Your Voice Counts!

One of the themes from Three Cups of Tea that most resonated with me was Mortenson’s willingness to take risks and the personal growth that he received through those risks. Starting with that first leap of faith in promising the people of Korphe that he would return with money for a school, Mortenson started on a lifelong journey of not knowing what was around the corner or not knowing what challenges faced him as he tried to achieve his goals.

While that may seem like recklessness to some, I think the primary difference for Mortenson was that he backed up those risks with a sincere devotion and commitment and with faith that everything would work out. As a result of these risks Mortenson has been able to better the lives of countless children and villages but as also found a purpose for his life and experienced tremendous personal growth. Read the rest of this entry »

I read Three Cups of Tea last year when a friend and colleague recommended it. It was one of those books that caused a range of emotions and reactions. To identify a few, I felt a great sense of admiration for Greg Mortenson — for his courage, compassion, patience, perseverance, follow-through, humility and ability to think outside of the box. I was encouraged by the success of his approach to peace-building, which focuses on relationship-building, systems-building and empowerment rather than violence or conflict. I was touched by the value that he placed on learning the culture and sub-cultures that he was entering; the great lengths that he went to to learn, at times putting his life on the line, often putting his ego on the line. At the same time, I felt anger about what appears to be so little investment in this model of non-violent approach. It seems as though the approaches that are most resourced and most validated involve conflict, violence, innocent deaths, and destruction rather than peace, empowerment, and resolution. It left me wanting to learn more about similar programs, approaches, individuals, and groups that exist. I felt overwhelmed by the complexity of the the issues involved. Read the rest of this entry »

Fairfield might not be the most diverse school in the country however we do embrace diversity. I have learned from the people at Fairfield that everyone is diverse in their own way and I did not have to try hard in order to fit into “foreign cultures.” Everyone is proud of who they are and enjoys sharing how their culture influences their lives. I think that I have benefited most from the knowledge that other students share with me. Everyone has their strong and weak academic points so just allowing myself to keep an open mind and learn from other students has taught me to keep an open mind about people and not to stereotype or assume something about them. Most of the students, faculty and administrators will answer any questions and do not pass judgments because you asked them. A suggestion I would have about how to avoid cultural misunderstandings is to not be afraid to talk to others. When you meet someone you are both in same boat of awkwardness and potential misunderstandings, so just be yourself and don’t be afraid to step out of the comfort zone and talk to someone you might not usually have spoken to.

Have you ever discovered that you were misunderstanding a situation due to cultural differences? Share your story by leaving a response below.

Greg Mortensen asks a key Ignatian question, “How am I called to make a difference in the world?” Three Cups of Tea is not only a story of one man’s work in making a difference but a journey of discernment where he finds the best use of his unique talents. Mr. Mortensen’s journey has been a lifelong journey that has continued through a lifetime of searching for where his talents, skills and passions would best serve the world.

As entering new students to Fairfield University, you have a unique opportunity to enter a learning community that will empower a journey to find your calling. In this community, you also have a responsibility – a duty really to realize your own potential, to share your passions and to make a difference in the lives of those you touchVery few of us will build schools in Pakistan; however, we can all make life a bit easier, a bit better and a lot stronger in our immediate communities

We can approach every interaction we have with others as a moment of sacredness. We can take the time to truly listen to the dreams, fears, hopes and anxieties of our new roommates, floormates and classmates. We can share our most authentic selves by sharing with courage our curiosities, our values and our traditions. We can be open to the experiences of others without judgment but with love and empathy. Mortensen’s question is inherently Ignatian because he asks us to consider how we are called to serve for the greater glory of God.

When you arrive at Fairfield, how will you BE? How will you explore your passions? How will discover your talents? How will you serve others? How will you be open to the lives of others you meet? And most importantly, how will you BE and DO in your community?

Welcome to Fairfield University and thank you for the difference you will make in our community

Deborah Cady Melzer, Ph.D
Dean of Student Development

Failure can be interpreted in different ways. Kristin Brown, an RA from Campion Hall interprets failure in her way…

I don’t think I would consider Mortenson’s “failed attempt” at climbing K2 to be a failure at all. It is amazing that he made it that far at all and so much good came out of all the “failures” that occurred during that climbing expedition. It’s interesting the even the village he built the school for, he only came across because he took a wrong path and became lost. Sometimes mistakes are what need to be made in order to figure out how to do something, or what to do. There are so many people who come to Fairfield with something set in their mind, like in the case of Mortenson, climbing K2. At Fairfield often students enter as freshmen with a specific goal in mind like becoming a doctor or a lawyer. Often it is failures in areas like that, which allow students to discover what path is right for them. At Fairfield don’t be afraid to take different classes, or explore new things. You never know what wrong turn, could actually be the path that could change your life forever.

Everything happens for a reason and it is important to make mistakes in order to learn from them. Failure is a necessary part of life and of college. It is important to remember all of the failed K2 expeditions in life and remember all of the schools that can be built because of them.

What’s your definition of failure? Share your thoughts by clicking on the Comments link, below.

This book is a fascinating account of one mountaineer’s determination to deliver on a promise to build a school. This promise changed Greg Mortenson’s own life as much as tens of thousands of others as his first dream to bring a school to Korphe turned into a lifetime commitment to humanitarianism, education of boys and girls, and larger pursuits to advance the alleviation of abject poverty in Pakistan and Central Asia.

The meaning of the title of the book, Three Cups of Tea only becomes clear later in the text. I encourage you to think about what that means, and how you relate it to your own life and passions. Greg says it was the most important lesson of his life. Also, the book contains many rich lessons on humanitarian action and the challenges of development assistance. Greg had it backwards at first: despite setting out to build a school, he had first to build a bridge. That bridge had to bring together different cultures, understandings, peoples, friendships and trust, as much as two sides of a deep chasm that separated the village from the roads that would get the supplies for the school building up the rugged mountains. The imperative of building a bridge first was a powerful metaphor and lesson for the whole book, and me, too. How often have I tried to accomplish something before building the bridge to make it possible? Much of life and commitment to peace building is found in the bridge-making itself. A life’s journey in peace and justice can’t go far without building bridges.

Janie
Dr. Janie Leatherman
Director of International Studies
Professor of Politics
Fairfield University
1073 North Benson Road
Fairfield, CT 06824

Phone: 203 254-4000 extension 3429
Fax: 203 254-5513

As you finish reading 3 Cups of Tea and prepare to begin your 4 year “climb” at Fairfield, I encourage you to take the time to reflect upon how this book relates to your future at Fairfield University.

Mortenson was a man struggling to find his true passion in life. He knew what he liked, but he wanted to know what gave purpose to his life. He found it while getting lost hiking down a mountain. As you enter Fairfield this fall, you will be presented with many experiences within the classroom, your residence halls and within the greater Fairfield Community. As you engage in these opportunities, try to discover your true passion. I hope you use the next four years to discover YOUR PURPOSE

Have you had the A-HAH moment that led you to change direction in your life? Share your story by clicking on the Comments link, below.

This book challenges us to consider what it means to be a foreigner adapting to another culture. Mara Giarratana Young, an RA from Regis Hall shares her experiences with foreign cultures at Fairfield University…

I come from the San Francisco Bay Area. The overwhelming number of cultures which reside in San Francisco and vie for space in this tiny city alone is shocking. On the way to school on the city bus you might hear people yapping away in Mandarin, Cambodian, Laotian, Spanish, Japanese, Cantonese, Russian, Cambodian or Korean. (It takes very little time before one is able to distinguish and recognize the sounds of one language from another.) Yet when I arrived at Fairfield University, at the very brink of living on my own, I came upon the most foreign culture I have yet encountered: the college student culture. All my previously cultivated habits from high school went right back to California with my parents. The academics, the mass-produced cafeteria food, the professors, the students, the dorm life… everything about college is a new experience. Should I stay up with my new friends to watch the sunrise? Maybe I’ll eat ice cream for breakfast. Perhaps I feel partial for a jaunt around campus at three AM when the full moon is at its largest. Never again will I have to wake up before nine if I plan my schedule carefully! The possibilities are endless with the newfound freedom this culture allows.

In reflection, dorm life was the largest challenge of my freshman year. Read the rest of this entry »

“Three Cups of Tea” is an inspiring story of a man beating the odds by doing difficult things in dangerous places. It seems to me a useful book for freshmen readers as they open their minds to what they might make of their lives. I also hope it helps students to think critically. There are a range of provocative questions that are not addressed by the book, but that might help us think more deeply about how to make the world a better place. For instance, how did the Taliban come to power in the first place? The book does not dwell much on history, but my understanding was that under the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, there was a strong emphasis on the education of girls. How did the Taliban –a group of largely uneducated fighters—manage to push the Soviet army out of Afghanistan and eliminate the education of girls? In Pakistan, too, how did the leadership come to power and what sorts of education can we expect them to provide for their populace? More fundamentally, what evidence do we have from the book that education works to the ends we want it to? It seems to me that many Read the rest of this entry »

Read a fascinating look at US policy towards Pakistan and the contrasting work of Greg Mortenson in Nicholas Kristof’s July 13, 2008 NY Times Op-Ed piece.

Kristof writes, “Suppose that the United States focused less on blowing things up in Pakistan’s tribal areas and more on working through local aid groups to build schools, simultaneously cutting tariffs on Pakistani and Afghan manufactured exports. “  To read entire article, go to LINK