My (Dream) Team

The females outnumber the males on this team, and we bicker at worst and cooperate at best. Tara, Johnnhora and Tamsin spent considerably more time together during fundraising and therefore consider each other the least weird on the team. Each team member has different traits to help us leave for Mozambique in December.

Johnnhora is what we call the couple that rarely separates, like a person with four arms. When they're not kissing or fighting, they're teasing other people on the mountain in Spanish-Portuguese. Johnny remains calm, and dependably finishes tasks thoroughly, especially maintaining mechanical gizmos. He seems shy at first, but will mercilessly bother people for fun. Nhora makes Portuguese entertaining by injecting useful phrases and patiently waiting for reactions. Her passion for life makes her a formidable opponent in an argument, but also provides her with the energy for constructive criticism or improvement ideas. She compares life on the mountain with her previous experience as a pharmacist, as a reality check.

Elyse is seventeen years old, going on twenty-nine. She left High school early to attend college and also involved herself in several non-profit organizations. This hard worker is currently enrolled in both college and IICD, simultaneously completing both workloads with ease. This experience shows how she thinks ahead to set up good situations for herself. She keeps informed about many issues and speaks clearly about them. She finds time for her friends, and her family hugged and welcomed half the mountain to stay at their house on multiple occasions. She organizes her time well, which surprises those who witness the exploded of mess on the floor of her room.

Tara surprised us all. First impressions led us to believe that her loudness would make her argumentative, but she proved us wrong with her sincere efforts to compromise. She makes visible efforts to bite her tongue, although she can't shut her bulging eyes. When she thinks about what she wants to say, her insightful comments show us examples of how we all miscommunicate. "Can you see how it looks from their perspective?" she often says, translating our words again and again to ensure clarity. Her previous experience teaching young children makes her a advocate for creative educational activities rather than classroom lectures. On flip-slide, Tara has difficulty "packing light."

Janine is the team cheerleader. She gets excited at odd times and likes to stir people into a frenzy about mundane tasks. This organizer likes to plan successful activities like dances and clever fundraising opportunities. Her high expectations of others lead her to firmly share her opinion when she finds faults. We will thank her later for her directness. She takes initiative and often serves as the group facilitator. When focused, Janine is an unstoppable force, but finds the people on the mountain distracting.

Mary is the most considerate and kind person on the mountain. People often ask her for help because she is capable and reliable. She will drop everything to help someone, even when overburdened with work. Mary rarely says "no" and doesn't allow herself enough personal time. Her calm exterior hides her stress. One of her biggest worries is speaking Portuguese. Her lack of confidence impedes her progress. Our Portuguese teacher, Magonagona, said that the only difference between me and Mary in Portuguese is that I'm confident.

Tamsin, that's me, is perfect in every way.

Paul's playful immaturity makes us laugh. After returning from his yearlong position at a teacher-training college in Mozambique, he is now our team leader. He sympathizes with our situation, offers advice and looks out for our interests. The situation at IICD was less than ideal when he trained two years ago, because his team split up and no formal Portuguese instructor taught classes. Paul returned with the intention or preparing his team. His relaxed, stand-back approach allows us to make our own mistakes, but he offers reminders and advice to keep us on track. He organizes some of our classes and informs us of the school's sometimes vague expectations.

The devastation of HIV/AIDS can be seen everywhere. The epidemic has torn the fabric of society. Members for the HOPE program will work with the people of Angola in the fight against the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Education is the key to development work, In order to create long-term benefits for the people of Angola, education must be a priority.