how many journalists went over to Pakistan after 9/11, and actually found a site called CPJ-commitee to protect journalists. Its scary that they even have to create a committee like this agreed?! I found Greg's blog! [] I think we should try to do something next year!! ** [] So this is an image of Airline passengers from 1997-2008. You can see the HUGE plummet in August '01, but then surprisingly the large incline in July-Nov. '02.

Summary chapters 22-23 We meet Fedarko, who decides to report from the field and tag along with Mortenson to research on high-altitude warfare, but ends up being "charmed" just like everyone else and decides to change his story to writing about Greg and what he does. He reports back to his boss at //Parade// magazine and his boss immediately falls for the story too, and instantly Mortenson is receiving the fame and recognition in America he's been needing. Things were never better for CAI. Now with a steady influx of money, Mortenson is able to rent out a small office space, and greatly helped everyones salary by nearly doubling each individuals income. His wife Tara finally recognizes how her husband's salary finally began to reflect the hardships their family has endured. This new source of money also proves beneficial towards the schools in Pakistan, and Mortenson is able to build and improve even more schools. Until however, another cleric declares fatwa on him and actually partially destroys one of the schools. However for a second time, the fatwa is removed, and it just goes to show how much the Islamic court respects and honors Mortenson to defend him against their own people. An example of that is Mortenson is asked to meet with a Pakistani official who asks for advice on where to spend their countries new money thats finally coming from the north government in Islamabad. Mortenson then meets with the Afghanistan King, Sahir Shah on a short flight. Mortenson's preparing to go to the man Khirgiz who he promised he'd build schools for many years ago. The 2 men on the flight however, start to discuss how American attention has been turned from Afghanistan to Iraq. After landing, Mortenson finds himself with Abdullah and on his way to the Wakhan Corridor to fulfill his promise. However their truck breaks down under a tunnel and they are caught in a very dangerous situation, then find themselves in a land mine, and then find themselves in an open firing between opium smugglers. But Mortenson is never shaken that easily. He finally makes his way to Faizabad by riding in a truck of goat skins. He finds Sadhar Khan, and they start to discuss schools, Khan immediately knowing who Mortenson is and feeling awful that he doesn't have tea to offer him. However, then Khan tells Mortenson that he wants the schools to be in memory of the fallen soldiers. Essential question: Now that the book is over, I'm able to look at the whole picture. I believe this book is a prime example of the individual changing history. Greg Mortenson took a challenging task in a challenging country, went against what people told him to do, and went with what his heart said. He changed the lives of all those children in Pakistan, and even made a huge difference and impact on giving women the rights to education. No historical moment is influencing Mortenson to do this, it is simply what he set out to do, a decision made on his own. Mortenson never let history, race, or location stop him from building schools or water pumps.

Connector May 25: I thought a lot about womens rights while reading the first chapter, especially in the beginning. When Mortenson talks about Jahan storming through the circle of men sipping tea, and talking to him about getting 20,000 rupees to go become a doctor. This shows how Mortenson has changed how women in any of the villages he helped better have started to gain womens rights. To think that in America, any women can go to a college or university to study and receive a doctorates degree, and to see how finally towards the end, we see women wanting the same too, it amazing. I also realize how much car traveling Mortenson does throughout this book, and the extreme dangers he approaches on the roads, and how we simply get impatient with traffic, or waiting for a pedestrian to cross. Its two completely different worlds.