The group has arrived safely back at Windsor Mountain. When we picked them up from the airport they were all smiles despite it being 12:30 at night. The ride back from Boston was full of laughing and telling and retelling of stories.
They are currently up at Windswept debriefing the trip and re-acclimating to life here in the States. The students are happy to be home, but it is a bittersweet return since they left another home full of new friends behind. One student told her dad - "I left part of my heart in the Caribbean." Sounds like a successful trip to me!
Windsor Mountain Student Travel Team
Kate and Angus
Bridge Caribbean 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Friendship Camp to Friendship Rose
Dear Family and Friends,
Right now the kids are finishing up our final day of our friendship camp here in Bequia. The trip has been truly amazing and we constantly discuss what an awesome group of kids we have on our program. Last night we headed to a local basketball game to watch a few of the inter-island basketball matches and get a little taste of the local flavor. A nice and refreshing rain shower fell on us as we hopped in our cabs and returned to our house. The house we are staying at is amazing - it has 2 kitchens, giant balconies on both levels, it's a stones throw away from the beach, and it has a swimming pool in the backyard that we sometimes have our group meetings in! We are very fortunate to be staying in a place that is so perfect for our large group and the views are truly fantastic.
We are in the home stretch of our program now and eagerly soaking in our last few days on the islands before we head back to New Hampshire next week. Tomorrow we are heading out on the Friendship Rose schooner for a day of sailing and snorkeling around the Tobago Cays - a welcome respite and reward for our extremely successful community service projects on both islands and a lovely way to celebrate Hancie's birthday! Saturday we are hoping to visit with the ex-prime minister of Bequia and Sunday we will be doing community service at the Old Hegg turtle sanctuary.
All are happy and healthy and positively engaged in all aspects of group living!
Much Love,
Bridge Caribbean 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Friendship Camp and La Soufriere
This has most certainly been an exciting week for the LIA crew. Since our last update we have completed our first week of camp in Lauders, which the kids handled with energy, patience and positivity. All of the local kids quickly attached themselves to our Leaders in Action, even following us home after camp. Our last day ended with heartfelt goodbyes, and adorable thank you notes written by older campers. The following day the group rested up and relaxed at the Owia Salt ponds, a breathtaking series of natural swimming pools built into a rock formation on the Atlantic Side of the Island. After some carb-loading for the dinner, the group got to bed early in preparation for Saturday’s big hike: La Soufriere. This dormant Volcano is the highest point in St Vincent, and our latest conquest. The group celebrated with PB&Js at 4,048 ft and then hiked back down in record time. That night we said our goodbyes to the Cupids, our kind, loving, and gracious hosts. The following morning we awoke at the crack of dawn to set off for Bequia. By 10 am, we settled into our new home sweet home, with emphasis on the word sweet. We have plenty of space, a wonderful view, even a swimming pool. This will be the perfect venue to relax and debrief the fun yet exhausting days of Friendship Camp in Bequia. The group is rocking, and ready for all our upcoming adventures!
Until next time,
Thatcher, Katie, and MaxSaturday, July 16, 2011
Student Blurbs!!
Zack is a natural leader. After the first day of the Friendship Camp, he spearheaded the movement to reformat the daily schedule so that everything would run more efficiently. He's able to see the big picture.
Henry is the resident theatre/performing arts expert. He does a fantastic job with all the performance activities. His favorite part of the trip so far has been a mountain hike called 'The Pavement'.
Hancie really loves the evening activities the group does, especially 'Celebrity'. She's very positive at all times and cooked a mean chicken dish that everyone loved. She's been having a great time making Friendship Bracelets with the kids of Lauders as well.
Deniz is the champion par excellence of card games. She really likes sharing stories about her life in Turkey with the group and lets the kids at the Friendship Camp braid her hair in island style.
Sophie is "IN LOVE WITH THIS TRIP" and says it has far exceeded all her expectations. She had the time of her life during the camp Baseball Bat Race.
Julie also loves the evening activities the group does, especially the ones designed to bring everyone closer together. Group bonding makes her happy, not to mention the beach time, camp softball, and playing a big part in the Camp Obstacle Race.
Delaney is loving the trip. She's been taking the lead in all the camp planning sessions and is great at making connections with the locals. The other night for dinner she made a wonderful stew!
Angela is having a great time, despite the heat. She has a gift for working with the younger kids of Lauders, and has made some deep connections with them already. So far, her trip highlight (aside from the kids) has been the mountain hike.
Miranda is our artsy one, representing the Los Angeles vibe for the entire group. She's been doing an amazing job teaching drawing and painting at our Friendship Camp. She also loves the evening group bonding activities. She's a celebrity at Celebrity.
Marietta is a 100% natural leader. She's fully, positively engaged in all aspects of the program and makes friends with everyone she meets. Her daily back-flips are the highlight of the camp, she gets everyone cheering for her every time.
Princess is the glue that holds the group together. On a practical level, she sees what needs to be done and does it. She always puts the group first. She's fitting in perfectly with everyone and is having a great time teaching sports classes during the Friendship Camp.
Kelly is stunningly expressive and articulate for someone her age. During evening meetings, she's able to put her daily experiences into words in surprising and insightful ways. While she's not ordinarily the most sporty girl on earth, she's been stepping out of her comfort zone by leading the sports classes at camp!
Jocie is having a great trip. Her favorite thing so far has been meeting the young kids of Lauders. Also, she absolutely loved The Pavement hike--she was surprised that she had such a good time, because it was very hot, muddy and challenging, but despite all that, she had the time of her life. During Friendship Camp, she's been having fun teaching drawing classes.
Jake is particularly in love with a restaurant in Lauders called Mrs. Blacks, which sells some of the best fried chicken he's ever eaten. He's been having a great time leading the all camp activities at the end of camp every day. His trip highlight so far (aside from the chicken) has been the Pavement Hike.
Tia has a wonderful, positive and infectious energy. She's great with the little kids of Lauders, but her favorite thing so far has been getting out and about the town of Kingstown during group MMT's (Magical Mystery Tours designed to get the kids familiar with a place through experiencing it themselves, talking to locals, and asking questions).
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Cupids and Camp!
Dear Families and Friends of Bridge Caribbean 2011,
We are all happy and healthy and staying with the Cupid family in Lauders. We have been running our camp the last 2 mornings and it has been a truly inspiring and amazing experience. The children started to trickle in at about 9 am and there were only a few for the first hour or so but we finished with over 30 campers on day 1. Today we had around 45 kids ranging in age from 4-16 who absolutely loved our activities. We split the kids into classes much like they do at Windsor Mountain- frisbee, Monkey business (low ropes course, teamwork initiatives), arts and crafts, song writing, "The Ultra Race," were but a few of the options the local community got to choose from. Katie, Max, and I continually step back more each day to let your students run our program as much as possible and they are doing a fantastic job. They have been cooking delicious stir fries, tacos, grilled cheeses, and pasta dishes.
On Sunday afternoon we hiked for several hours up the mountains around us on The Pavement hike, which was highlighted by magnificent views from the top and a lovely rainshower rinse on the way back down. Yesterday we went to a black sand beach and cooled off in the waves after a long morning of summer camp. Right now the kids are out at the markets with Max and Katie resupplying us with vegetables (and doing a little price haggling in the process) and other food items we need for the next few days. Tonight we are having a Peace Corps volunteer who has been here for 35 months come by and share dinner (burgers!!!!) with our group and do a question and answer session.
The temperatures are hot and humid as expected but the daily short rain showers have been a treat. Our host family, the Cupids, have really taken us in and are amazingly hospitable and kind to our group.
The temperatures are hot and humid as expected but the daily short rain showers have been a treat. Our host family, the Cupids, have really taken us in and are amazingly hospitable and kind to our group.
We really are having a terrific program. The days are quite long and action packed but we wouldn't have it any other way.
Much Love from Bridge Caribbean 2011!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
First Update: "It's like a dream"
Bridge Caribbean Families and Friends,
Greetings! Typically with student blurbs I get from leaders I spend some time 'fancying them up' since they're relayed to me over the cell phones with less-than-perfect reception. This time, however, these blurbs were typed straight into an email by the the students themselves! Check out some of the language: "breathtaking"..."amazing"..."enchanting"..."exotic"..."it's like a dream"..."magical and wondrous"..."vivacious"..."ueberragende".
Ok! I certainly get the impression that the trip is going well. I'll step out of the way now--here are the blurbs:
Tia: It’s beautiful here, I love the people. I’m so excited and I can’t wait to do more stuff here!
Hancie: Arriving in the airport it didn’t really register with me, but sitting in the first van staring at the ocean and the colors, it hit me WE’RE HERE! It’s like a dream, I don’t want to wake up.
Miranda: I’m honestly in a dream. We’re observing and interacting with such an exotic culture. I’m currently painting a water color of the breath-taking mountainside out of the balcony of our hotel. Everything is new and amazing to me, ever experience we have on the island is enchanting.
Sophie: I can’t believe we’re finally here. Even through all the ups and downs, our group is still strong as ever. St. Vincent is a truly charming little island and I can’t wait to have more experiences with this amazing culture!
Delaney: I can’t believe that I get to be in such a magical and wondrous place! Everyone here is so friendly and the people and the island itself are teeming with life as if the land itself is too vivacious to ever be contained. Everywhere we look is just a rainbow of plants and people and colors that amalgamates into one glorious dream that is Kingstown, St. Vincent.
Kelly: So far the experience has exceeded any expectation I may have had, and I know it will continue to do so. I am so amazed by where I am right now, and am so excited to see and learn so much more about culture and beauty. I’m extremely excited to witness the simple, beautiful and enthralling life, so effortlessly different from New York.
Jake: I love it here! The solitude of this place brings such a serenity and peace of mind. The people here are unanimously happy, which is extremely contagious in St. Vincent.
Marietta: ich habe gerade das Kochen beendet, und wieder einmal hatte ich unheimlich viel Spass. Ich geniesse jeden Moment dieses Abendteuers und mache viele ueberragende Erfahrungen und geniesse es in vollen Zuegen. Alles Liebe, Marietta
Julie: Once we landed on the island it felt like we were all transported into another dimension. A dimension with kind people, cool breezes, turquoise water, and delicious food. Today we talked to a lot of locals and got a real sense of who lives here. After that we swam at a beach with black sand. I can’t wait for what’s to come. I hope everyone is doing well at home.
Angela: The trip is amazing and the people on the island are very unique. The leaders are also great. They are definitely making this trip 10 times more amazing.
Jocelyn: This trip can be only described as breath taking. The culture here is so different and beautiful. Everyone here is so great and loving we are truly a family here.
Deniz: We are finally at St. Vincent and all I can say is that everything is wonderful. The colors, the fruits, the people. I’m enjoying every second in the Caribbean.
Henry: Hi Mom/Dad/Sam- I’m having tons of fun. Snakes on a soul plane!
Zach: The trip is fantastic and the group leaders and members are so kind and wonderful. It is simply too amazing here to have any worries!
Princess: Hey Mom and Family. I’m having fun. The Caribbean is great it’s beautiful out here. Everyone is so nice. I miss you a lot. I’ll see you in a few weeks. Love you lots. Princess
That's all, folks. As always, feel free to call me if you need anything!
Best,
Angus, Kate, and the entire Windsor Mountain Team
Friday, July 8, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Dear Family and Friends,
After a long day of traveling, delays, and ultimately a flight cancellation we are safely tucked in and resting in our rooms at the Best Western at the San Juan, Puerto Rico airport. Katie and I both marveled throughout the day at the positivity and flexibility everyone in our group exhibited and we just had a terrific evening meeting. We ate dinner at the hotel restaurant and had delicious meals- some of us even had a little bit of Sushi washed down with some fresh juices. We are going to sleep in a little bit tomorrow morning to recharge our energy for our much anticipated Caribbean arrival tomorrow night. We were all very excited to have the final member of our group Angela join our team earlier today and we are all amazed at how quickly our group has bonded and eagerly anticipate the powerful work we will be able to do when we run our first summer camp next week!
Much love to all of our families and friends,
Bridge Caribbean 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Dear Students of Bridge Caribbean 2011
Greetings from Denver, CO, Providence, RI and Cleveland, OH! We hope this letter finds all of you wrapping up your school years and getting excited for an amazing summer in the Caribbean. We are Thatcher Glode, Katie Hertzel, and Max Mor. We will be co-leading this summer's Bridge Caribbean program. We all are very excited to spend our summers with you in a beautiful tropical location doing a ton of interesting and fun activities while also getting a chance to work with local children and plan our very own summer camp. Now for a bit about us...
Thatcher: I am 29 years old. I am currently living in Denver, CO but have resided the last 5 years in Jackson Hole, WY. I grew up in Denver and attended Colorado College where I majored in International Political Economy. I am an avid enjoyer of all things outdoors and active and the past four winters I have worked in a group home for high school students where I served as a counselor. I love to ski and fly-fish and most of my time off finds me engaging in either one of these pursuits. During my time at CC I had the great fortune to participate in the Semester at Sea program that allowed me to circumnavigate the globe on a refurbished cruise ship while visiting 16 different nations and studying on board the ship. It was truly a life-changing experience and fostered within me a passion for travel and experiential education. I have been fortunate to travel internationally a great deal since then visiting China, South America, Eastern Europe, and I recently returned from a trip visiting Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos. I am officially addicted to travel and the experiential education process we undergo when visiting new locales and meeting people from all over the world and sharing our culture, views, and collective experiences.
I found Windsor Mountain in 2005 and have found creative ways to have a couple months of my summer free to work for this incredible organization since then. I started off leading trips on the Hawaii program in summers 2006 and 2007. On this program we visited 3 different islands in Hawaii, camped on some beautiful beaches, and did community service projects with the Molokai Youth Center, running a summer program for students on the island. We were privileged to hike, snorkel, swim, and spend quality time with Hawaiians from whom we learned about the culture and history of the islands. Summers 2008, 2009, and 2010 (or winters in the case of South Africa) found me leading the Bridge Southern Africa program for Windsor Mountain. On this program we visited South Africa, Swaziland, and Lesotho and did challenging community service projects, worked with hundreds of children, learned about the HIV/Aids epidemic in Southern Africa, hiked in the Drakensburg mountains, visited and stayed in the Soweto township outside of Johannesburg. We stayed in youth hostels and backpackers lodges throughout our program—much different than the accommodations we’ll have on St. Vincent and Bequia. Each of these programs was challenging and rewarding in their own way just as I am sure the Caribbean will be this summer. I can’t wait to meet all of you guys and start our own adventure this summer!
Katie: I am 25 years old, and I’ve spent 24 of those years where I was born and raised, in a small suburb of Cleveland, OH. I worked in a coffee shop for a few years, which provided me the opportunity to interact with a diverse crowd of people from all over the world. I fell in love with listening to stories of life experiences with many of my customers, which sparked my interest in culture and desire to explore as much of the world as I can. I attended Baldwin-Wallace College and majored in Biology. My focus was ecology, as I love the studying the complexity and interconnectedness of life on our planet. My undergraduate research project was focused on park management strategies to preserve biodiversity. This past year I moved to Huntsville, TX where I taught outdoor education to intercity fifth grade students. Our classes focused on science and history, but the most rewarding teaching opportunities were about diversity, acceptance and friendship. In my time off, I can often be found setting out on adventures in the city or wandering around the woods, looking under rocks and logs in search of insects and other great treasures. To me, life is all about the experience of the journey, and I have set out on multiple adventures across the U.S. with destinations to the Grand Canyon, Acadia National Park in Maine, Albuquerque NM, Denver, CO and Milwaukee, WI, to name a few. This is my first experience with Windsor Mountain, and I am excited to meet you. This summer is going to be a fantastic ride, and I cannot wait to begin our journey!
Max: I’ve just reached the ripe old age of 22, and have spent much of that time hopping around the globe. I was born in Providence Rhode Island, and spent most of my childhood there. I attended Dalhousie University in Halifax Nova Scotia and studied Spanish and Economics. In my spare time I focused all of my energy on two things, recording and mixing music, and planning my next adventure. Those endeavors have left me with a hard drive full of interesting musical experiments, and a lifetime of incredible international experiences. I LOVE to travel, and have done so most every year of my life, but the way in which I travel was influenced heavily by Windsor Mountain.
I came to Windsor Mountain when I was 13 years old, had blue hair, and thought I knew just about everything there was to know. After 8 incredible summers with Windsor Mountain, I’ve changed quite a bit. When I was 16 I was a student on the 2006 Bridge Caribbean program (led by Jim Whitmore and Lizzie Baker), a program very similar to the one you will be participating in this year. I can honestly say that program forever changed the way I viewed travel. Windsor Mountain taught me to be more than a tourist—to immerse myself in the local culture, take the time to really get to know the local people, and give something meaningful back to the community. I returned to Windsor Mountain as a Staff member two years later and eventually joined International Student Travel last year to lead Bridge Caribbean 2010 with Adam Aronovitz and Kate Berge. That was a truly incredible trip, which opened my eyes to yet another way to travel. I can’t begin to tell you guys how excited I am to be leading Bridge Caribbean again. This will be a unique and wonderful trip and I can’t wait to see all of you in New Hampshire.
From all of us: We are full-fledged believers in community service-based traveling and really enjoy the way that we structure our programs at Windsor Mountain.
Here’s a bit of information for this summer and a few tips to help you get ready: Prepare to be physically and emotionally challenged. We will have some long days that find us working with young children who have seemingly endless amounts of energy. We will see some beautiful sites this summer meet both children and adults who have endured incredible difficulties. You will never forget their smiles and the stories they share with us, but it can be challenging at times to witness the hardships they have endured. We will have some days with early mornings, hot weather, interesting foods, and late nights... it can be absolutely exhausting and having a positive flexible attitude and encouraging others around you to do the same can make all the difference in the world. We will also be meeting a lot of different folks, experiencing many different cultures, and in the past our programs have had students from all different parts of the world— we are all fortunate to be able to have this opportunity to travel together and experience all that the Caribbean has to offer.
Practical Tips:
1) It is going to be hot and humid! Prepare to drink lots of water and stay hydrated every day. We will do our best to keep cool and hope to swim in the crystal clear waters as much as we can,
and remember, there is nothing more refreshing than a fresh ripe mango.
2) Pack light! We will have a large group so space might be somewhat tight when we are moving around the islands. We will have a few opportunities to do laundry along the way and as we mentioned it is going to be warm so we won’t need too many heavy clothes.
3) Read up a bit on the Caribbean- specifically try to learn a little bit more about St. Vincent and Bequia where we will be spending the majority of our program. Check out Wikipedia and some books at the local library to familiarize with the people and politics of the regions we will visit. Although Vincentians speak English, it will probably be a very different dialect than what you have ever heard before, and some of you may have a hard time understanding it at first. Try to listen to as much reggae as you can before the trip, not only to get into the island vibe, but to begin to develop an ear for the Caribbean dialect and accent.
4) Be flexible... Angus has done an outstanding job of developing our program and we have a ton of awesome activities planned but sometimes things change a bit- it is important that you are able to "go with the flow" when we end up having a picnic on the day we were supposed to go on a hike, etc ... Things in the islands don’t always happen exactly as they are planned, meals might sometimes challenge you but we will do our best to accommodate all dietary needs... to sum up, an open mind is an extremely valuable asset when traveling.
5) In the next month try to spend some time thinking about your personal goals for our journey. What do you hope to get out of this program and more importantly what do you hope to leave behind in the Caribbean? As you know, a huge portion of our program involves designing, implementing, and running a summer camp program for the children of St. Vincent and Bequia. Please be prepared with at least 10 ideas for activities you could lead as part of the summer
camp program. We will be working with teenage youth as well as younger kids so keep that in mind as you brainstorm your list that you’ll bring along. These could be games, songs, arts and crafts activities—just about anything else you would feel comfortable sharing and teaching to our group to lead.
6) Prepare to savor every moment because the summer will go by very fast. You will make amazing friends in a short period of time both within and outside of our group.
We can't tell you how excited we are to meet all of you! The experiences students and leaders have had on Bridge Caribbean in the past few years have been safe, challenging, and extremely rewarding. We look forward to another awesome summer.
Until July, Thatcher Glode, Max Mor, and Katie Hertzel
Thatcher: I am 29 years old. I am currently living in Denver, CO but have resided the last 5 years in Jackson Hole, WY. I grew up in Denver and attended Colorado College where I majored in International Political Economy. I am an avid enjoyer of all things outdoors and active and the past four winters I have worked in a group home for high school students where I served as a counselor. I love to ski and fly-fish and most of my time off finds me engaging in either one of these pursuits. During my time at CC I had the great fortune to participate in the Semester at Sea program that allowed me to circumnavigate the globe on a refurbished cruise ship while visiting 16 different nations and studying on board the ship. It was truly a life-changing experience and fostered within me a passion for travel and experiential education. I have been fortunate to travel internationally a great deal since then visiting China, South America, Eastern Europe, and I recently returned from a trip visiting Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos. I am officially addicted to travel and the experiential education process we undergo when visiting new locales and meeting people from all over the world and sharing our culture, views, and collective experiences.
I found Windsor Mountain in 2005 and have found creative ways to have a couple months of my summer free to work for this incredible organization since then. I started off leading trips on the Hawaii program in summers 2006 and 2007. On this program we visited 3 different islands in Hawaii, camped on some beautiful beaches, and did community service projects with the Molokai Youth Center, running a summer program for students on the island. We were privileged to hike, snorkel, swim, and spend quality time with Hawaiians from whom we learned about the culture and history of the islands. Summers 2008, 2009, and 2010 (or winters in the case of South Africa) found me leading the Bridge Southern Africa program for Windsor Mountain. On this program we visited South Africa, Swaziland, and Lesotho and did challenging community service projects, worked with hundreds of children, learned about the HIV/Aids epidemic in Southern Africa, hiked in the Drakensburg mountains, visited and stayed in the Soweto township outside of Johannesburg. We stayed in youth hostels and backpackers lodges throughout our program—much different than the accommodations we’ll have on St. Vincent and Bequia. Each of these programs was challenging and rewarding in their own way just as I am sure the Caribbean will be this summer. I can’t wait to meet all of you guys and start our own adventure this summer!
Katie: I am 25 years old, and I’ve spent 24 of those years where I was born and raised, in a small suburb of Cleveland, OH. I worked in a coffee shop for a few years, which provided me the opportunity to interact with a diverse crowd of people from all over the world. I fell in love with listening to stories of life experiences with many of my customers, which sparked my interest in culture and desire to explore as much of the world as I can. I attended Baldwin-Wallace College and majored in Biology. My focus was ecology, as I love the studying the complexity and interconnectedness of life on our planet. My undergraduate research project was focused on park management strategies to preserve biodiversity. This past year I moved to Huntsville, TX where I taught outdoor education to intercity fifth grade students. Our classes focused on science and history, but the most rewarding teaching opportunities were about diversity, acceptance and friendship. In my time off, I can often be found setting out on adventures in the city or wandering around the woods, looking under rocks and logs in search of insects and other great treasures. To me, life is all about the experience of the journey, and I have set out on multiple adventures across the U.S. with destinations to the Grand Canyon, Acadia National Park in Maine, Albuquerque NM, Denver, CO and Milwaukee, WI, to name a few. This is my first experience with Windsor Mountain, and I am excited to meet you. This summer is going to be a fantastic ride, and I cannot wait to begin our journey!
Max: I’ve just reached the ripe old age of 22, and have spent much of that time hopping around the globe. I was born in Providence Rhode Island, and spent most of my childhood there. I attended Dalhousie University in Halifax Nova Scotia and studied Spanish and Economics. In my spare time I focused all of my energy on two things, recording and mixing music, and planning my next adventure. Those endeavors have left me with a hard drive full of interesting musical experiments, and a lifetime of incredible international experiences. I LOVE to travel, and have done so most every year of my life, but the way in which I travel was influenced heavily by Windsor Mountain.
I came to Windsor Mountain when I was 13 years old, had blue hair, and thought I knew just about everything there was to know. After 8 incredible summers with Windsor Mountain, I’ve changed quite a bit. When I was 16 I was a student on the 2006 Bridge Caribbean program (led by Jim Whitmore and Lizzie Baker), a program very similar to the one you will be participating in this year. I can honestly say that program forever changed the way I viewed travel. Windsor Mountain taught me to be more than a tourist—to immerse myself in the local culture, take the time to really get to know the local people, and give something meaningful back to the community. I returned to Windsor Mountain as a Staff member two years later and eventually joined International Student Travel last year to lead Bridge Caribbean 2010 with Adam Aronovitz and Kate Berge. That was a truly incredible trip, which opened my eyes to yet another way to travel. I can’t begin to tell you guys how excited I am to be leading Bridge Caribbean again. This will be a unique and wonderful trip and I can’t wait to see all of you in New Hampshire.
From all of us: We are full-fledged believers in community service-based traveling and really enjoy the way that we structure our programs at Windsor Mountain.
Here’s a bit of information for this summer and a few tips to help you get ready: Prepare to be physically and emotionally challenged. We will have some long days that find us working with young children who have seemingly endless amounts of energy. We will see some beautiful sites this summer meet both children and adults who have endured incredible difficulties. You will never forget their smiles and the stories they share with us, but it can be challenging at times to witness the hardships they have endured. We will have some days with early mornings, hot weather, interesting foods, and late nights... it can be absolutely exhausting and having a positive flexible attitude and encouraging others around you to do the same can make all the difference in the world. We will also be meeting a lot of different folks, experiencing many different cultures, and in the past our programs have had students from all different parts of the world— we are all fortunate to be able to have this opportunity to travel together and experience all that the Caribbean has to offer.
Practical Tips:
1) It is going to be hot and humid! Prepare to drink lots of water and stay hydrated every day. We will do our best to keep cool and hope to swim in the crystal clear waters as much as we can,
and remember, there is nothing more refreshing than a fresh ripe mango.
2) Pack light! We will have a large group so space might be somewhat tight when we are moving around the islands. We will have a few opportunities to do laundry along the way and as we mentioned it is going to be warm so we won’t need too many heavy clothes.
3) Read up a bit on the Caribbean- specifically try to learn a little bit more about St. Vincent and Bequia where we will be spending the majority of our program. Check out Wikipedia and some books at the local library to familiarize with the people and politics of the regions we will visit. Although Vincentians speak English, it will probably be a very different dialect than what you have ever heard before, and some of you may have a hard time understanding it at first. Try to listen to as much reggae as you can before the trip, not only to get into the island vibe, but to begin to develop an ear for the Caribbean dialect and accent.
4) Be flexible... Angus has done an outstanding job of developing our program and we have a ton of awesome activities planned but sometimes things change a bit- it is important that you are able to "go with the flow" when we end up having a picnic on the day we were supposed to go on a hike, etc ... Things in the islands don’t always happen exactly as they are planned, meals might sometimes challenge you but we will do our best to accommodate all dietary needs... to sum up, an open mind is an extremely valuable asset when traveling.
5) In the next month try to spend some time thinking about your personal goals for our journey. What do you hope to get out of this program and more importantly what do you hope to leave behind in the Caribbean? As you know, a huge portion of our program involves designing, implementing, and running a summer camp program for the children of St. Vincent and Bequia. Please be prepared with at least 10 ideas for activities you could lead as part of the summer
camp program. We will be working with teenage youth as well as younger kids so keep that in mind as you brainstorm your list that you’ll bring along. These could be games, songs, arts and crafts activities—just about anything else you would feel comfortable sharing and teaching to our group to lead.
6) Prepare to savor every moment because the summer will go by very fast. You will make amazing friends in a short period of time both within and outside of our group.
We can't tell you how excited we are to meet all of you! The experiences students and leaders have had on Bridge Caribbean in the past few years have been safe, challenging, and extremely rewarding. We look forward to another awesome summer.
Until July, Thatcher Glode, Max Mor, and Katie Hertzel
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