Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua: Once upon a time in Costa Rica...

Saturday, 10 July 2010

Once upon a time in Costa Rica...

23 comments:

Anonymous10 July 2010 at 12:16
Para Marianella Orozco.
Hola, Nelita, difuta mucho de esta aventura, vive experiencias nuevas y maravillosas, te ves linda en las fotos,te amamos. Mami, papi, Mau, Tifanny, Keisy y Priscilla.
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alexucr10 July 2010 at 13:23
Hi!!!
I hope you to enjoy your adventure...

Please, tell Randall everything is going ok with his college tuition: I'll have to finish it on Monday.

Regards,

Álex
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Anonymous10 July 2010 at 14:35
Good Photo James!!!!
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Daniel Solis Vuurmans10 July 2010 at 20:57
Para Ariana Salas
Ari jeje no se si estoy enviando los mensajes bien pues... contarte que voy para ampli de taller :( ... y deseandote las mejores vibras para tu viaje!!

Un abrazo,
Dani!
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Renie10 July 2010 at 21:04
KIMBERLEY JACKSON!

Hi darling!

I hope things are going really well - I can see you in the big photo thing and you look fab, even though you look like a small yellow/pink dot in amongst all the other dots!!

The Margaret Howell sale started today and I felt sad because it made me think of you (not because you look like her, but because it's fun when we go shopping together) - however, I'm sure this will be an enriching experience and Painton would def approve :P

I hope the food and sanitation is all fine - if anything goes wrong just wave your shampoo bar around and the jasmine magic will make it disappear :D

Have a great time and stay safe, LOVE YOU LOTS!!! Will post you when I hit the motherland :D

Hugs and Kisses!

xoxoxoxoxoxox

p.s. We are SO doing lunch when you get back. One of the great perks of being editor means people will give me food for free. Even schnitzel and cider flavoured hot chocolate...yum yum! :s Also there is a guy who is writing for me next year and he is such a sweetheart!! Aw!!!
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Unknown10 July 2010 at 21:04
Cherry, Wing, Edith, Sarah & Don,

Nice to see you sound and start your unforgettable Raleigh life in Costa Rica! Have fun, explore and experience :) Waiting for your stories!

Take care, Lydia
Raleigh HK
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艾斯登10 July 2010 at 21:06
To my dearest Edith and Wing Wing,

I am Daddy Ice from Hong Kong. Glad to see you have a good progress in the expedition. Keep it up and don't get home sick for sure you 2 will not.
Enjoy the life in Costa Rica and explore your potential and taste the Raleigh spirit with other youngsters from all over the world.

Cheers,
Ice @ Hong Kong
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Kar Lye10 July 2010 at 21:19
Looking good, clean, and healthy there, Raleigh HK venturers!

享受你的EXPED!! 衝破自己, 挑戰極限! (enjoy your exped, get through yourself, challenge the limit)

it will be a once in a lifetime experience, so ya, be all that you can be.

why not? while you can.

karlye
kuala lumpur, malaysia
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Anonymous10 July 2010 at 22:46
para daniel alpizar perez ,,, te extrañamos mucho ,, te ves muy padre en la foto y esperamos que disfrutes y te diviertas mucho en esta aventura ... te amamos mucho ,,besos y abrazos de toda tu familia Dios te bendiga
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mary ceesay11 July 2010 at 03:47
hi son , so proud of you and your group and very very happy you all arrived safely in your lovely camp. miss u alot.lovely group photos. Thank you all for your Raleigh support and well done boys and girls, miss you son alot , your little brother want to come and join you there soon scott. cryin and sreaming calling tony round the room every time he want to share his ice-cream with you haaa.he miss you alot, so have a lovely time with your lovely group ok .God Bless. MuM. To- Tony Tawakali ALPHA 5 GROUP COSTA RICA.
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Anonymous11 July 2010 at 09:33
Haay lieve martine, dit is het derde berichtje dat ik hier achterlaat. weet niet of je de andere hebt gekregen, maar ik zag mijn berichten niet terug bij de comments. vrees dus dat ik iets niet goed heb gedaan. zag je al op de foto. wat een grote groep. zijn er veel die net als jij 5 weken blijven? Hoop dat je veel ervaringen opdoet waar je van zult genieten. gisteren zijn we gaan varen, 30 graden!. 's avonds hadden we hier noodweer zodat het zelfs in de kamer lekte, kun je nagaan!! annalie fietste net weg met de tandem naar leiden (eerst trein, hoor) en morgen gaat ze met vriendinnetje met de trein en de tandem naar de portland. ik denk erg aan je en houd deze site erg in de gaten. heb het goed, amuseer je vooral. dag lieve meisje, hele dikke kus, mamma (ook van pappa, annalie, guus-willem en elsemieke xxxxxxxx
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Anonymous11 July 2010 at 11:09
This is an amazing blog, well done to the very talented writer!
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Anonymous13 July 2010 at 00:48
Luke, Enjoy your expedition - have fun!!
love M X
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Eileen, Bill, Rose and Chip Murphy13 July 2010 at 04:55
Hi to Sue-Lyun and all Delta 3 10G Alto Pacuar

Have a great expedition and all the best with the building project.
Keep safe and away from the creepy crawlies.
Love and best wishes
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Frank Cerdas13 July 2010 at 11:09
Para Ariana Salas, del Grupo Alpha 6!
Hola Ari!! Te cuento que todos tus amigos estamos muy bien, esperamos que disfrutes mucho esta aventura y que te diviertas y aprendas bastante!! Desde aqui te enviamos muchas energías positivas y abrazos!

Saludos,
Amigos de la LDE.
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ywc13 July 2010 at 11:14
Dear LING YU KWAI
I SAW U ON THE PIC AR~~~ why are you so "high" ar?

CHUN
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Anonymous13 July 2010 at 13:03
STEFFIIIIII!
I hope that you are having an amazing first week in Costa Rica! and that your bag is not to heavy and that the food is ok :).There is going to be a wee trip to see Eclipse tomorow but lots of people are not going so you will still be able to see it with people when you get back :D (random but i thought i would fill you in on home events :) )dw i will fill you in on the hotness lol I was so excited looking at your pics and will keep and eye out for more of you! What is the weather like? I hope the group is having fun!!!

GO GO DELTA 3 :D
miss you lots, muchos love as always
Love Nadine
xxx
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Debbie Davison13 July 2010 at 13:53
Bethany Davison 10F (Alpha 2)Hi Beth - not sure if you are receiving these messages but thought I would say its lovely to see your photo on these pages looking so happy. The last one showed you filling plastic bags of what I think is rice! Enjoy your adventure on the coast to Coast Trek. Love mum x
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Unknown13 July 2010 at 16:34
Alpha 6 - Ariana Salas Castillo

Hola Ari! hoy la vamos a extrañar en nuestra carne asada! Finalmente vamos a usar las cosas! jaja Qué la pase super bien en sus aventuras! Cuidese!
Ana
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raffaela18 July 2010 at 10:27
Steph Delta 3

Hi Steph, can't believe it is already over a week! Sunday today. How is it going? Hope you are getting my messages. Saw Nadine's on the blog and hope that your other friends are getting messages through. Hope you have made lots of new friends. Hammocks look great. I would like to sleep in one of those. I have applied for a job at Regina Coeli!!!Send an e.mail when you get a chance. Lots of hugs from all of us and a kiss from James, mum xxxxx
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Rachael18 July 2010 at 10:34
STEPHHH DAVIS! I feel like the first comment i leave you has to be a nice one, not an abusive one so hope you're doing okay, the weather's nice and you;re having fun!! Missing you already (only a little bit though) Take care and can't wait to see pictures...my next comment won't be anyway near as nice!1
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Natalie22 July 2010 at 08:01
HELLOOO Steph!
You better be styling out the enormous bag and sexy walking shoes well! Me and the girls are missing your sarcasm and I definitely want your hilarious comments back! (Yes, when you're asleep I... ahem!)
Hope you're having an awesome time, I'm excited for when you get back and we can hit the Briz in autumn! Hopefully by then you will have properly washed and won't smell like a back of old ferrets as I'm sure you do :D haha!
Miss you, love you, from Nat xxx M
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Rachael Fernandes23 July 2010 at 14:36
Hurry home steph!! Hope you got my other message and hope you're having an amazing time!! XXX
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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?”