Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua: Another round-up from the groups...

Tuesday, 9 February 2010

Another round-up from the groups...

Every few days the groups are sending us a 30 word summary of what they have been up to....some of them are entertaining, some of them are fact-filled, some are cryptic, others are just plain weird! Alphas, 3, 4 and 5 sent these today:

Alpha 3 - see sitrep of the day

Alpha 4: we survived the attack of the 'cucarachas' last night and set out to move into our jungle home. We've dug our long drop, built basha beds for everyone and are now living down in the jungle next to the Rio Negro... next, we start work!

Alpha 5: reorganise these words to get a sense of our world - heat, driftwood, burn, sweat, machetes, bamboo, pelicans, cheese, stampede, grass, wow, tarantulas, waves, frogs, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, scorpions, wild horses...

A quick update from Field Base on what the others are doing:

Alpha 1 - spent last night in Agua Caliente (yup, that's right - a hard day of trekking rewarded with hot springs)

Alpha 2 - are continuing their walk around Lake Arenal and will be in Tejona tonight

Alpha 6 - the jungle / beach camp is complete. Work starts today.

Alpha 7 and 8 start work proper today. Alpha 7 will start their ditch-digging / Alpha 8 start the community centre foundations.

Alpha 9 have the arduous task of carrying wood to their project site before starting the foundations.

Alpha 10 have successfully exited the jungle after 3 days....well done, Macho.

Meanwhile, the first of numerous road trips start today with Logcita (Sarah W) and Katie heading out to deliver food to Alphas 3 and 10. Tomorrow, Ash, Laura and Annie head north to resupply Alpha 2, 5, 7 and 8, while Ross, Katie and the K-Dawg / Special K / The K-Man / El Romantico (that’s Keiner to you) head south to visit Alphas 1, 9 and 10.

Hasta pronto

16 comments:

Paul Bendit9 February 2010 at 12:45
To Freddie Bendit (Alpha 9) - Hi Little One - cant imagine how you are managing to heave heavy planks of wood through the jungle - and in the searing heat. Somewhere you must have a few muscles we didn't know about but hopefully its not affecting your back and collar bone. I guess you must be pooped by the end of the day. Am emailing this from freezing Paris and being here reminds me of our happy day we had here three years ago - when it was alot warmer! Thinking of you loads and loads and hoping you are having a happy time. We think you're amazing!!Tons of love from daddy xxxx
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Jane Shulver9 February 2010 at 13:11
To Ruth at Alpha 7
Ditch digging hey? Well you did spend many years on the field with a plastic shovel. Dig well xx Mum
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Jenny Bhatia9 February 2010 at 14:35
This is for Ally Bhatia in Alpha 9:
It is great to read the blog and keep up to date with where you are and something of what you're doing. I am checking on Google Maps as to your whereabouts too. The house is very quiet without you and you are missed, but we are all pleased for you. You should come back a new man! Love from Mum and all of us here x x x x x
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Donna Wilson9 February 2010 at 15:10
For Charlie Vowles - Alpha 5
Hi Charlie babes-Tarantulas?Scorpions?Cheese?????OMG-how are you coping with that?All this for the girl who had nightmares after a cricket landed on our terrace!!!Well you won´t be surprised about this and I can´t beleive I´m admitting to it but - I sent you a message last night and it doesn´t seem to have been posted -do you think I am the only techno-doughnut parent following this adventure.Hopefully I´ll get it right tonight !I can´t wait for Thursday so that we get to hear more about what your group are up to and hopefully I may get to see some photos of my lovely girl doing amazing stuff! Hope you´re enjoying every minute charlie and hope you get this message!!!!Love Mum xx
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Kate Jeggo9 February 2010 at 15:11
To Thomas Jeggo Alpha 6
Hey Tom, great to see your picture on the blog and to find out what you are doing. At least you are used to island life! Have fun. Missing you. Mum and Dad x
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Margaret and Gabi Nakkas9 February 2010 at 15:55
This is for Natalie Nakkas at Alpha 7 -hope u got our last comment posted under the Tico-style 10B...not really up on how this works.. a bit of trial and error - you know me and technology - hopeless!! Anyway read that your group has started ditch-digging but judging from the group photo u look like u are up for the hard work ahead lol!! Hope its not too back-breaking!Its so strange not having constant contact with you...I miss that!!But its helpful to be able to follow the projects and post comments..even if its somewhat a one - sided conversation!From the varios photos posted the countryside looks so lush and green..hope u are taking lots of photos!!!we send you our love from snowy and cold Istanbul...not very exciting in the winter..so enjoy the sunshine - u may even get some colour!! We had a wonderful fish lunch on Sunday gazing out over the Bospherous veiled in a murky mist and our thoughts drifted to you in a warmer climate and wished we could send you some calamari and chocolate souffle xxxx Our thoughts as always are with you....It sounds like the most amazing adventure..hope you are having fun!! Love you..love you.. Mum and Dad xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Jenny Finnegan9 February 2010 at 16:37
To Caroline Alpha 10

How is jungle life and how's your back holding up from sleeping rough? What a trek - hope you enjoyed it...Nice big warm bubble bath waiting for you, snuggly warm towel and clean snoops!! Miss you..
Love Mom xxxxxx
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Christina Campbell-Delgado9 February 2010 at 18:52
ALLY BHATIA ALPHA 9
i'm so confused i sent your a really nice message at the weekend and i dont seam to see it up!!! this upsets me!!
i hope you having a good time baby!! been pretty busy sent you another letter this week so you'll probs have alot of reading to do when you come back from your trek!!
i do miss you mi chico hermoso, demasiado!!
y te amo mucho mas!!
Christina
x
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Anonymous10 February 2010 at 01:48
Caroline Bixner Alpha 2

Hé Muisje, weer een dag erop zitten. Hier weinig nieuws. Moeder van Colin is gisteren even langs geweest...gezellig gekletst. Morgen komt Colin en komt 2 uurtjes wiskunde bijles geven en blijft daarna eten. Elke donderdag! Zien we hem ook even weer. Bij papa zijn verstandskies getrokken, hij vond er niets aan....Hebben jullie nog een duik in het meer mogen nemen? Ik volg jullie een beetje op Google Maps. Veel liefs van mama
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Marianne Mak10 February 2010 at 02:16
Marijne Alpha 04

Kakkerlakken??? Brrr.. Maar gelukkig heb je een muskietennet! Hoop dat je lekker slaapt in je basha bedje in de jungle. Je moet Sarah echt enorm bedanken voor het bijhouden van dit weblog, we genieten er enorm van. Er staat heel veel leuke info op over alle groepen, maar ik ben natuurlijk vooral op zoek naar nieuws over Alpha 04, en een foto van Marijne! We missen je, maar weten zeker dat jij een geweldige tijd hebt. Veel liefs van papa, mama, en Anne Linde
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Papa Bear10 February 2010 at 03:03
To: Beth Alpha 1
Hi sweetie pie
Details of your trek are a bit sketchy on the blog but hot springs sounds a great idea when you're sitting in Brighouse with another dumping of snow imminent! Hope you're enjoying the pork beans and cracker dust. mmmmmmmmm sounds lovely. And the long drop! Paradise doesn't describe it does it? Seen any monkeys yet? Did they fling the poo? Anyway we look forward to reading of your exploits in the rain forest, pacific coast and so on. Have agreat time. Love from Papa Bear
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Liz Farr10 February 2010 at 06:01
Luke Alpha 5

Liking the sound of pelicans, wild horses and wow - not at all sure about tarantulas, scorpions and machetes! Heat sounds good - it's snowing again here. Looks and sounds as if you are having an amazing time - is that your commendable torso I see in the photo? Loads of love.Know you will make the most of this amazing experience. Mum
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lisa Talboys10 February 2010 at 10:26
For Joe Talboys Alpha 4. Hi Joe, seen photos of where you are today. Looks fantastic. Not so fantastic the spiders. Hope you like pork and beans and chick peas. I have been sending messages to the wrong website!! Techno Mother! Its snowing a bit here and 2 degrees. Hope you are having a grat time. Lots of love the Talboys.xxxx
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Anonymous11 February 2010 at 13:32
For Daniela Flores Alpha 7... mae!!! yo te había comentado pero fijo lo hice mal porq no veo el comment aquí :( sorry por eso pero bueno ahora espero q si te llegue este mensaje!, todavía no hay mucho que contar porq no hace muuuucho q te fuiste, y todo ha seguido igual jeje ahorita salgo de clases!!! pero ahorita entro tmbn :oS... mae espero que la estés pasando increíble!!! por lo que leí todavía estás viva!!! jajaja eso es muy bueno! y bueno nena aguantá mucho y pasala super bien!!!! por ahí vi unas fotos q subieron y se ve buenísimo al chile! bno fea sólo quería saludarte y decirte q me hacés falta!!! :oP espero que te llegue este mensaje, y si no te llega me avisas para enviartelo otra vez... (jajajaja varas...) love u!!! chaop!! Tuk
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david11 February 2010 at 17:28
betty sheep alpha 1

mann, this is just the hardest site to follow, but we is trying baby, we is trying, hope the pork and beans meet your exacting standards for food stuffs, we are soo proud of you, everybody who is anybody is asking how youu are bearing up, please let us know when youu get the opportunity, also, please avoid crocodiles, we don't do corcodiles. no, we don't, take care, betty
earnshaw
x
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Henry Ash20 February 2010 at 12:50
James Ash Alpha 6-Hen here, just to send you a quick contacting message as we cant get on this website at school as it is blocked so i can only contact you at home or via the email which you only get after you come back from your travels. As the others have already said, hope you are having a nice time-iv had a good half term and although i havent done anything it has flown by and now am running out of time to do anything else before i go back tomorrow. Not sure how many words I'm allowed so i will email you with the rest of the news, see ya Henxxx
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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?”