A time for reflection

Everyone arrived back at Fieldbase safe and sound yesterday and it feels like they've never been away. All the groups were back by mid-afternoon and immediately Fieldbase was buzzing with everyone catching up on what everyone else has been doing in their last phase. After all the kit had been thoroughly cleaned (and I mean thoroughly) we had some hugely entertaining skits last night, the funniest yet I thought, with Alpha nine from Conte Burika taking the final prize, with Conte Burika: The Musical…

This morning most people rushed in to Turrialba to catch up on emails, change flights and phone home etc. For those that are going home on Friday, it's also their last chance to buy souvenirs etc, because this week is Semana Santa, or Easter Week, and the whole country is on holiday and all the shops will be shutting down this afternoon for a long weekend!

This afternoon the venturers are back with their first phase alpha groups and undertaking a big review of the expedition. This session will give everyone the opportunity to reflect on their Raleigh journey and what they’ve achieved. They’ll also be talking about what happens next; what they will take away from the Raleigh experience, what they want to commit to when they return home, and how the expedition has affected both them as a person and their plans for the future.

I know from both talking to everyone here and reading the messages from home that this expedition has had a massive impact on all of our venturers and staff, so I don’t doubt that it is going to be a powerful and emotional session. I also know from all your wonderful messages that not only has this been a journey for everyone out here but also for you all at home, so I’d like to share with you two of the stories we use in these sessions, along with a few of the final photos of our phase three groups…

The Station

Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the window we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village hails.

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restless we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering - waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.

"When we reach the station that will be it!" we cry. "When I'm 18" "When I buy a new 450SI Mercedes Benz!" "When we put the last kid through college" "When I have paid off the mortgage" "When I get promoted" "When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after!"
Sooner or later we must realise that there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.

"Relish the moment" is a good motto. It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.

So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more icecream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.
By Robert J Hastings


The Starfish Story
One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?” The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”

“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!”
After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…”I made a difference for that one.”
Original Story by: Loren Eisley

Alpha one at the end of their beach walk in Corcovado National Park

Alpha two when they reached Playa Hermosa

Alpha three at their final destination at Playa El Rey

Alpha four at Playa Hermosa

Alpha five at Playa Naranjo in Santa Rosa National Park

Alpha six at their Ranger Station at Playa El Rey

Alpha nine in Conte Burika