Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua: Alpha 1 in pictures

Saturday, 16 July 2011

Alpha 1 in pictures

Kat our expedition phototgrapher went out on a visit to Alpha 1 and this is what she found...

Vejuna hangs out with the local kids

Welly unloads the food drop!

Sorting out the rations

Porridge, the ultimate trek food

Some light relief with a game of Deal

Katie calls in the Sitrep

The PM's study the map

Time to get going again

Halfway there and these trekkers are doing well, but this is no simple feat.

As Joyce from Alpha 1 says "Trekking is not just a challenge of physical ability, but also of mind and soul. We can do it!

Alpha 1, always remember our slogan, “Pura Vida!!! De a Cachimba!!! 加油(Ga Yau)!!! “

*Blog by Waheeda Athaullah

14 comments:

Roy White17 July 2011 at 05:19
Jonathan White 11GH Alpha 1.
Hi Jon, Following your exploits on a daily basis and good to see your smiley face. Everyone seems to be having a great time. Hope you are taking plenty of pictures and the cameras do not have wet rot. We are all fine here. Enjoy it all. Love Mum, Dad and Jo.
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Anonymous17 July 2011 at 09:30
To Catherine White Alpha 1
Hi how are you doing? Looking good on the photos, hope you can see without your specs on! I guess your Spanish is improving. Grandpa loved your picture with James and had a good birthday meal out with us, Judith and Richard. Does your T shirt smell yet? Bedroom painting starts tomorrow.
Love you lots. Mum xxx
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Liz Tulloch17 July 2011 at 12:59
Mitchell Tulloch Alpha1
Hi Mitch I am still following you all with great interest. I have seen lots of pics of you and Alpha1, you all look great. I hope the weather has improved and you are all a bit drier. Take care of yourselves. lots of love mum&dad.
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Anonymous18 July 2011 at 16:51
francis lanuza alpha 1
linda en todas las fotos ya falta poco la quiero disfrute
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Holly Neal19 July 2011 at 06:08
KATIE NEAL ALPHA 1:)
Hi kates! Looking very glamourous in the photos despite the mud ha! Hope you're having fun. Harry Potter was amazing (went to see it at midnight last week!)we'll have to find a cinema where it's still on when you're back. Going to Berlin on Monday to start my travels, staying at the heart of gold so hope it lives up to your reviews! Have you seen any toucans yet?!
Lots of love,
Holly xxx
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Anonymous19 July 2011 at 10:17
Delta 4. Reggie Lang

Hello Reggie
Hope everything is going well and your enjoying the experience. We're checking everyday for updates as to how your team is getting on so hope to hear soon. Hope you're taking loads of photos and growing the beard in an elaborate way - would glitter beard go down well do you think? Had an email from Liam on Saturday. We're missing you and look forward to checking the blog.
love
Mum, Dad and Kathleen
xxxxxxxx
xxxxx
xxx
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Anonymous20 July 2011 at 19:24
Para Fer Zuniga; Delta 3, Grupo 11H:
Hola amor! Por aquí todo bien, pensamos en tí todo el tiempo, el clima esta bastante bonito, mamá con el "quilting", "Chachú" estudiando, Marcos jugando como siempre y yo divirtiendome en el trabajo. Esperamos saber de tí, pronto ojalá podamos ver algunas fotos. Todo marcha perfecto y espero que por allá tambien.
Cuídate mucho!! Te quiere, tu papá.
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Anonymous21 July 2011 at 13:11
Alpha 1 Claire Syme

Hey Clairebear!
Hope you are having an amazing time, it looks like it!! Missing you a LOT here, nights out arent the same without you and your awesome banter!!
I dont know how you do it but you seem to avoid the camera like mad! so you better have LOADS of photos on your camera mrs!!
LOOOOOOVVVEEEE Carrie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Anonymous23 July 2011 at 06:24
luke smalley alpha 1

hi luke , hows it going ? really missing u and thinking of u loads .... how u doing in the beard competion ? bet ur hair getting long 2 , hahaha ,not much exciting going on in my world , if u can send a message at ne time , send it to grays facebook .... i cant get on 2 mine at the min , much love to u , hugs and kisses , mum and tyson xxxxx ps hope ur shoulders are better , bet ur muscles are huge now !!!!!
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Anonymous23 July 2011 at 08:10
Joyce Law, Alpha 1
Are you ok? Fully recovered from the fever yet?? We will keep following to visit this blog. Hope can see more pictures of you. I guess your English and Spanish are improving. Enjoy your trip and take care! We are all ok here. Miss you a lot!
Love from Mum, Dad and Cathy
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Mum25 July 2011 at 13:55
Hi Katie,

Hope your feet are surviving and the gaffa tape hasnt run out.Milly is looking scared as the puppy next door has been barking ferociously having got caught up in an upside down hanging basket which she thought was a giant tortoise! I have started your Uni shopping with a bright orange knobbly bathmat! I couldnt resist!!
Off to Arran for the weekend on Friday with a sea kayak and lots of insect repellent.:Looking forward to seeing you soon. Lots of love Mum xxxx
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Anonymous25 July 2011 at 21:20
Para: mi Bruce :) de Alpha 1

Espero no sea muy tarde, te acabo de encontrar en el blog! sé que la estás pasando regenial, se ve excelente está fase. Cómo va todo? qué tal esas caminadas? estoy segura que disfrutando montones. Acá estoy pensando en el trek y en Raleigh a más no poder.

Ya sabes que te debo un mensaje de alegría! ese me hizo el día, cuando estuve en la base del cerro Dragón! por lo que te perseguiré hasta el cansancio. Se te quiere Bruce!!!!
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Liz Tulloch27 July 2011 at 12:08
Mitch Alpha1 Hi mate glad to hear the Alpha groups have finished phase 1. I hope you enjoyed the celebrations. Good luck for the next phase. Take care love mum&dad. Pura Vida
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Anonymous5 August 2011 at 07:12
Corrie Moxon, Alpha 1

Miss you soooooo much!!!, I keep on thinking about you and worrying a lot - deary me, that makes me sound really old doesn't it? It looks like your having a great time and the guys in your group look very nice indeed :) Can't wait to see you again and hear all about your venture, it looks sooo amazing, PS I went to a fete the other day and brought Count Down the game for £1 - cannot wait to challenge you when you get back - it looks really good

Take care, lots of love xxxxxxxxxx Laura W 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?”