At USF’s Fromm Hall last night, they advertised that Greg Mortenson, author of “Three Cups of Tea” would be speaking.

The room was overflowing with over 300 people. Mr. Mortenson, who lives in Bozeman, MT, wasn’t there. But one of his board members for the Central Asia Institute (the funding foundation for Mortenson’s work), Julia Bergman spoke instead.

But the crowds stayed and listened to an amazing tale.

“Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission To Fight Terrorism and Build Nations– One School at a Time” was written by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Mortenson attempted to climb K-2, but didn’t make it and recuperated in a small village in Pakistan in the Himalayas. Mortenson was moved by their tender care of him and their hospitality and tried to figure out how to repay them. Then he saw that the village’s children tried to learn in the cold and without a school.

Mortenson went back to the United States and raised money-including pennies from a classroom of elementary students in Wisconsin to build that first school.

Julia Bergman’s story was also remarkable.

Julia went on a five-month trip. During her trip, she went to Tibet in the Himalayas. One day, her guide took them on a helicopter ride to see the Himalayas from a different persceptive. After a breathtaking tour of the mountans, the helicopter landed at the end of a village.

The village’s young boys ran to meet the helicopter and as young boys would do, they asked Julia where she was from. “The United States,” she said. They asked where in the United States. “California,” she said. These geographically-versed students said, “But where in California?” Julia who works at City College, said, “San Francisco.”

Immediately, the boys jumped and down. Then they took her arm and pulled her into the village to see a large 8′ ft high sign. They pointed down below where it said “San Francisco, CA.”

So she read the sign. The sign commemorate that the school and bridge had been built with the help of the American Himalaya Foundation. But even more outstanding was that it listed her cousin’s husband (and good friend), Jean who had donated funds to build the school and a bridge. The bridge was to link two villages, so the children in both villages could go to school.

Just then the pilot told everyone that the wind had shifted and they needed to get back into the helicopter. So Julia quickly took photos of the sign and what she could of the school and bridge.

She was able to share the photos with Jean and his wife, Jennifer-and indeed, the photos were shown the very next day at a dinner honoring Jean.

Two months later, Jean died of cancer. One of the speakers at his memorial was a tall, young man who talked about Jean’s work in the Himalayas. It was Greg Mortenson.

Julia went up to Greg and said, “I saw the school in Tibet. I took pictures of it.”

Greg said, “So you were the blonde.” Mortenson had been at the village two weeks later to put the roof on the school-and he had heard the story about the helicopter and the blonde lady from San Francisco from the village’s young boys.

Julia said, “I would really like to help the school in any way that I can.”

Greg said, “The school could really use a library.”

And in the words that shows that serendpity is truly possible, Julia said, “I’m a librarian.”

That was nine years ago and many schools have been built by the Central Asia Institute-with Greg as its executive director and Julia as a member of the board.

The schools that they built are primarily for girls, because as Julia points out, the girls stay in the villages and raise the children. They will soon open a College for Women.

To find more about “Three Cups of Tea” and the Central Asia Institute, go to
http://www.ikat.org.