Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua: Pictures of Alpha seven in Achuapa

Sunday, 15 March 2009

Pictures of Alpha seven in Achuapa

And last but not least here we go with pics from Alpha seven. I must apologise that there aren't quite as many, but due to technical difficulties (i.e. not being able to work my portable hard drive) I'm not able to access all of the photos I downloaded from the group, but they will all be back soon so we'll get more up over the next few days...

Bliss and Sean happy to see Julian with the shop and post!

The group, L-R Jackie, Rob, Helena and Katie standing up, and Caroline, Steph, Hana, Sean, Joost, Marvin and Bliss sitting down

Chris and Kish

The dutch boys, Marvin and Joost, and PM Rob, all looking a little mischevious...

Caroline, Steph, Hana, Sean and Helena...

The group hanging out before starting work...

Caroline, Steph, Hana and Sean enjoying sweet bread for breakfast...

7 comments:

Anonymous16 March 2009 at 04:26
To Hana Damirji
look at YOU! in nicaragua! in pictures! eating bread! (well, it looks like bread) hope all is going very nicely avec toi! every sentance i've written has finished with a exclamation mark! hurray! ooh, and also, how funny is this: if you type 'hana damirji' into google on 'web' then you get blog posts from me! saying 'by no means can the lovage decrease!'. i thought that was very amusing. so foever trapped in cyberspace is my love for you. horray! missing you incredibly much, emily xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Anonymous16 March 2009 at 04:41
Ha Joost, leuk om je op de foto's te zien! Nu hard aan het werk met stenen sjouwen? Wat een mussels zul je hebben, en die had je al! Ik zie dat je het gezellig hebt met Marvin en Rob, en vast ook met alle anderen. Hier geen speciaal nieuws. Gisteren bij de moeder van Laurens Jan gegeten (kan haar naam niet noemen want dat is geheim....); voorgeproefd en natuurlijk heerlijk gegeten. A.s. dinsdag beginnen de opnames voor "Wie is de Chef", en ze doet mee aan de wedstrijd, dus moesten we kritisch proeven. Een klein beetje meer citroen, of een beetje meer zout, dat soort dingen. Of gewoon: helemaal top!.Ze kan natuurlijk heel goed koken, dus ik hoop dat ze ook in de prijzen valt. Nog een nieuwtje: Ik ga met Bernadette naar Curacao! de 30e heen en de 7e april terug. Of had ik dat al geschreven?? Maakt niet uit, ik heb er vreselijk veel zin in, en dan ben ik ook lekker bruin als jij thuis komt! Ha, ha! Hoop je deze week te spreken, want volgens mij zit het er ongeveer op voor je.... En dan de grande finale! spreek je snel, liefs, en big hug mama
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Anonymous16 March 2009 at 05:47
Deboooorah....Happy Birthday Lady! I hope you have an absolutely incredible day, have a pint of tang on me.

Everyone else, you're all rockstars - enjoy changeover...and best of luck for phase 3.

Take it easy! x
- Sabrin
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Anonymous16 March 2009 at 06:30
To Caroline Borstlap. Hej allerliefste sgatje! Ik zie hier net super leuke foto's van jou! Echt leuk je te zien! Je ziet er trouwens echt super uit!! Waarschijnlijk zit je nu in de bus op weg naar fieldbase en gaat de rit toch beter dan je heenreis ;)! Gisteren hebben we de slechtste wedstrijd ooit gespeeld en zijn we zwaar verloren! Ik vertel je alles als ik je één van de dagen terug aan de telefoon heb! Liefste schatje veel succes met je busreis! Kdenk aan jou! Miss you like crazy!! suuuuuuuuuuuper dikke kus xxxxxxxx hou heel veel van jou!! xxxxxxx yeki
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Anonymous17 March 2009 at 09:42
Hey Sean (Alpha 7)
Happy change over. You must have had a wonderful time in Nicaragua. You looked so genuinely happy on the photos; really lovely to see you so obviously enjoying yourself! Send us an e-mail if you can. Wow, only 3 weeks to go. Happy trekking; taking after your mother and father! Loadsa xxx
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Anonymous18 March 2009 at 02:38
Sophocles! Sounds like you're full of (rice) beans. Only just worked out how to post a comment so hope this reaches you. Can't believe phase 2 is now finished...it sounds like you're having the most incredible time. Good work avoiding the dreaded D&V...of course the Wilson stomach of steel was always going to triumph. Wonder which environmental project you'll be doing - hope it's a cracker. Not long to go until you'll be setting forth with that rucksack. Skiing in Morgins was unreal, there was so much snow we didn't know what to do with it. Missing you more than words can say and can't wait to hear the next instalment...big love lil sista, Nones xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Anonymous25 March 2009 at 15:22
I want to say everyone in raliegh Costa Rica and Nicaragua that enjoy your time there because it occur only once in the life, I was there seven years ago and I have´nt forgotten nothing, this was a special phase for me , I miss everything, every moment with my friends, when you come back to your home , you will feel really strange, you will know many things and the greatest expirence that you knew different places and people, you will knew that many people have many necessities, congratulation for be there and have los huevos as say the Nicaraguan people to fight against difficulties, I´m sure that you never will forget this moments. Emilio Jose Torres Leon-Nicaragua
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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?”