Camp to the Caribbean to the Cupids!

We had a great check-in call with Adam, Kate, and Max last night, and we're pleased to report that everything on the trip is going very well. Group orientation at WMI was fun for all, and things are even better now that the group is in the islands. Getting to St. Vincent is notoriously tricky even when traveling alone, but on Tuesday, we managed to get our entire group (almost twenty!) there on time without a hitch. Our leaders and students deserve all the credit for a job well done.

I'll turn this update over now to the people who have the best seat in the house--Adam, Kate, and Max, who sent us the following trip report, complete with individual student notes. Read and enjoy! (ps this update will be posted to the group blog on Monday)

Bridge Caribbean 2010

Blog Notes 1: The Trip So Far

7/3/10 – Group arrives at Windsor Mountain and begins to get to know each other with name games, team building activities, and a wonderful dinner cooked over a camp fire at the waterfront.
7/4/10 – Group wakes up with an early morning swim and spends the rest of the day discussing group dynamics and planning the upcoming trip to St Vincent. The day ends with a delicious 4^th of July BBQ and beautiful fireworks WMI style.
7/5/10 – The group takes the long bus ride down to New York but enjoys every minute. Once at the hotel, the group orders a substantial amount of pizza, then hunkers down to plan out the Friendship Camps they will run in the Caribbean.
7/6/10 – Travel Day! The group wakes up at 5 am to go to JFK Airport and spends the whole day traveling. Finally at around 9 30 in the evening, the group is reunited at the New Montrose hotel in beautiful Kingstown St Vincent.
7/7/10 – Our first full day on the island begins with an amazing breakfast of saltfish, bakes, and eggs. The group then adventures through Kingstown to buy lunch and find transportation to Mt. Wynn Beach where we spend over 3 hours enjoying the gorgeous black sand beaches.
7/8/10 – The group spends the day doing a Magical Mystery Tour of the city of Kingstown. They get a taste of the local culture and cuisine while getting a feel for the pace of island life. The day ends with a beautiful exercise called the Full Value Contract where the group records their values and goals for the program on an artful document. An unexpected rain shower interrupted that activity, and the group decided to spontaneously dance in the rain!
7/9/10 – The group wakes up to another delicious breakfast at the New Montrose Hotel, and spends the rest of the afternoon packing and shopping for our trip to Lauders, the community where we will be running our first Friendship Camp.

Bridge Caribbean 2010:

Student Notes 1: From Camp to the Cupids

Kaya Halpern- Kaya has been a beam of sunshine in the group! Her unfading smile and constant positivity has been a welcome addition. On Thursday she was the head chef for the group and treated us to a delicious breakfast of pancakes and fruit salad, and for dinner, she got creative and turned leftover mac and cheese into a delicious macaroni casserole, both creative and cost effective. Kaya also had valuable input during the groups’ creation of a Full Value Contract (a working document that embodies the groups’ goals for community living).

Alex Koren- Alex has been nothing short of a rockstar on the trip, especially considering he arrived late after a grueling trip from South Africa. His skills as a leader have shown through during group planning sessions, where he is careful to direct the group without forcing his opinions on anyone. Alex’s musical skills are also a welcome addition to our group: whilst in a local restaurant in the Barbados airport, Alex serenaded us with some beautiful music on the guitar.

Ellen Finch- Ellen brings her immense energy and enthusiasm to everything she does, and the first week of this trip has been no exception. As the group leader on Tuesday, Ellen did a fantastic job of keeping the group focused while maintaining a beautifully upbeat vibe which is especially impressive considering she was the leader on a travel day. She also showcased her artistic talent while writing in our group journal. She documented the group’s travels in an especially creative way.

Aly Centrella- Over this past week, Ali as shown such determination and positivity and inspired the rest of the group the act the same. Ali entered the group knowing no one, but within minutes she seemed to have known them all for years. During the group trip to Mt Wynn Beach, Ali had the time of her life swimming in the warm Caribbean waters, eating fresh fruit on the black sands, and listening to reggae blasted from a rasta soundsystem.

Chuck Kohlman – Though Chuck is often quiet and soft spoken, her beaming positivity always lifts the group. Chuck was our first group leader, and she set the bar high. She was the first to use the group journal as an artistic forum, and did a wonderful job coordinating the pizza dinner at the airport Holiday Inn in Queens. Chuck also goes out of her way to be especially kind and generous. On Thursday night the group needed to borrow a large baking pan from the hotel kitchen, and then go back to use the hotel’s oven because the pan was too large. Chuck acknowledged this kindness and repaid it by putting together a delicious plate of salad and casserole for the hotel staff.

Kyla Young- Kyla has been doing a tremendous job of taking risks and overcoming her fears on this trip. First and foremost, Kyla tackled her fear of flying on 3 separate planes. With the support of the group, Kyla had a fantastic travel day. She has also been giving valuable input during group planning sessions, and was especially open during the Full Value Contract exercise. Kyla had a wonderful time at Mt. Wynn beach, but was especially fond of the van ride to the beach, where the group got a special taste of island music and culture.

Jacob Senghas- Jake has made a point of going above and beyond his responsibilities on this trip. If you look around and don’t see Jake participating in a group discussion, then he’s probably cleaning up after dinner, even though he’s not on the clean up crew. Jake’s unique exuberance has brought levity to our group discussions, but his ability to get serious when necessary is exceptional. Jake’s input during the creation our Full Value Contract was poignant and open. Jake has also been soaking in the Caribbean culture: while on our MMT (an activity where the group is divided into smaller groups and sent into a community to learn more about the local culture) in Kingstown, Jake’s group encountered the local foods and dialects of St Vincent.

Aidan Goldman- Though quiet at first, Aidan stepped out of his shell and dove head first into this program. He has taken a leading role in planning our friendship camps and has been especially adept at redirecting unfocused attention onto the task at hand. During orientation at Windsor Mountain, Aidan completed his first backflip off of the rope swing, along with numerous other aerial maneuvers into the water.

Satchel Sturtz - Satchel has been having an excellent beginning to his Caribbean adventures. His sense of humor and playfulness have been vital during extended camp planning meetings. He has a unique ability to mix humor with seriousness, and his Windsor Mountain experience has been a huge benefit to the group. Satchel was lucky enough to be our first head chef of the program and although nervous and hesitant at first, he prepared a delicious homemade macaroni and cheese (yes that’s right, fresh cheddar cheese, milk, butter and elbow macaroni) to a thunderous round of applause!

Ari Weinstein: St. Vincent has definitely been a cultural shift for Ari, but he has been responding with a great deal of flexibility and open-mindedness. Ari especially loves TRAVELING. His highlights have included the airplane journeys from JFK to Barbados and from Barbados to St. Vincent. His favorite journey was the local van ride from downtown Kingstown to Mt. Wynne beach on the Leeward side of the island. He was blown away by the fact that random strangers were waving to us as we were in the van and he loved bopping to the latest Soca hits in the van, especially the Patty song. Ari wowed the group last night with his culinary skills

Libby Cohen- Libby was the leader of the day on Wednesday and really rocked out her responsibilities. She was calm, yet effectively assertive in getting the group to complete all their tasks for the day. She really enjoyed visiting the fruit and vegetable market and interacting with all the local vendors. She also made some friends at the beach while swimming: a 1 year old named Kate and a 7 year old named Kristen—both from the leeward side of St. Vincent. Way to go, Libby!

Seth Arar- Seth’s goofy energy has been a fantastic addition to this trip. He is always quick with a hilarious comment or some useful bit of knowledge. Seth has been truly impressive in his dedication to learning as much as he can about island culture, and using that knowledge to create a wonderful camp experience for the local kids. His input during camp planning sessions has been reflective of this cultural awareness. Seth had an amazing time at Mt Wynn beach, swimming in the warm waters and driving for bits of beautiful coral. Seth also helped clean up after lunch today….by drinking the remainder of the pickle juice!

Emma Rosenstein- Zippo has adjusted easily to the heat and the local culture, and she has shared a lot with the group about her local school trip to Trinidad and Tobago. Zippo’s favorite part of the trip so far has been dancing in the rain during a sudden downpour at evening meeting. She also really enjoyed the MMT, and met some neat folks at the church in town. She was also a big help food shopping on Wednesday, when we had our first big group food shopping trip.

Kayla Riparetti- “Ripper” has been a ball of positive energy and enthusiasm this week. She loves appreciating people at evening meeting by sending “shooting stars”, and members of the group love her encouragement and fun-loving attitude. She really enjoyed our beach day, and the MMT where she learned about local religions common in St. Vincent. She’s also recently purchased a popular Vincy outfit!

Anna Wickenden- The quiet exterior than Anna arrived with has long since given way to her true fun loving and energetic personality that gels well with the group. Anna arrived without knowing anyone on the trip, but quickly found her place in the group, and has been thriving since. She has stepped up on all fronts, whether exploring Kingstown with her group, organizing group gear, or washing dishes, Anna is always quick to lend a hand and give a smile. She had an exceptionally good time at Mt. Wynn beach where she got the chance to relax on the black sand beaches after a long but exciting van ride from Kingstown.

Livia Wescott-Lahar- Livia has gotten used to the heat here in St. Vincent, and is an invaluable member of the group. She has some wonderful suggestions for what will make a successful Friendship Camp, probably stemming from her experience working with youth in California. Her favorite part of the trip so far has been today, when we stocked up on food before heading to Lauders, where we will stay with the Cupid family. Livia is so excited!