Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua: Alpha Group Roundup

Sunday, 7 February 2010

Alpha Group Roundup

Alpha 1
The wheels on the bus went round and round and didn’t stop going round and round for 8 hours...but Alpha 1 eventually made it to Progresso. Having spent the night there, they have now done their first day of trek and have made it to Alturas.

Alpha 2 have completed their first full day of trek and are now camping in front of the majestic Lake and Volcan Arenal...stunning.

Alpha 3 have left the Caribbean Sea behind and are making their way along the disused railway track to Linea B.

Alpha 4 have been met with blistering heat deep in the La Cangreja jungle. They were greeted by friendly Rangers and a cacophony of crickets.

Alpha 5 sent us a poem for their daily update:
Swimming pool of sweat and howling monkeys
We’re already starting to smell a bit funky
We saw the sun set and the shooting stars
We’re so happy to have come this far
Friends frolicking in the foam
We’re so excited about our new home

Alpha 6 – see sitrep of the day

Alpha 7 / Alpha 8
Travelling north, the hills of Costa Rica gave way to the dry plains of Nicaragua. The two groups spent last night in a Raleigh-built school in Jinotepe but have now reached their respective communities having spent another day travelling.

Alpha 9 also had a very long bus journey, arriving in Banco at 2pm....literally the end of the road going south west. After this they walked along the beach for a few hours before staying at a friendly Italian’s house for the night. When they called a few hours ago they were still walking into the community.

Alpha 10 are in the jungle right now having trekked from Barbilla Ranger Station to Guayabal.

It's fantastic to be getting so many messages from you, but remember people...please don't swear in your comments or we won't be able to publish them!

6 comments:

Anonymous8 February 2010 at 05:58
Hi James Ash, Snowing at home this morning! Not sure I've got the blog sussed yet but am working on it! Hope you've mastered a few scout techniques by now. Luv Mum x
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Anonymous8 February 2010 at 06:52
Hello James (Wilderspin)ALPHA GROUP 3-glad you're enjoying yourself ! Go carefully with the beans though -the ozone layer is already thin enough down there without any help from your group ! I gather that you've parted company with your hair whilst trekking through the jungle! (you didn't have much to lose to begin with though!).
Stay fit & well & have a fab time !!!,take care.
Love
Uncle Gareth & Aunty Ella & cousin Oliver
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Helen Walsh8 February 2010 at 08:29
Message to Phoebe ALPHA GROUP 5 - Feeling hot? Well guess what, its snowing here AGAIN! Can't wait to read your full blog report soon and to hear about your group's turtling activities. Your horse is very naughty - she broke out of her stable and spent the night in the hay barn. She is now on a strict diet! Missing you loads and loads. M + D + E x x x
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Anonymous8 February 2010 at 09:05
Hi Luke (Sussams) ALPHA GROUP 5 - it sounds amazing! Knew the T S Eliot wouldn't go to waste - bet he never rhymned "funky" with "monkey".... Have loads of fun in the warm sea - it's rained here for days...
Love
Mum
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Joanna Traynor8 February 2010 at 13:40
Nicola Traynor Alpha 8
Hey honey, glad you got to the community! Hope the journey was inspiring. Posted you a letter today, not sure if you'll get this or the letter first! Done a wee check on your house too, everything still ok. Wee Ange had a good, full day. Got her a wee black dress and black cowboy boots from charity shop. Was very surprised that she took an interest in them so just had to get them for her. Thankyou TAYLOR SWIFT lol. Keep smiling n lotsa love xxx Mum xxx
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Anonymous24 February 2010 at 11:17
Hi Clare, Alpha group 7.How are you doing? It's wonderful reading of all the good work you guys are carrying out..Go for it! I hope you realise that life is never going to be the same after this! Congratulations to you all, we are thinking of you all.Much love, Grandad(m) XXX
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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!

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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?”