环球英语 — 481：Building Schools in Pakistan, 1
Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Adam Navis.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Greg Mortenson could not feel his feet. He had been walking for hours over snow and ice. At any second he could step into a hidden hole and fall hundreds of metres onto the rocks below.
Voice 2
He was climbing down the mountain K2, in Pakistan. This is one of the highest mountains in the world. Mortenson was tired and sad. He had not made it to the top. Worse still, he had lost his path down the mountain, and the other climbers.
Voice 1
After a cold night alone on the mountain, Mortenson found the path again. But, he was so busy looking at the birds, trees and mountains that he lost his way. Instead, he walked into the village of Korphe.
Voice 2
In Pakistani culture it is important to welcome people into your home. This is true even when you do not know the people, or what they want. Mortenson was invited into the home of the chief of the village. Mortenson was sick and weak. The village was poor, but the people of Korphe fed him and helped him back to health.
Voice 1
During his stay, he asked the chief, Haji Ali, to see the school. Haji Ali brought Mortenson up a path and he saw eighty children on the cold ground. They were doing their work in the dirt. The village had no school.
Voice 2
Mortenson put his hands on Haji Ali’s shoulders and said, “I am going to build you a school. I promise.” This promise would take Mortenson’s life on a new path.
Voice 1
There was only one problem. Mortenson had no money. He had only enough to fly home to the United States. He did not have a home. He lived in his car. Mortenson was trained as a medical nurse, so he worked in a hospital during the nights and weekends. He used most of his time to write letters to famous people asking for money for the school.
Voice 2
One of the doctors where Mortenson worked was also a mountain climber. This doctor talked to Mortenson about the attempt to climb K2. He encouraged Mortenson to write about it for a climbing newsletter. Mortenson did write the story, but soon forgot about it. He was too busy trying to get money for the school.
Voice 1
Then, one day, Mortenson heard from Dr. Jean Horeni. He had read the story. He wanted to know about the school project. Dr. Jean Horeni was a very rich man. And he gave money to many projects. First, Horeni made sure that Mortenson was not going to spend the money on himself. Then, he wanted to know how much the school would cost. Horeni was amazed that the school could be built for only twelve thousand dollars. He was used to people asking him for much more. He gave Mortenson the money for the whole amount.
Voice 2
In a single day, Mortenson had the money for the school. He did not want to use any of the money to pay for his travel. So, he sold everything he owned: his books, his climbing equipment, even the car he had been sleeping in. With the money he could pay for an airplane journey to Pakistan.
Voice 1
But things were not easy to organize in Pakistan. The mountains of Northern Pakistan made travel difficult, especially carrying the wood, nails, and tools for the school. The roads were rough and often blocked by rocks. Heavy snow made building during the winter impossible.
Voice 2
Also, Mortenson did not know who he could trust. He did not know which suppliers would give him a fair price. Some people only helped him so that he would move the school to their village.
Voice 1
Finally he returned to Korphe. He sat with the village leaders and drank tea. They told him, “First, we need a bridge. Then we will build the school.”
Voice 2
Mortenson tried his best not to get sad. He tried to respect the community. He knew they were only doing what was best for their village. Mortenson returned home to the United States. He did not feel very good. Nothing was going as he hoped it would.
Voice 1
But when Dr. Horeni heard about the situation, he gave Mortenson money to build the bridge. And then he told Mortenson to get the school finished, and quickly. Dr. Horeni was very sick. Before he died he wanted to know the school was finished.
Voice 2
So Mortenson returned once again to Pakistan. He worked with the village to build the bridge. Then he started work on the school. But to him, it seemed that people were too slow. He thought they were wasting time. So he pushed the people to build hard and fast.
Voice 1
One day, the village chief came to him and asked him to walk together. The chief said,
Voice 3
“These mountains have been here a long time. And so have we. You cannot tell the mountains what to do. You must listen to them. So now I am asking you to listen to me. By the mercy of Almighty Allah, you have done much for my people, and we are thankful for it. But now you must do one more thing for me. You must sit down and close your mouth. You are making everyone insane.”
Voice 2
Three weeks later, the walls of the school had risen above Mortenson’s head. All that remained was to put on the top. But rocks on the road blocked the truck with the last materials. So the men of Korphe carried the supplies on their backs. It was their school, and nothing was going to stop them from finishing it.
Voice 1
Today, the school is still serving the children of Korphe. And Greg Mortenson continues to work in Pakistan. He has also begun working in Afghanistan. However, in recent years, both of these countries have suffered the pains of war. This has made it more difficult for Mortenson to build more schools. In an upcoming Spotlight, we will examine how Mortenson’s organization, The Central Asia Institute, has worked in these new conditions. But one thing that has not changed is Mortenson’s belief that the only way to change the situation, the only way to bring peace, is through the education of children.
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