Adam's Leader Letter

Greetings Bridge Caribbean Participants!!!


My name is Adam Aronovitz, and along with Kelly Morr, I will be leading Bridge Caribbean 2008 this summer. Our group has an entire month to experience the glorious beauty and culture of St Vincent & The Grenadines! I am sure you are as excited as Kelly and I are for this summer, and I would love to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself.

I grew up in the Boston area, spending my early years in Newton and the majority of my youth in a town called Sudbury, Massachusetts. I spent my undergraduate career at Tulane University in the majestic city of New Orleans where I fell heads-over-heels in love with the jazz, the magnificent food, and the unique culture of New Orleans and its inhabitants. I majored in International Political Economics, investigating the realities between international governance, the international marketplace, and all the invisible behind-the-scene forces that govern our international community.

I had a life-changing experience during the fall of my senior year. I enrolled in a study abroad program called Semester at Sea. For 100 days I lived and studied on a ship while circumnavigating the globe. Our ports of call were Japan, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, India, Kenya, South Africa, Brazil, and Cuba. I could spend years recounting my adventures but highlights included everything from volunteering at orphanages in Vietnam, India, and Kenya to seeing Fidel Castro speak in Cuba. Since this voyage I have constantly been seeking out opportunities to immerse myself in the unbelievable offerings of our planet. You could say that I have had “itchy feet” ever since.

Since I graduated from Tulane I earned a Masters Degree in London and I am currently teaching math and outdoor education at a middle school in East Boston. My school is a fascinating place. 70% of the student population is from Latin America and I really enjoy learning about their rich cultures and introducing them to the natural world through the outdoor education program that I designed.

This is my third consecutive summer with Windsor Mountain. In the summer of 2006 I led a trip to Puerto Rico which was an incredible experience. The highlights of this program were volunteering at a rainforest reforestation project and surfing on the West Coast of Puerto Rico. In the summer of 2007, I led Windsor Mountain’s Bridge Mexico trip in the Huasteca region of Central Mexico. This program had a very strong community service component. One of the highlights of my time on our fine, fine planet was organizing a ‘Medical Brigade’ last summer for indigenous communities in Mexico that had no access to medical care.

As the school year begins to wind down I find myself thinking more and more about our upcoming adventures in the Caribbean. We will all be taking this journey together soon and we will have an opportunity to talk before the expedition about certain details. 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 piece of our expedition involves designing, implementing, and running a summer camp program for the children of St. Vincent. Please be prepared with AT LEAST 10 ideas for activities that you could lead as part of the summer camp program. These could include games, songs, arts and crafts activities, and just about anything. Be creative!! Enjoy the rest of your school year; I look forward to meeting all of you!!!


Amor y Paz,

Adam Aronovitz