Schoolhouse in the Clouds

Given my forthcoming career change, where I intend to help build libraries in the developing world, I was naturally drawn to Schoolhouse in the Clouds. Written by Sir Edmund Hillary, the world famous mountain climber, it chronicles his 1963 expedition to the Himalayas.

During this particular expedition, however, the focus was on giving back to the Sherpas, the indigenous people of Nepal who played such an important support role in all of Hillary's climbs. Hillary took it upon himself to mount this particular expedition to thank the Sherpas by building two schoolhouses, as well as building freshwater infrastructure and providing badly-needed medical assistance.

Over the course of several months Hillary and his team of specialists from around the world did all of the above and more to help the local Sherpa people. The book is infused with the local peoples and culture, their foibles and troubles, as well as their happy go lucky attitude and positive approach to life. Hillary doesn't mince words or create a glossy image of the people, telling several stores of local theft, treachery and deception. He creates a very real sense of their plight, but also what can be done to help. Many of the communities yearn for their children to be educated and go to extremes to help Hillary and his team build the schools.

My wife and I are planning a trip to Nepal (and northern India) early next year, one of the reasons I chose to read the book just now. It's an extremely poor area of the world from an economic perspective, but very rich from a cultural perspective. We've never been to a predominantly Buddhist country, and we've never traveled so far east. Schoolhouse in the Clouds helped paint a picture of Nepal and the Himalayas (albeit of almost 50 years ago) that I can't wait to experience in person, and do my best to help in the coming years!