Online with David Oliver Relin

Would you trust this guy with your life story? 

That's David Oliver Relin, author of the bestseller Three Cups of Tea. Tuesday morning he broke away from his busy writing schedule to skype with our book club for the homeless. 

Here in the heart of downtown Madison, we gathered in the cozy and luminous lower sanctuary of Bethel Lutheran Church. Mia, Mark, Kent, Jack, Deb, Sarah, Dean,Vince, Ricky, Brian, Glenn, David, and Rod watched the screen expectantly, while Darren made last minute equipment checks and I fidgeted anxiously at the edge of my seat. What if I gave Relin the wrong number or the wrong date? What if he doesn't call? 

Suddenly, a message displayed across the big screen. "Relin loves cheese." Relin had just texted us and with that simple message he set the tone. Everyone laughed and I sat back, confident that the next thirty or forty minutes would be fun. And I was not disappointed.

A minute or two later, the computer made that burbling sound that announces an incoming skype call, and there was Relin.

Relin called us from his home office in Portland, Oregon. Looking slightly bemused at first, he informed us that any strange yapping or scratching sounds were likely from his dog, Ruben. Ruben wasn't taking well to being barred from Relin's study, but it was necessary, Relin explained, or Ruben would hog the show. Also, Relin warned, there might come the roar of  chainsaws as workers cut tree-branches in the area. 

So a bit of angst on both sides. Pretty normal, so far. 

But the angst evaporated quickly as Relin began taking questions. Even with his image projected onto a big screen, Relin comes across as a remarkably approachable and attentive guy. He made us forget the distance between us and the not-quite-perfect technology we employed to bridge it. If you're wondering how Relin gets to the heart of other people's stories, his affable and easy going nature is a big clue. As you might have guessed by now, he is a phenomenal listener. A rare talent. No wonder people want to tell him their stories! 

As usual, out of respect for the privacy of our club members, we did not make a video or audio recording of this session. However, Rod our roving photographer did take a few pics and below I've written a summary of our chat. 

How did you and Mortenson meet up and what made you want to do this story?

When Relin graduated from college, his parents gave him a life-changing gift--a ticket to any place in the world. He wanted to explore a world as opposite the US as could be, and imagined that world was India.  It was a good decision, Relins says. But he followed it with a horrible one. He bought an old motorcycle, a Royal Enfield Bullet. "That bike was more like a couch than a motorcycle. It mostly just sat. It broke down constantly. Getting around with it was like trying to lug a couch."

Soon, a pattern developed. Relin would ride his Royal Bullet until it broke down. When it did, it seemed there was always someone around willing to help him. The poorer people of India were remarkably friendly to this strange American. They often invited him into their homes, fed him and helped him fix the bike. "With a piece of tape or wire, they'd get the bike running again."

In the end, buying that motorcycle proved to be a great decision. Relin got to know a side of India he might otherwise have missed. And Relin learned an important lesson. "It's the people who have the least who give the most."

Traveling around India was a lot of fun, but eventually Relin had to  make a living. He returned home and wrote for newspapers and magazines, but soon grew dissatisfied. It was easy to get published if he wrote about celebrities. Trouble was, talking with celebrities proved to be a bore. Surprise, surprise.

He recalled the words of one of his writing mentors. She said, and I'm paraphrasing here, "It is the job of the writer to bring the stories of the powerless to the people in power."

This resonated with Relin and  soon became his focus.

Relin took a position researching and writing about poverty in America. He poured himself into the task.

And then he met Greg Mortenson.

It came about like this. Relin was attending the wedding of a friend. While helping the groom with his attire, Relin's cell phone rang. More than once. Whoever was calling was persistent!

Finally Relin answered. It was another friend, this one, Relin says affectionately, is totally crazy. The voice on the other line said, "I've got someone in my office you've got to meet." The fact that Relin's friend was about to be married didn't dissuade the caller. "Just come to my office. Now!"

Relin's about-to-marry friend gave Relin the nod (that's what friends do) and Relin fled to the office of his editor friend, wondering what on earth he was so excited about. That friend, the crazy one, was an  editor for Parade magazine. He led Relin into his office, introduced him to Mortenson and left, saying "You two have a lot to talk about."

When the door closed, Relin took a closer look at the six-foot-four man sitting across from him. "There was something unusual about him," Relin recalls, "and I couldn't quite put my finger on it." Slowly it came into focus. Mortenson wore a suit as only a man who rarely wears a suit can. "It didn't fit right and pulled this way and that," Relin says. And, as a finishing touch, Mortenson wore moccasins. Intrigued, Relin listened to Mortenson's story. And before the conversation was over, Relin signed on.

The belief that one man can change the world had taken more than a foothold in Relin. Consequently, he was about to embark on a new adventure.

Did any proceeds from the sales of Three Cups of Tea go toward the Central Asia Institute? 

Yes. If you purchase books directly from David Oliver Relin's website, or the Central Asia Institute website, a percentage goes to the CAI. There is an agreement with Amazon, too.

However, the majority of support for the Central Asia Institute comes from donations from regular everyday people. Last year, the Central Asia Institute received more than eleven million in donations. And that's made up mostly of checks written for ten or twenty-five or fifty dollars. A lot of people contribute.

Where were you geographically when you wrote this book and how long did it take to write? 

After traipsing all over northern Pakistan and Afghanistan with Greg Mortenson, Relin returned to his home in Portland, Oregon to write the book. He spent the majority of his writing time in various coffee shops, moving from one to another. He was often so engrossed in his writing that he lost track of the fact that he was sitting in a public place. A few times, when the writing was going particularly well, he  shook a victory fist in the air and shouted woo-hoo! Employees and other patrons looked over with worried expressions, and Relin sank in his chair. He was never kicked out though.

It took about two years total to write. He drank a lot of coffee.

How did you gather the information and how did you check facts?

Relin took care to interview a great number of persons and to compare their versions of events. He sifted and sorted but by and large the story was solid in that most people's recollections matched. Mortenson's story held up.

To your knowledge, has the Taliban taken over any of the schools?

There was a brief interlude when the Taliban took over a school. No one from the school was injured. When one of the local religious leaders, whose daughter attended that school, heard that the Taliban had overtaken the school, he organized an effort to take the school back. In the resulting skirmish, a few of the Taliban were wounded, two were killed. In the end, what the Central Asia Institute learned is that the Taliban did not object to girls being educated. Rather, they had seized the school because they'd heard a rumor that 'some rich American' had built the school. They took it for ransom.

Other than that event, there has not been a Taliban take over of one of the Central Asia Schools.

What did you gain personally from learning Mortenson's story? Did it change you in any way?

Persistence, Relin says. To hang in there in the face of obstacles or apparent failures.

When the book Three Cups of Tea was first published, for example, it made only a tiny splash in the publishing world. Six months later, Relin recalls, the book had practically disappeared. After all of the hard work, this was disappointing, to say the least. But Relin kept his chin up. And over the following months, he began to hear reports that there was a lot of chatter about the book in the 'blogosphere'. At the time Relin wasn't even sure what 'blogosphere' meant. Soon, the book was a New York Times bestseller. Now it is published in forty languages and read all over the world.

Yes, hard work, persistence and patience pay off.

You undoubtedly learned a great deal about Pakistan and Afghanistan while researching and writing this book. What are your thoughts about US involvement in the region? Given the chance, what advice would you give American policy makers? 

Relin believes the post 9/11 war in Iraq was a big mistake. "It would be  like Japan bombing the US and in retaliation the US declaring war on China. It makes no sense. You can't confuse these countries." Furthermore, Relin is distressed by the way media hype the dangerous elements in Islamic countries. The extremists make up a fraction of the population of Islam, but unfortunately the media makes it seem like they're everywhere. The media makes you forget about the kindness and the needs of the majority of impoverished people.

Relin believes it is far more effective, as well as compassionate and sane, to provide for basic needs and for an education. You win hearts that way. Educating girls and women is crucial. Empower the women so they in turn can empower their children. This is especially critical to the sustenance of villages when the men are at work or war.

What are you working on now?

Relin said that after Three Cups of Tea became a bestseller, he was practically stalked by do-gooders who wanted him to write their stories. He appreciated the work many of these people were doing, but not every story could make a book. He kept listening and sifting through stories until he heard one that sounded like a page turner.

His new book is called See How They Shine and is scheduled for publication in 2011 by Random House. It is the story of Sanduk Ruit, a Nepalese surgeon, who has devoted his life to curing blindness in impoverished nations. 

Relin has spent a good portion of the last two years researching the book, much of which focuses on the Himalayan Cataract Project, which Ruit started with another surgeon, an American named Geoff Tabin. According to Relin's recent National Geographic article (link is below), this organization has helped restore sight to more than 500,000 people in Nepal, Tibet, Pakistan, India, Bhutan, China, Thailand, Vietnam and North Korea.

Relin explained that blindness in developing countries is rampant and affects all ages. It is caused by a combination of poor nutrition, disease and UV exposure, but can often be cured with a simple surgical procedure. Of course there were obstacles. But that's never surprising and not always a bad thing.

Witnessing the hundreds of blind people lining up for a chance to see, Relin was overpowered by the need. He often did more than record events. He jumped right in and, after some training, acted as triage nurse or surgical technician.

Post operative day one. Dressings about to be removed. 

In your recent National Geographic Adventure article, which readers can access by clicking here: Relin's Hall of Fame Nat. Geo. Article, you talk a fair amount about the coffee in Ethiopia. Can you compare it to the tea in Pakistan? 

Perhaps akin to tea in Pakistan, coffee in Ethiopia is integral to relationship building. Coffee was invented in Ethiopia and now accounts for nearly 60% of its exports. Like tea in Pakistan, a great deal of time and attention is devoted to sharing coffee in Ethiopia. Any home that did not offer coffee to a stranger would be considered remiss in hospitality. If an Ethiopian offers you coffee, consider it an honor. But be patient. Coffee in Ethiopia is not a drive-through affair.

Ethiopians take pride in their coffee, and brewing it is a slow process. Waiting for it is part of the game. And when it is finally served, get ready, Relin warns. It's rocket juice. 

He recalls the first time he attended a coffee ceremony, which is a common gathering in Ethiopia. First, his hosts went out to gather fresh cut grass, then came in and spread it around on the floor of the hut. Next, they popped popcorn and spread it on top of the fresh cut grass. Everyone sat around on this layer of popcorn and grass. 

Meanwhile, the hostess slowly brewed the coffee over a coal fire. When finished, she carried the brew around in a pot. As she did for each guest, she ladled the steamy hot brew under Relin's nose, allowing the aroma to waft straight up his nostrils. Hello! 

Relin was finally handed a tiny espresso sized cup and he downed it with relish. Fantastic. Best ever. But seconds later the top of his head started tingling. Offered a second serving, Relin hesitated, but only for a moment. He didn't want to seem unappreciative, so he took it and drank it. Now it wasn't just his scalp that tingled. His fingertips tingled so intensely he feared they were about to fire straight off his hands. The effect was so strong that when they offered Relin a third cup, he flat out refused. 

And that's when he was told about an Ethiopian tradition similar to the Pakistan-Afghanistan tradition. Share one cup and you're no longer a stranger. Share a second and you're a friend. Share a third and you're like family. Well, Relin took the third... 

We never did hear what happened after that. 

In conclusion:
Skyping with David Oliver Relin was pure joy. He knows how to put his audience at ease, to make us feel as though his arm had stretched all the way from Portland to Madison to give us a friendly pat on the shoulder. In a single sentence he can both amuse and inspire his audience. 

Though we didn't get to share coffee or tea, when our session ended Relin was no longer just a bestselling author. He was our friend. So, would you trust this guy with your story? Yes? I would, too. And we're not alone.

Relin celebrates with his Ethiopian friend Mulu Mohari. The two have just succeeded in obtaining a thermos of strong coffee for the surgical staff  at the Quiha Zonal Hospital in Northern Ethiopia. (Not as easy as it sounds.)
Photo by Ace Kvale of National Geographic.  

Homeless Quote of the Week:


After skyping with Relin, a homeless young man struggling to find work came over to say that he'd never felt more inspired in his life. "Just talking about it sends chills up and down my spine." He observed of Relin, "You can tell this guy means what he says and that it comes right from his heart."



Club News:

We'll be meeting next week, Tuesday August 10th, for our last discussion on Three Cups of Tea. We'll also be handing out copies of our next read, Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. 

And save Tuesday, August 24th for our Movie of the Month. We'll be showing The Blind Side, starring Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Kathy Bates, and Quinton Aaron. 

Meantime, keep setting goals and jumping hurdles. 

Godspeed,

Suzanne

PS: If you buy your copy of Three Cups of Tea by clicking this link, Amazon will make a contribution to Central Asia Institute  plus you'll help our book club earn a discount to be applied to our future book purchases. Thank you for your support!

FROM THE HIMALAYAN CATARACT PROJECT:
_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________