Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua: Charlie 1 arrive at Fieldbase

Sunday, 17 July 2011

Charlie 1 arrive at Fieldbase

Gordanos School Bespoke 14 venturers and 2 staff arrived at Fieldbase early Saturday morning following a relatively uneventful flight, apart from a slightly frentic run through Newark airport and some impressive queue barging to make the connecting flight!

Having experienced our last proper bed for some 3 weeks in the relative luxury of a San Jose guesthouse we arrived at Fieldbase yesterday morning to the delicious smell of a traditional Costa Rican “gallo pinto”. We then launched into a really full first day of training (including a good induction to the Costa Rican rainy season!) before another early wake up today to head to our project in the village of Cuche in a tiny indigenous reserve. We cannot wait to get going and hope to update the blog before too long with our progress...

Pura Vida!

*Blog and photo's by Waheeda Athaulla

24 comments:

Anonymous17 July 2011 at 23:01
Jordan Carter11G/H - Alpha 3 - How's it going? I miss you & love you & really hope you are tryng you best to enjoy this@@@ Love you muches - Diane
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The Owen Family18 July 2011 at 05:57
Chris Owen, Gordano School, Charlie 1.
Great to hear you arrived safely - we are looking forward to hearing more about the Newark Airport experience! I'm sure you are settling in to Raleigh life by now. I hope it's great fun and not too muddy! Thinking about you all, love from Mum, Dad and Stephen
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Anonymous18 July 2011 at 12:02
Where oh where is Alpha 6 hiding!!!!
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The Kimberley family18 July 2011 at 12:21
Dan Kimberley, Gordano School, Charlie 1.
Hi Dan, it's great to hear you have arrived safely. It seems crazy that we are here and you are in COSTA RICA........... we are soooooooo jealous. Have a fab time and enjoy every minute. Lots of love Mum, Dad & Tom xx
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Anonymous18 July 2011 at 12:49
To Ryan Austin ALPHA 3
Your Mom is passing this on to you as I have been having trouble getting a greeting to you. I can't believe how far away you are. I remember thinking Vancouver was as far as the moon. It is going to be an experience you will remember all your life. Hope you are taking lots of pictures so you can share them with us. Take care of yourself and enjoy! Love, Lorne and Alice
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Joel Kate & Rich!18 July 2011 at 15:19
(To Samantha Spencer)

Hey Sam!

Mum misses you, she has had too put all the washing up.
Hope you are having a great time!

Your Brother!
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Anonymous18 July 2011 at 23:30
To Claire Davis
From: Diana

Wow! Great Job Claire!! send my congrats to all the alpha 6 team, please! xD
Don´t work that hard,try to rest too, ok? Or how are you going to arrive to Mexico? tired?
Rest and have fun too! xD
I tell you that I´ve got news! I´m getting in a new project in which I´m not going to talk about it for now. About the other project (you know which one)I´m rushing to finish it on time. I have a lot of things to tell you and it´s difficult to mention all of them on this blog, so I´ll wait until you come here to give you the news. Ok. Gotta go. Have a good week! see ya! x x
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del olmo family19 July 2011 at 07:20
Sofia del Olmo (Charlie 1)
Hola Chubby!
Glad to hear you've arrived safe and sound and will soon be getting stuck in to the jungle life and classroom building... its very quiet without you! Hope you are in fine fettle - keep taking the vitamins! Edwin already has his camera and is very happy. Have a great time!! XXX Love from us all.
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Lizzie Ashley19 July 2011 at 08:32
Adam Grey (Charlie 1) Gordano school
Glad you all arrived safely and look as if you're all well from the photo. Glad you managed to make your connecting flight! Hope you're having an amazing time! Thinking of you and missing you.
Lizzie xxx
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Anonymous19 July 2011 at 14:31
Ryan Austin Alpha 7

Try to remember to buy some extra Raleigh shirts for yourself before you come home. It looks too hot to be wearing long sleeves there.

Brian
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The Mansfield family.19 July 2011 at 16:02
Harry Mansfield,Gordano school,Charlie 1
Great to hear all is well,have a fantastic time,missing you already (very quiet.)
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Susan and Iain Black21 July 2011 at 02:40
for Emma Black Alpha 3

The latest photos look good. Glad its going so well.Still no job for Michael but he has had some interviews so we are keeping our fingers crossed. We are off to Fort William on Saturday so we will send you some postcards.
Take care keep well and have fun.
Lots of love Mum and DaD
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Anonymous21 July 2011 at 09:08
To: Isobel Marshall, Gordano School, Charlie 1, Costa Rica

Hi Biz
Glad you arrived safely and hope your waterproof is working! has poured with rain since you left so you are not missing any sunshine here. Take lots of pictures and we look forward to hearing all about it soon love Mum,Dad and Erica xx
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The Akerman Family21 July 2011 at 11:08
Elise Akerman, Gordano School, Charlie 1
Glad you've arrived ok, hope its not too muddy! Can't wait to hear news from your jungle hide-out. Missing you loads (that's a shocker!)Love you
Mum, Dad and Georgia. x
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The Southey Family21 July 2011 at 12:03
Tom Southey, Gordano School - Charlie 1.
Great to read Gordano's message and see a photo of you all! Glad your journey was OK and you all arrived safely. Have a brilliant time. Look forward to seeing more pictures! We are all thinking of you Tom (well, apart from Hannah!)
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Anonymous21 July 2011 at 12:22
ELLIE THORNHILL! From the Farnall fam but I'm sure from everyone at Ivy too, we LOVE you and hope you're feeling fresh after the Marbella treatment you're getting there. I expect to see you mega buff when you get back from the crazy work you have been doing! Keep it up, see you in two weeks! [written by b***s, although the full name might be a bit inappropriate ;)] xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Neil and Lesley21 July 2011 at 13:45
Ellie Thornhill. Charlie 1
Hi Ellie, glad to see you got there okay. You all look happy in the picture. Hope your working hard, miss you lots and love you long time.
Love Mum, Dad, Willy and Do xx
Ps hows the hat??
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Alex Rigby21 July 2011 at 15:19
Hey Ellie (Charlie 1),

Glad to see you arrived ok and didn't get hassled too much by the US customs. I posted a link to this on Emily's Facebook and Louise described you in the photo as "Fresh and wide awake" And "you've clearly made an effort with your hair and make up". Then Emily said "She's a performing arts gyalyy she always makes an effort". Missing you loads, have a really good time.

Love from,

Alex :) xxx
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the sarkars23 July 2011 at 01:51
Aadam Charlie 1
Hey Aads missing you loads. Being a needy Mum I'm limiting myself to only checking the blog spot 10 times a day! Hope you're having a fantastic time and coping ok with all the early mornings. Lots of Love Mum, Dad, Haaris, Malik & Alfie. xxx
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Anonymous23 July 2011 at 12:59
maricruz Esquivel Lopez, Alpha 6
hola hermanitaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! Estoy en la casa de tia ana con David aqui a la par mia! queriamos saludarte, le estaba enseniando sus fotos y la vara! Cruz me haces falta!!!! tengo muchass cosas que contarle!!! Espero que todo este muy muy bien hermanita!!! Te quiero!!! Dice Daid que preshente a la chamaca que sale de trenzas en la foto!! q tiene buenas piernas!! jajajajajajaja! la machilla!!! jajajajajajaj
Lau y Daid!!! jajaja
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jay25 July 2011 at 14:09
To Kelly Robinson alpha 6
Hi Kelly its jay hope your having a good time me and reno went camping in north Wales with peter and Jake and are mike and James and me and reno went fishing with peter and Jake and we didnt catch anything. I seen a couple of your photos and sent them to darren he was made up keep up the hard work. All missing you love jay mum Ryan chloe charley reno excess
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jay25 July 2011 at 14:28
To Kelly Robinson alpha 6
Hi Kelly its jay hope your having a good time me and reno went camping in north Wales with peter and Jake and are mike and James me and reno went fishing with peter and Jake and we didnt catch anything I seen a couple of your photos and sent them to darren he was made up keep up the hard work all missing you love jay mum Ryan chloe charley reno xxxxxx
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jay25 July 2011 at 14:29
To Kelly Robinson alpha 6
Hi Kelly its jay hope your having a good time me and reno went camping in north Wales with peter and Jake and are mike and James me and reno went fishing with peter and Jake and we didnt catch anything I seen a couple of your photos and sent them to darren he was made up keep up the hard work all missing you love jay mum Ryan chloe charley reno xxxxxx
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The Kimberley family1 August 2011 at 01:54
Dan Kimberley, Gordano School, CHARLIE 1
Hi Dan,
How are you doing? Hope you're having a fab time. We haven't heard or seen any pictures about how Charlie 1 have been getting on for a few days but guess you are now on or about to start your trek. Tom has been in Sweden for a week now and is having a great time (he has a bag from Hong Kong and a shirt from America already!). We are at Uncle Robs, Ellie, Ben and Pip say Hi Dan x . Missing you lots now, can't wait to hear all about it and see some pics. Lots of love Mum & Dad xx
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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?”