Friday, March 7, 2008

Introducing... Our Cast

Well, I realize I’ve been talking a lot about people you’ve probably never heard of before. Hopefully this will clear up some of your confusion. Feel free to point and exclaim if you recognize these people from a blog post.
I realize I should have done this sooner. I just had to dig up some good pictures. Of course, they're all copyrighted to David Sosnow, 2008, all rights reserved.

The Team


HEATHER DEBOLT

A transfer student to Evergreen from some university in Walla Walla. Emerged from a hazy church background. Went to Kenya a couple years ago and now she's back for more, albeit with more reliable plumbing. Only one of the team with previous Africa experience. We used to call her "Mom" with joking affection, but when she started dating our buddy Evan, we decided that would be weird and promptly began treating her like a teenage sister. I tease her a lot because she's there. Takes life and work very seriously, never laughs, and is a finalist for a prestigious scholarship in Oxford as a result. She has no nickname currently; instead, we say her given name as weirdly as possible. She is interning with a local MICROFINANCE effort and living with Paul on Cosmos Farm.

PAUL "PG-13" GERSTMANN

Our intrepid hero. Good at talking to little kids and authority figures. Brought far too few clothes to Africa. Named the chillest member of the team because of his long silences all through the first week. Unfortunately, his chillness early on was mostly jetlag, and he may prove to just be the weirdest. Spent his early adolescence homeschooled and then enrolled in the Running Start program, which makes him, at 19, the youngest in the group. Interning with a local ADVOCACY program, badgering local government into giving its citizens welfare checks, IDs and medical attention. Nicknames include "PG-13" and sometimes "Parental Advisory Warning." Lives with Heather on Cosmos Farm.


JAMES HUBLY

A rugged, handsome outlaw. Honest by nature. Popped out of two relatively mellow parents, speculated to be pretty well-off with the moolah. Became a relatively mellow dude. Now he is going to Africa to see new and fascinating sights. He is interning with HUMANA and CLAW in Johannesburg, doing gardening and caring for pets. Was going to live in The Joburg Pad with McCully and David, but he is currently staying in a hostel owned by two aging hippies who hold down a band. Has proven resistant to nicknames. His last name is weird enough for us.



(No picture, she hates it
when we take them)
HEATHER "MCCULLY" MCCULLY
Truly the chillest of the chill. McCully entered the team wrapped in a gauze of tie-died nirvana, and has proven adept at rising above the stress of travelling and working with a semi-psychotic supervisor. Oldest member of the team at 31. Somewhat of an enigma. She is interning with CLAW, an animal care center in Joburg, doing kickass stuff like nursing an emaciated greyhound's muscles back to life. Must be called McCully, lest she be confused with our other Heather. Lives with David at The Joburg Pad.


DAVID SOSNOW
Came late to the team, but came with a video camera in tow, so it's all good with us. Recently returned to Evergreen after a long hiatus of working freelance on video and graphics design. Decided to shoot a film documentary for his trip abroad. Always dresses classily, and did not bring shorts to Africa. Convinced the class faculty to let him in a quarter late, so we didn't meet him until four weeks before we left. Has travelled extensively in the past. He is interning with CLAW and shooting a documentary about them for his project. Lives with McCully at The Joburg Pad.

Living Place


COSMOS FARM
Nestled in the hills of KwaZulu-Natal at the foot of the Drakensberg Mountains. Owned by a middleaged Englishwoman named Sofi and her partner (in crime) Betsy. The two run a hospice/welfare/home-based care/informal taxi organization known only as the AIDS Hospice, although it covers much more than just AIDS patients. In fact, Sofi and Betsy are known for their service to the entire community. The farm is home to the two social entrepreneurs, five small children, and our interns Paul and Heather. The farm runs on solar power. Its residents run on six hours of sleep, max.
THE JOBURG PAD
Still a place of mystery to us in the Berg. Apparently it's fully furnished, and includes a TV. It has no internet access, which disappoints David and McCully. (What I would kill for good running water.) Still, the place is classy and should provide a good launch-spot for many adventures on the streets of Johannesburg.

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