Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua: Update from Alpha 3

Wednesday, 5 August 2009

Update from Alpha 3

Alpha 3 have arrived safely in La Calera, a small village outside Achuapa, and work has begun on the second Raleigh water project at a staggering rate. Already the water catchment area has been cleared and as I write, preparations for the first wall are nearing completion. The water tank area has been cleared and about 250 metres of trench have been dug so only 150 metres remain to the school. Everyone has settled in to their new homes and new familes and regular visits to the work site by local children are keeping everyone motivated. The knowledge that in two weeks they will have running water in their school is inspiring us all to dig deep (no pun intended!) and work harder than ever before. Yo amo Nicaraguita!

18 comments:

Sarah Rogerson5 August 2009 at 14:02
Loving the blog Lisa and Oli. Miss you already. Sarah xx
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Anonymous6 August 2009 at 06:30
Claire (alpha 3)
hi bear howz u ur looking good in pics every one askin for u missin u soooo much so proud of u u look as ur really enjoyin it now i;l put mons in ur fone seen cutie will give him ur no hes lost his fone luv an miss u mama bear xxxxx
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Tom Barnes6 August 2009 at 08:34
Message for Henry Barnes.

Wassup bro! You're missing nothing here and it looks like we are missing everything by not being there! Mad trip - pretty envious as I sit in my office doing paperwork - not cool! Heard you were building the water pump for the village - sounds like a worthwhile trip AND you get to see some of the best views/animals/volcanoes, pretty bloody jealous! Enjoy the rest will keep updated through this site!

Enjoy, like I need to say that!!!!

TB & SJ
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Nobby & Shirley6 August 2009 at 11:51
Fee,
It's such a worthwhile thing to do and means so much to the children keep up the good work. It beats going to the gym! Your Spanish should come in handy now and I hope you can get some interesting local recipes to bring home as well.Look forward to seeing more photos.
All love Mum xxxx
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Anonymous7 August 2009 at 11:14
Hi Amelia,

Hope you get this before you set off back. We are back at home now and counting down the days until you get home - it seems like ages!!!!! Had a great holiday but missed you - lots of photos to show you, looking forward to seeing yours. Guess your hard work is over - hope all went well. Just enjoy the fun bit now. See you next week.

Love Mum xxxxx
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The Llms7 August 2009 at 16:02
Sut mae Tom! (delta3)We are thinking of you in all the rain and mud from our ark;we might float out to meet you.Looking forward to seeing some pictures of you lounging in your basher!
Love Mum and Dad
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Diana8 August 2009 at 09:39
Alpha 3 and Alex...you guys are smokin' Way to go!!!
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Abbie8 August 2009 at 16:02
Message for Ben Maine
Heyaa Ben Its Me, Abbie.
Hope your okay and having a great time. I did post a message on here last week but im not sure if i posted it on the right page lol. Cant wait till you get back, Im missing you loads and thinking of you everyday. Dont work too hard ,hahaaa. ill write to you on here every week ok babes. Auntie janie and cheryl says hello and hope your having a nice time.
Lots of love from Abbie, cheryl, janie and marshmallow
xXx
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Anonymous8 August 2009 at 20:43
For Shane...
The project sounds brilliant, hope everything's going well.
Check your emails soon cuz I'm gonna email u now!
Sarah
xox
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Dad and Mum11 August 2009 at 07:52
Hi Ben Maine, Seen the pictures of you, looking a little bit tired there, keep up the good work, hope you are having a great time, We are all missing you, Ben when you get home! there will be a Full Roast Dinner waiting on the table for you, No Beans and Rice..lol
Love Mum and Dad
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Dad11 August 2009 at 08:02
Hi Ben Maine, ow yes! Your Bank sent us a letter saying thay had froze your account, But Don't Worry thats Been sorted Now, and you have more Money in there Now!
Take Care.
Love Dad...
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Anonymous12 August 2009 at 14:11
Hi Jake,

Lily back from camp now and had a great time, has a lovely rune and tinder box, told my workmates as I was sure they wouldn't be able to name many other 17 year old girls who would be trilled to be given a tinder box! She seems to have found a spiritual streak. Three of us off to France on Sunday 16th, not back till 28th (Friday). Aiming for an arty holiday, swimming, drawing, photos, reading etc will go where the weather is.

Take care in your last few weeks! Lots of love Mum xx
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Anonymous13 August 2009 at 07:43
Hi Henry,hope everything is going well. The music festival sounded amazing ,quite an experience. We are all missing you and looking forward to hearing from you. All is well here ,Will is very jealous and can't wait to join a Raleigh trip himself....mostly for the bugs! We all had a good holiday and the weather was perfect,quieter than last year!!! Well done on all your hard work, we are all really proud of you. Love you loads,Mum xxxxxxx
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Anonymous17 August 2009 at 12:02
message for Laura Stephenson -
Hope you are keeping well and enjoying yourself.I go on the blog regularly to try and keep updated on your adventure. Passed the blog details onto Claire.Everyone fine here and keeping busy, Gran probably a little better. Had a weekend away to Glasgow and going to be booking a holiday to Spain or somewhere late September. Hope this reaches you for your birthday on Saturday 22 nd. Happy Birthday have a great day, Lots of love Dad x x x x x x x
Gran always asking about you and sends you birthday wishes too x x Can you confirm your in Alpha 3.
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Missing you Ben Maine19 August 2009 at 10:23
Hi ben, it was real good chatting with you today even though it was for short while, thought i tell you as i forgot i had shadow castrated, no more straying for him lol. everyone in the familey are fine, they all ask bout you.
i see all the clothes you are wearing are going in the bin,I bet they are crawling with bugs lol, did you go to the concert, it looks wiked, youre so lucky i wish it was me with you out there. Keep working hard all my love mam and dad. xXxXx
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Hi Ben Maine19 August 2009 at 12:22
Hi Ben, Your Mums been busy in the garden, she has cut half the weeds down, planted some Plants, also bought a new spade, and its got you name on it, when you get home mum wants you to build a Aqueduct down the Garden so the water fountain will work all year long, and any homeless people that walk by can have a drink.. lol.. A woman work is never done! So you got to finish it….
All Our Love Mum and Dad… xXxXx
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Anonymous20 August 2009 at 22:24
Servus Maryannita
Ce mai face, bine, supongo, ya que estas en tu elemento: la naturaleza. Todos estamos bien, extrañandote, pero el saber que estas contenta, nos alegra mucho.en dias pasados hizo mucho calor pero ayer y hoy un cambio brusco lluvia, viento y brrrrrr algo de frio.El 27 si puedes ver la luna fijate a la par dicen que marte sera visible? La revedere.
Niste pupic:Tata,mama si Eduardo
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George Hadgiannis7 September 2009 at 09:20
Hey Laura (Stephenson)- it looks like you are having an amazing time! Well done! We are 10 days away from moving to Bahrain so its been hectic and a bit weird saying good bye to everyone but exciting all the same! It seems ages ago we both made the big move away from our old jobs! Take care of yourself. George :)
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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?”