Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua: It's all work, work, work

Tuesday, 8 February 2011

It's all work, work, work

So, while us 38 volunteer managers may have endured two weeks of intense training on minimum sleep with morning elbow battles over two showers, we're still making sure we have fun to avoid going bonkers. Just like we'll make sure you'll have the time of your life if you're about to board a plane to come out to us. Our project managers are a totally amazing, talented bunch. You're in for a treat when you meet them because they'll make sure you have the most awesome adventure that you'll never forget.

So what kind of 'fun' stuff have we been doing? Well, Jess our team coach celebrated her 30th birthday with a huge impromptu fancy dress party the other night and two 'muy delicioso' (very delicious) cakes baked by our administrator Abi:

We've had a Scottish ceilidh night which involved us dressing up (again!) and being flung around the dance floor (and that was just the boys, some of whom were wearing kilt/dress type outfits - not pretty).

Our spontaneous limbo competition one evening ran the risk of putting a few people's backs out as the pole got ever lower. Here's one of our PMs Adriana demonstrating how it should be done:

And here are two of our PMs Phil and Jonny modelling their matching outfits bought on a shopping trip in nearby town Turrialba. Why buy American Apparel when you can have local brand American Ambassadors? Move over Carrie Bradshaw!

We also had our first day off in what seems like months on Saturday when most of us went white water rafting along the Pacuare river passing by dense jungle, stunning waterfalls, and a Harpy eagle wondering what all the screaming was about.

Sheila, Dr Ben, Sabrina,Wellard and Karla all went for a brief dip but were rescued hasta pronto to resume our four hour rafting bonanza. When we arrived at our destination for lunch one project manager (who shall remain nameless) was overheard asking if we were back where we started, even though we'd paddled 19 miles down river. Anyway...

And here's a video of some of us playing a wicked game called, funnily enough, 'cups' which you'll know very well by the end of expedition:

So, if you're a venturer about to fly out, don't be nervous. Fun times, and a lot of hard work, guaranteed. See you very soon!

5 comments:

Jane Hedges Elizabeth Hedges' Mum10 February 2011 at 16:13
Message for Elizabeth Hedges from her Mum, Jane

Miss your cheery "Hello" as I walk in but not missing all the sewing! Tonight Dad cooked nice pasta bake!

Lots of love Mum xxxx
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Anonymous10 February 2011 at 19:23
To: Nicas.. hola!!!!!!!! diacachimba??!! im so happy to know about the new volunteers. I hope everyone enjoy all Raleigh programs! i wish everyone have fun! un saludo a los Latinos y en especial a los Nicas!! Siempre estaremos pensando en ustedes! siempre para delante!! From:Cecilia Ruiz!
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Anonymous11 February 2011 at 10:22
Hola!!! Le envío un afectuoso saludo a mi sobrino Mauricio Otárola (Costa Rica), quien participa en el Raleigh. Y aunque solo lleven tres días... su familia lo extraña muchísimo. Pero adelante... Mau, estoy con vos!!!! Te amo. Coroco. Pta: Quiero ver fotos!!!!
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Sarah12 February 2011 at 10:45
Hey Mel, CUPS!!! what’s that all about? I noticed you were safely inside the boat and not bobbing around in the water. I'm still yet to see any evidence of you working!!! I'm afraid to say my detox has failed however I’ve so far managed to stay out of trouble. It looks like you have a wicked venture group, can't wait to hear all about it.

Lots of love x x x
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Anonymous19 February 2011 at 11:25
To Jessy Boon Cowler- delta 2.
Wow the trek sounds exciting, hope not too exhausting. we're all thinking of you back here in rainy Blighty.
All love from Kirsty, Dad and boys xxxx
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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?”