A Natural Leader

 Francisco is a member of ACPACYS who comes in during the day. He could easily hold the record for the world's fastest Spanish speaker, at least from my perspective. He is eager to talk with me and tell about about the things he likes to do. At first, I felt guilty that I was not able to understand him and assumed this was the case because I am not a native Spanish speaker. However, I later realized that he speaks so quickly that several of the caretakers cannot understand him. If people with an Andalusian accent (the most challenging accent in Spanish to understand due to how quickly people speak and how they cut off the endings of words) can't understand him, this really shows how fast he speaks. I see some similarities between myself and Francisco; we have so many ideas running through our minds that we tend to have a hard time organizing these thoughts when we speak. Organizing our thoughts and speaking in a way that is easy for others to understand is a skill that both Francisco and I are working on. However, I think Francisco is one step ahead of me with regard to patience when others can't understand what he means.

Being one of the more cognitively and physically-abled members, Francisco never complains about other people taking longer to complete activities or not being able to do activities of the same complexity as him. Instead, he uses his abilities to help others and take on a leadership role. He offers to help people with their work, regularly assists with moving people in wheelchairs between different workshops, and provides tech support when other members cannot open their favorite computer games. He remembers to water the plants every day and he helps others water their plants who don't have the physical abilities to do so on their own. I also admire Francisco's optimism and his ability to make the most out of any activity. For example, he often tells me about how much he looks forward to the exercise dance class on Fridays and prepares for it in advance. Additionally, prior to going to the movies as a group, Francisco talked to me about how he would write a summary that includes photos, writing and music. First he watches the movie, then he finds the photos, next he writes the descriptions, and he finishes with the music. Francisco is innovative, motivated, eager to make the most out of any situation, and kind to all.