Stones Into School (33 page)

In sixteen years, we've never used a dollar of federal government or USAID funds to build a school or buy a pen. But I do owe a deep debt of gratitude to Representative Mary Bono (R-Calif.) who taught me how to advocate for the cause of girls' education in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Thanks also to Representative Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.), Representative Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio), Representative Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Senator Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) and his wife Theresa Heinz, and also President Bill Clinton, First Lady Laura Bush, Barbara and George Bush Sr., Secretary of State Colin Powell, and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

I must thank seven individuals who touched my life and who share my alma mater, the University of South Dakota: Tom and Meredith Brokaw and their incredible family, Lars and Arlow Overskei, Don and Carol Birkeland, and Al Neuharth, founder of USA Today.

As a humanitarian, I also thank the dedicated aid workers who fight illiteracy, disease, poverty, wars, environmental degradation, human-rights violations, and more, often against staggering odds.

Thank you to Westside Elementary School in River Falls, Wisconsin, for starting our children's “Pennies for Peace” (P4P) program in 1994, and to the over 4,500 schools who now participate in P4P around the world--you are our real hope for global peace.

Thanks to all the incredible support from the book clubs, women's groups, places of workship, civic organizations, veterans' associations, the AAUW (Association of American University Women), bookstores, libraries, and everyone else who helped both in making Three Cups of Tea such a success and in spreading the message about the importance of girls' education.

For their realistic, rock-solid support, I also thank: George McCown, Talat Jabbar, Julia Bergman, John and Ginny Meisenbach, Joy Durghello, Robert Irwin, Nancy Block, Anne Beyersdorfer, Ben Rice, Charley Shimansky, Bill Galloway, Dr. Louis Reichardt, Jim Wickwire, Steve Swenson, Dr. Andrew and Lisa Marcus, David and Eunice Simonson, Ms. Mary Peglar (an octogenarian and my first teacher in Africa, who is now in the UK and still writes sea-shipped letters to me), Jeni and Conrad Anker, Jennifer Wilson, Vince and Louise Larsen, Lila, Brent and Kim Bishop, Jon Krakauer, John and Anne Rigby, Tony O'Brien, Mark (and Sue Iberra) Jenkins, Keith Hamburg, Ricky Golmulka, Jeff McMillian, Andrew Lawson, Susan Roth, Nick and Linken Berryman, Salma Hasan Ali, Sameera and Zahid Baig, Sara Thomson, John Guza, Tom and Judy Vaughan, Sara and Sohaib Abbasi, Angelina Jolie, Pam Heibert, MD, the late Ray Roberts (the original acquiring editor of Three Cups of Tea), Jean Hoerni, Patsy Collins, Deidre Eitel, Jim and Margaret Beyersdorfer, Paula Lloyd, and Jose Forquet.

Thank you to my Islamic mentor Saeed Abbas Risvi sahib, who is the most humble man I've known and has patiently taught me about the true virtues of Islam, that it is a faith of tolerance, justice, and peace. May Allah's blessings be with you and your family always.

In Afghanistan and Pakistan my special thanks go to Haji Youssef, Haji Fida Mohammed Nashad, Brigadier General Bashir Baz, Colonel Ilyas Mirza, Captain Wassim Ifthakhar Janjua, Faruq Wardak Sadhar Khan, Wohid Khan, Ghulam Noristani, Abdul Rashid Khan, Wali Boz Ahmadi, Jan Agha, Master Hussein, Shah Ismael Khan, Tashi Boi, Haji Ibrahim, Haji Mohammed Ali, Haji Abdul Aziz, Maulavi Rashdi, Twaha, Parveen, Aziza, Lima, Jahan, Tahera, Rubina, Najeeba Mera, Bibi Raihana, and Uzra Faizad. Two of those I wish to thank who first helped me along the way are no longer with us: Haji Ali and Brigadier General Cahudhry Zakaullah Bhangoo, an angel of mercy who was tragically killed in a plane crash in Turkey in 2007.

A particular debt of gratitude must go to Penguin Group (USA) Inc., which has been instrumental in helping me to bring our cause to the attention to millions of readers through the publication of Three Cups of Tea and now Stones into Schools. Your offices are a second home, and your tribal chieftains, including Marjorie Scardino, chief executive of Pearson, John Makinson, the chairman and chief executive of the Penguin Group, David Shanks, CEO of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., Susan Petersen Kennedy, president of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., Clare Ferraro, president of Viking, and Kathryn Court, president of Penguin Trade Paperbacks, are most impressive leaders.

It goes without saying that this book would not have been possible without the guidance of my editor, mentor, and fellow mountain climber, Paul Slovak, the publisher of Viking. It was in his office that my very first visit to the company took place in 2003, when I came in to pitch the idea of a book I was calling Three Cups of Tea. Since that time, Paul has been with me every step of the way, and even when I would go off the radar screen for days at a time, he never lost faith in me. His support, wisdom, editorial expertise, and steadfastness have been invaluable.

Several months ago, when Penguin was helping me to organize a party in New York to celebrate the success of the adult and young reader's editions of Three Cups of Tea and the children's picture book Listen to the Wind, I was astonished to learn that Penguin had calculated that over 440 people at the company had played some role in the publication of my books! I thank all of you for your dedication and devotion, and in particular the following people, who were most closely involved in the production and publication of this new book: Nancy Sheppard, Carolyn Coleburn, Louise Braverman, Noirin Lucas, Elke Sigal, Courtney Allison, David Martin, Holly Watson, Kate Lloyd, Dennis Swaim, Karen Mayer, Paul Buckley, Jasmine Lee, Jennifer Wang, Hal Fessenden, Sabila Khan, and, working outside of the company, copy editor Hilary Roberts, fact-checker Jane Cavolina and Brynn Breuner, who coordinated the maps, photos, and back matter. The other key members of the Penguin team that I must thank include Eileen Kreit, Alan Walker, Jackie Fischetti, Tiffany Tomlin, Jenna Meulemans, Caitlin Pratt, Shanta Newlin, Alisah Niehaus, and Marilyn Hills at the front desk, who sneaks me into the office without authorization. A special shout-out must also go to Penguin's incredible hardcover and paperback sales forces, whose passionate advocacy for my books with the booksellers has made all the difference in the world. And last but not least, thank you to Leoni Atossa, the remarkable lead actress in the Kite Runner film, who is the narrator of the audio versions of Stones into Schools and the Three Cups of Tea young reader's edition. Thank you all!

When I was a child in Tanzania, my parents, Dempsey and Jerene Mortenson, read bedtime stories to my sisters Sonja, Kari, and Christa, and me every evening by lantern and later by electric light. Those stories filled us with curiosity about the world and other cultures. They inspired the humanitarian adventure that has shaped my life. My mother's lifelong commitment to education continues to inspire me. And although cancer took the life of my young father in 1980, his infinite spirit lives on in all that I do. Dad, you are my baba, kaka na rafiki (father, brother, and friend). Thanks also to my extraordinary sisters Sonja and Kari, their husbands Dean Raven and Dan Thiesen, and their beautiful families--your love and devotion is a huge inspiration.

Thanks to my amazing kids, Amira and Khyber, whom I love so much; I'm sorry that I missed out on nearly half of your childhoods. That reality is the most painful part of my work and I deeply regret not seeing you first learn how to walk, tie your shoes, or ride a bicycle. You have both given me unconditional love, and not a day goes by that I do not appreciate how wonderful you are and just how hard this has been. Now that I am home more, I am eager to celebrate our precious time together.

Tara, my wife--dear friend, companion, confidante, mother of our children, and the love of my life whom I married six days after meeting you in 1995--I owe you immeasurable gratitude. During my frequent absences over the fourteen years of our marriage, your support and love has made it possible for me to follow my heart. Thank you for the sacrifices you have made and for being port of this magnificent journey.

Greg Mortenson

October 1, 2009

AK-47 or Kalashnikov: A Russian semiautomatic assault rifle

Alhamdulillah
: Arabic for “Praise be to God”; often used as a blessing to give thanks after meals

Allah
: The Arabic word for God

Allah Akbhar
: In Arabic, “God is great.” This exclamation can be used in prayer, to praise God, or to express approval, excitement, or happiness.

Al Qaeda: An organization that conducts acts of terror, war, and destruction of targets all over the world in order to establish a global Islamic caliphate

Amu Darya: A river in northeastern Afghanistan and southern Tajikistan

arak
: Fermented mare's milk, used in central Asia

As-Salaam Alaaikum
: In Arabic, “Peace be with you,” the standard Islamic greeting

Baba Gundi Ziarat: A shrine at the end of the Charpurson Valley in extreme northern Pakistan

Badakshan: A province in northeastern Afghanistan that includes the Wakhan Corridor

baf
: “Excellent” in the Wakhi language

Bagram Airbase: A main air base of the U.S. military in Afghanistan, and also a Soviet base from 1979 to 1989

Baharak: A town in Badakshan Province (in northeastern Afghanistan) with a population of eighteen thousand; site of the first CAI school built in Afghanistan

Balakot: A city in northern Pakistan that was devastated during the October 2005 earthquake

Balti: A tribal group, mostly Shia, that lives in the Karakoram range in northeastern Pakistan

Baltistan: A region in northeastern Pakistan

Bam-I-Dunya
: A Wakhi word meaning “Roof of the World,” referring to central Asia's Pamir mountain range

Bamiyan: A city in northern Afghanistan

Barg-e Matal: A town in Nuristan Province (in eastern Afghanistan) frequently attacked by Taliban

bida
: An Arabic term meaning “corrupting modernization”

Bozai Gumbaz: A settlement in the eastern Wakhan inhabited by nomadic Kirghiz people

BSF: Afghanistan's Border Security Force

burka: A loose robe worn by some women in Afghanistan and Pakistan that covers the entire body; also spelled “burqa”

bushkashi
: A traditional central Asian game played on horseback

CENTCOM: U.S. military Central Command

Central Asia Institute (CAI): Greg Mortenson's nonprofit organization, founded in 1996 with the mission of promoting education for girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan (see www.ikat.org)

chapatti
: Flat, unleavened bread similar to a pita or a tortilla

Char Asiab: A valley south of Kabul where the CAI has a school

Charpurson Valley: A valley in northern Pakistan whose name means “place of nothing” in Wakhi

Chokidar
: A security guard in Pakistan or Afghanistan

COIN: The acronym for military counterinsurgency operations

commandhan
: An Afghan term for a local militia commander

Dari: A form of the Farsi language; spoken in Afghanistan

Deh Rawod: A town in Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan

dua
: An Islamic prayer accompanied by a gesture of bringing the palms together and pointing them upward

dupatta
: A head scarf worn by girls

Faizabad: The capital of Badakshan Province, Afghanistan

Farsi
: The Persian language of Iran

fauji
: A term for the military in Pakistan

FOB: U.S. military forward operating base

FWO: Frontier Works Organization, Pakistan's military civil engineering division

Gilgit: A town in Hunza Valley in northern Pakistan

Gundi Piran Higher Secondary School for Girls: A school in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, destroyed by the October 2005 earthquake

Helmand Province: A Southern Afghanistan province where four thousand U.S. Marines were deployed in July 2009

Himalayas: The mountain range in southern Asia that borders Burma, India, China, Nepal, Tibet, and Pakistan

Hindu Kush: A mountain range in western Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan

Id (also spelled Eid)
: One of the biggest Islamic holidays, which marks the end of Ramadan, the month when Muslims fast

imam: An Islamic spiritual leader who has had significant training

Inshallah
: In Arabic, “God willing”; often used to mean that the speaker hopes something will occur or that he or she will be able to accomplish something, and God's help and blessing will be needed

Irshad Pass: A 16,335-foot pass between northern Pakistan and the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan

Ishkoshem: A town in Badakshan Province, Afghanistan

Islam: The Arabic word for “peace” and the world's second-largest religion, based on the teaching of the Prophet Mohammed

Islamabad: The capital of Pakistan

Ismaili: A liberal offshoot of Shia Islam whose spiritual leader is Prince Karim Aga Khan

Jalalabad: A city in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan

Jalozai Refugee Camp: An Afghan refugee camp in western Pakistan

jihad: An Arabic word meaning “internal struggle,” which takes places in two forms: the greater jihad, which is the internal struggle for enlightenment and improvement of one's self, and the lesser jihad, which is the fight against an enemy of Islam

jirga
: A village council or meeting

jumat khana
: An Ismaili place of worship

Kabul: Afghanistan's capital and largest city

Kali-Panj: A town in central Wakhan, Afghanistan

Kandahar: A city in southern Afghanistan

Karakoram: A mountain range in northern Pakistan containing the world's greatest consolidation of high peaks

Karakoram Highway (KKH): The arterial link road between China and northern Pakistan, completed in 1978

Kashmir: The mountainous region on the border of India and Pakistan

Khundud: A town in the Wakhan Corridor, Afghanistan

Khyber Pass: A mountain pass between Pakistan and Afghanistan

Kirghiz: Sunni nomadic pastoralists who inhabit the eastern end of the Wakhan Corridor, Afghanistan

Korphe: A village in northern Pakistan and the site of the CAI's first school