What shall we do to raise money? Ideas are thrown around the classroom table, until the June Team finally plans to find festivals with large masses of people. Brilliant idea. But plans and reality don't necessarily match.
Our table at the Art Show stood in a prime location by the entrance gate, but the manager decided that we couldn't solicit because this would burst the holiday atmosphere. The deafening music at the second festival made talking impossible. An Evening show near a lake raised more mosquito bites than donations. Nobody was home when we canvassed the Ghost-town of Concord. Circumstances led us to veer away from the initial plan.
Exercising flexibility helps keep the momentum going only when the changes are communicated to the group. When people assume they are on the same wavelength, it comes as quite a shock to discover that each interpreted the plan differently. For example, leaving at 9 o'clock sharp conflicts with a half-an-hour grace period. Moving as a group is slow going. Individual needs are not necessarily group priorities. Everyone tries their best to tolerate each other's eccentricities, but only to a point.
We all hope to catch the same plane to Mozambique, but we don't want someone delaying the group by not pulling their weight. Utilizing everybody's strengths in a single plan is difficult since we've never worked together before. We each tend to focus on our own plans without asking for or offering help. Eight heads are better than one, though, so we learn to rely on each other to alleviate the burden. The situation is not unlike an arranged marriage because the team effort means that our discussions drag on for hours to air out any hostilities.
The plan relied heavily upon street fundraising, which everybody loathed except for Tara and I who can talk to strangers with ease. Nhora and Johnny felt trapped in "Gringoville" and attributed their difficulties to racism against Latinos. Only after I stepped in their shoes by fundraising in a Dominican area did I realize just how low one's confidence could sink. By experiencing the difficulties of fundraising and organizing first hand, we now have a better understanding of what to expect next time.