Three Cups of Tea - 44%

I love the story of how Greg and his wife met. How romantic! It just goes to show that when you know, you know. I cannot even imagine meeting someone and marrying them six days later.

One other thing really struck me in this material. Greg talks about how building a bridge over the Braldu so that the village of Korphe has easier access to the other side empowered its women. How amazing to think that something as seemingly inconsequential as a bridge could empower women. This bridge made it possible for the women of Korphe to visit their families since it made the distance much more manageable. And this was significant to these women who would go through ritualistic mourning when they got married because they knew they would never see their families again. It just struck me as very sweet. I cannot imagine living in a place so remote that I would have to essentially, say goodbye to my parents forever. How wonderful that Greg and his team could change this.

Three Cups of Tea - 23%

Yikes! I really do not think I will be able to finish this book by the time my book club meeting rolls around - this coming Thursday, April 1. I hate going into things unprepared but I will do the best I can with the time I have.

I find that I get a little lost in the descriptions and imagery. I find it hard to imagine a place as remote as the narrator/Mortenson is describing because I have NEVER been anywhere as remote as the place they are describing. I consider myself to be pretty worldly and I have never even heard of some of the places being mentioned - Baltistan, K2, Korphe, etc. The most remote place I can think of that I personally experienced was the vast landscape along the Great Ocean Road in Australia. And the Outback for that matter. But those landscapes are completely different from towering mountains and glaciers and narrow ravines.

I like being exposed to the Muslim culture, too. Having just returned from Morocco, I can relate to the references to minarets and calls to prayer. Mortenson relates how his truck driver pulls off to the side of the road to pray. While we were driving through Marrakesh our guide, Hamid, made a comment about how "uneducated" people stop their cars in the middle of the road to answer the call to prayer. Haha. It certainly makes it difficult to get where you need to be if there are cars parked in the middle of the road.

Three Cups of Tea - 10%

So I stopped reading that Hemingway book. I just lost interest. I am not sure I care what happens to the characters or where the story is going. I think it was just bad timing for me.

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I joined a book club through work and though I missed the first book (In the Heart of the Canyon) I will be reading the club's second selection - Three Cups of Tea. I had actually passed this book in Borders often and thought it might be up my alley. I am glad that joining the book club has forced me to give it a try. The premise kind of reminds me of Reading Lolita in Tehran, which is a fabulous book.

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I am about 10% in and I love the book already. I find it interesting that the story is told through a narrator with quotes from Greg Mortenson thrown in sporadically. I like it. I also like the vivid imagery. I really feel like I am being transported to this really remote and nearly inaccessbile part of the world. When I think of this part of the world I usually think of terrorism and bombings so it is interesting to get a different perspective. These communities in the mountains are so sheltered from the hustle and bustle of the modern-day world. In some ways, I think they are lucky. I also understand that life must be difficult with limited medical supplies and education. I am really looking forward to learning more about Mortenson's impact on these communities.