Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua: And so it begins

Saturday, 31 January 2009

And so it begins

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to do a quick blog to let everyone at home know that we nearly have our full team here at Fieldbase this morning, with just six more Venturers being picked up at the airport later on today, this evening we will finally have everyone here!

We had a beautiful journey from San Jose this morning, the sun was shining and the clouds were low, making the mountians look amazing as we drove into Turrialba. After a hearty breakfast of Gallo Pinto (rice and beans - yum!) the Venturers are now currently outside getting to know everyone, trying to remember 130 new names, and settling into their Hotel groups - the large army tents that will be their homes for the next four days before they deploy for phase one...

In a minute we're all headed to the university for swim tests, admin and photos, and then this evening Julian, our Country Director, and the Project Managers will be giving the project presentations and everyone will find out about all the exciting projects we have running in phase one.

We'll get some photos up of everyone as soon as we can once we're back from the university.

For those of you new to the blog - Bienvenido! We hope you enjoy reading about all the exciting things your friends and family will be getting up to over the next ten weeks! And big thanks to everyone who has left us messages so far - it's so lovely to hear from people at home and everyone gets really excited every time we get a new one!

15 comments:

Anonymous31 January 2009 at 12:20
To Hana Damirji
This sounds wonderful - am most jealous of your adventure! missing you very much
I hope this works, i may have just posted a comment on the website, rather than send you a blog message, in which case, sorry i embarrassed you! Oooh i could do with some sun - sheffield is currently in a cloud and our heating's been turned off - do you think i could come and join you? i'm sure they won't mind, I'm no trouble
Love Emily
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Anonymous31 January 2009 at 17:41
To sam wilson

sounds like your going to be having a lot of fun :)
everyones thinking of you back in cardiff. and ill have a look on the blogs now and then to see what your up to!
Have fun darling
lots of love
saskia x
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Anonymous1 February 2009 at 02:52
To Cathy van de Graaf,
So happy to have found this superblogg. What a wonderful time you are going to have darling.
Emails from Mies, Willemijn, Papa, Carlijn. They sent you their love and wish you good-luck. Hug and big kiss, Wally en Guus
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Anonymous1 February 2009 at 03:57
Lieve Harm,

We hebben vannacht on 1.00 telefoon gehad dat je eindelijk in Costa Rica was aangekomen. Lange reis he maar misschien heb je nog wat van Miami kunnen zien. Nu gaat het beginnen voor je. Hele fijne tijd en geniet van een andere wereld.
Christel is geslaagd en Casper weer gezakt!
Dikke kus van ma en pa en Bart en Floris
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Anonymous1 February 2009 at 04:43
He Hammer,

Was het leuk in Miami. Toch je zin gekregen met je vertraging. Laat maar wat horen en veel succes kerel.

Paul
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Anonymous1 February 2009 at 05:25
To Hana Damirji again!
Good to know i could track your progress by logging onto a website, honestly looks like you're gonna have an amaaaazing time! Just to make you feel even better we're having the coldest winter for 13 years apparently.. when you're.. not. :)
Just sending you lots and lots and lots of love (and be safe) from Nirja xxxxxx
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Anonymous1 February 2009 at 06:11
To Harm van Essen,

Hi Hammer, How was your unexpected extra day in Miami. At one o'clock last night we got the message that you arrived in Costa Rica.

Have a great time!
Mom, dad, Bart and Floris
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Anonymous1 February 2009 at 08:09
Dear Kishan Gandhi,

Liking the look of this website, nice to know we can track your progress through Costa Rica (or in your case, lack of!!)

Hope the weather is halfdecent there, forecast to have blizzards here in sunny Watford. Fun times

Make the most of the local cuisine, wont be any waffles cheese and beans where your going!

Get in touch soon,

Samir & the rest of the smellys
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Anonymous1 February 2009 at 09:02
To Bliss Godden

Really looking to reading the blog updates. It is so cold here, snow expected tomorrow. We got the message that you had arrived safely.

We all misss you ,Amber says hello. Hope your having a great time and enjoying the sunshine.

Love you lots ,we all miss you loads.

Love mum,dad & Amber x
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Anonymous1 February 2009 at 15:03
Voor Dirk (van Wassenaer),

even een kort berichtje. Fijn dat je me net even gebelt hebt, ben wel een beetje jaloers op je ik zit morgen gewoon in de schoolbanken! Heel veel plezier en doe voorzichtig! Dikke kus, I love you, Tessa.
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Anonymous2 February 2009 at 05:32
Dear Hugo's brother

We found the superblog, and log onto it several times a day in case there is something new. Do appear in a photo for us to see you. All the family is missing you.

Little Hugo is now trying every day to pronounce Gege in a serious way, God knows why. He did not know how to say Mama yet.

Love and hugs
Mum
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Anonymous2 February 2009 at 09:35
To Caroline Borstlap

Hi lieve Car! Super om je op de foto te zien, ziet er gaaf uit! Ben zooo benieuwd wat je allemaal gaat meemaken, leuk dat je met de trek begint, k zal duimen voor je voetjes..weihhh! Lieverd, geniet ervan, wij reizen met je mee via deze superblog!!! Hele dikke kus en heeel veel liefs!!! Love You!! Mam
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Anonymous2 February 2009 at 11:28
Hallo Harm,
Na enige vertraging (Miami) ben je dan toch in
Costa Rica aan gekomen. Je eerste indrukken moeten
geweldig zijn. Ik ben er nog nooit geweest maar
kan me wel voorstellen hoe het er uitziet.
Je zult er veel ondervinden waar je later
plezier van zult hebben . Ik hoop dat je een super
tijd zult hebben en goed vrinden zult maken.
Een hartelijke groet. Opa van Essen.
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Anonymous2 February 2009 at 19:12
To Huhu

Hi,Huhu,
I just found out how to log on the blog and excitingly saw you on a photo. Though did not receive your call which Grandma and I was expecting on 29th, it is great now we could see you and trace your expedition via the blog on the website. I will let Grandma see the picture when I back home.

I will log on this website when I have time and follow your trip every day.

Missing you and love,
Dad
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Anonymous31 March 2009 at 20:38
To Huhu,

Dear Huhu,

Congratulations with a big hug on you being accepted by Columbia university! I got the news early this morning and shared it with Grandma though she was still on bed. We all are very happy with it! Let's have a celebration when you back to Beijing.

Love,
Dad
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Hi,

Thank you for visiting our blog. Comments are monitored daily and we will ensure messages are promptly delivered to your loved ones. Please ensure you state the name of the person to whom your message is addressed. This is so we don't miss any out. Muchas gracias!

Pura Vida!

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Raleigh Lingo

Copy that?

Sometimes our Raleigh technical terms can be a tad confusing so we've put together a glossary for you blog followers. This will appear as a quick-reference section on the right-hand column so you can translate our Tico-terms into something a bit more palatable. And for those keen to brush up their Central American Spanish, we've included some handy translations. Here's a few to get you started...

Alpha, X-Ray and Zulu groups
(Grupos Alfa, X-Ray y Zulu)
The official name for project groups during the phases of CR&N 13A. Alpha will be out on project from 3rd to 23rd February, X-Ray from 24th February to 15th March and Zulu from 17th March to 5th April. Project groups are allocated during induction

Basha
Jungle ‘bed’: consists of a tarpaulin for shelter, a hammock and mosquito net. A basha is hung up between two trees and supported by rope, bamboo and canvas straps

Bodega
A Spanish word meaning store or warehouse

Bravo
A term of endearment for our hard-working Land Rovers. The four vehicles are officially, and imaginatively named Bravo One, Two, Three and Four

C.A.T.I.E.
The agricultural and development research institute on whose campus Fieldbase is situated. Find out more at http://www.catie.ac.cr/

Changeover (Cambio de Fase)
Two day period where all staff and Venturers return from their project sites for some respite before they are all reallocated and sent off to do it all over again...

Chicas, Chicos
Spanish term meaning girls (chicas) or guys (chicos) or both (chicos aswell). As in “Vamonos chicos!” or “Let’s go guys!”

Craic
A way to gauge how people are feeling, usually measured from 0 to 90. If your ‘craic’ is high, you’re pretty happy. If you announce a low craic, people will probably fix you up with an energy bomb and a nice big hug

CR&N 13A
Costa Rica and Nicaragua expeditions 13A

Day Leader (DL) (Líder del día)
Every day on project, one of the Team is designated DL – they are in charge of the day, including organising the day’s briefing, keeping group morale up, dealing with any problems, sticking to schedule and de-briefing at the end of the day. The DL role rotates round the whole group so everyone takes a turn

Energizer (Actividad Levanta Muertos)
An activity to gather the group together and raise energy levels. Can be used at the beginning of the day, or whenever a quick pick-me-up is required

Energy bombs (Explosión de azucar)
A trekking treat – mix together oats, raisins, condensed milk and chocolate powder and roll into little balls of gooey goodness to power you through the day

Fieldbase (FB) (Campo Base)
Refers to the Raleigh ‘office residence’ which is where the Fieldbase staff eat, sleep and work, whilst organising the expedition, manning the radios round the clock, supporting the projects, planning transport and logistics, keeping tabs on the finances and much, much more

Field Base Volunteer Managers (Equipo Logístico Voluntario del Campo Base)
Volunteer support staff for the expedition. The team looks after the ‘behind the scenes’ of the expedition and ensures everything runs smoothly. This consists of three permanent staff members - the Country Director, Country Project Manager and Country Expedition Manager - plus a team of volunteer staff including the, Medic, Photographer, Administrator, Finance Officer, three Logistics (logs) team members and the Communications Officer

Gallo Pinto
A traditional Costa Rican dish of rice and beans (yum!)

Icebreaker (Rompe Hielos)
A getting-to-know-you game

Longdrop (Letrina)
The camp loo. Literally a deep hole in the ground, it is one of the first tasks to complete when setting up jungle camp for obvious reasons! Short drops are similar, normally used for overnight stops when a shallower trench will suffice

Longs (Pantalones)
From 6pm onwards, we all don long trousers and sleeves to discourage the bugs that aren’t deterred by DEET

Maxis
Short for Maxi Pali, the stock-everything shop about a kilometer from Fieldbase where you can buy all those things you forgot/ran out of/lost

Nicas
An affectionate term referring to the native population of Nicaragua

Ninja
A popular game/energizer used by venturers and Project managers alike. Everyone stands in a circle and tries to hit the team members either side of them on the hand via a single ninja movements. Sound effects welcome

POPS
Legendary milkshake and ice-cream parlour chain found all over Costa Rica – perfect for a sweet splurge

Pork and beans (Frijoles con cerdo)
Another staple foodstuff for trekkers: tinned beans with a slightly sausage twang, served cold for lunch. Usually accompanied by dry cracker dust, sprinkled liberally on to the top. If you’re in a hurry, this can be consumed without cutlery straight from the can

Project Managers (PMs) (Guías)
Project staff for the expedition. Each of the groups has at least two PMs who work with the Venturers to develop skills, lead projects and challenge themselves

PURA VIDA!
A very special Costa Rican phrase that means hello, goodbye, I’m great, it’s good, pure life, basically any positive, feel-good thing can be Pura vida!

Radio check (Chequeo de Radio)
As well as a daily SITREP, all Alpha projects are required to complete a second radio call-in each day to check in, receive messages and report any developments

Review (Revisión)
A round-up that assesses how everyone feels, what went well and what needs work. This is sometimes an ‘activity’, sometimes a chat around the campfire, or sometimes just a bit of time to reflect. It’s an important part of everyone’s personal development so we make sure it happens every day

Roadtrip (Paseo Volando Rueda)
The logistics team and some of the Field Base team drive the Bravos on a loop round to each of the accessible project sites once per phase. They deliver kit, supplies, site visitors, messages from the blog and of course the all important post

Ropa Americana
Purveyors of the finest second hand American threads. Perfect for fancy dress/obtaining that long coveted college sports jersey

SITREP (Reporte de la Situación)
Literally Situation Report. A special radio message sent from the satellite project sites back to fieldbase once a day. It follows a certain format and includes all sort of handy information like where they are, what they’ve been up to, what they need and what they’re planning to do next

Tang
A fruity powder that is used to make squash. Jolly useful for taking away the chlorine taste of purified water

Ticos
An affectionate term referring to the native population of Costa Rica

Trangia (Mini Cocina)
A portable cooking stove. Used primarily for trekking, a trangia’s compact design makes it perfect for easy transportation. Literal translation in spanish - mini kitchen. Makes sense

Turrialba
The location of Fieldbase

Venturers (Aventureros)
Participants in the Raleigh expedition. Aged 17 to 24, they come in three varieties: Host Country Venturers (from Costa Rica and Nicaragua), Partnership Venturers (positive young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in the UK who participate in Raleigh expeditions as part of a longer term development programme) and UK and International Fundraising Participants (who work hard to raise money to contribute towards the charities work and expenses in order to take part in the expedition)

Wash up (Revisión Final)
The last few days of expedition, spent debriefing, returning equipment, performing skits, and most importantly enjoying the farewell party (tears alert)

Zero (Cero)
A radio term that identifies the radio controller at Fieldbase. Fieldbase monitors the radios 24-7, listening out on three frequencies for calls from our satellite project sites. When the radio alarm sounds, we might answer something like this: “Hello unknown call sign, hello unknown call sign, this is Zero, this is zero, do you copy, OVER?”