Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua: Alpha 6 (Miraflor) Blog by Lisa Risenbrij, Flor Mendieta & Molly Sandquest

Saturday, 22 October 2011

Alpha 6 (Miraflor) Blog by Lisa Risenbrij, Flor Mendieta & Molly Sandquest

After a day long delay due to heavy rainfall, Alpha 6 arrived safely in Miraflor. Originally we were slightly apprehensive about meeting our new families, but they have been incredibly welcoming and hospitable. A bright 6am start came with the help of a large array of farmyard animals - our alarm clock for the next two weeks! Rice and beans treated us for breakfast and filled our stomachs for the day ahead. Everybody was keen to begin the project but first the community needed us to help build filters to help drain the excess water that had built up during the storms. Armed with mattocks and trench shovels, we got to work heaving heavy rocks and digging ditches. Spirits remained high in the rainfall with renditions of 'Singin in the Rain' and multiple games of ninja, cups, mafia and ron mata ron. Since the second day of the project we have been transporting wood to the worksite from the surrounding area, which will be used for the frames of our building. The group coordinate effectively in order to distribute the work load. While feeling proud of our achievements, we are blown away by the ability of the locals to carry double our load and wonder why we struggle so much! The majority of our communications with the community have taken place at the pulperia (local shop) where we get our daily sugar fix. Watch this space for our increasing integration with the locals...

I know, I know, we said we would have photos and a blog from Alpha 2 yesterday... however, our vehicle got a little delayed due to the state of the post-rain roads. If all goes to plan we should have that elusive A2 blog along with some photos from Alpha 6 tomorrow – Raleigh Blogger

14 comments:

Anonymous23 October 2011 at 02:11
Alpha 5, Friso. What a tremendous experience, you will never forget this, I believe. Oma Tigchelaar is just back home from hospital and is waiting to die. She can hardly breath. Hopefully she will go soon. Just think about her for a moment. Hope you and the team are doing okay.
With love from Russia's West Siberia, your dad.
Watze Tigchelaar
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Janet Walker23 October 2011 at 02:57
Hi Nichola (Alpha 6)! It's Sunday morning here and we've just enjoyed reading the blog! Sounds like you are working very hard! We are hoping that the weather has improved for you! It's very autumnal here now and our clocks go back next weekend so not sure how that will affect the time difference! Dad is off to Holland for bits of the next 2 weeks instead of SFO! And next weekend we are both off separately (on Sat) to see the parents who are all OK,although Gran is worrying about whether you are getting enough to eat! Nothing to be dealt with on your email - STA have sent some stuff but the voucher is the same as the one you have already printed! That's all for now. Looking forward to seeing some photos! Love Mum and Dad xxx
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Sian23 October 2011 at 04:28
For delun jones alpha4
Hi delun, we just had breakfest in the harbourmaster and watched the world cup final-new zealand beat france 8-7 wales should have been there! Hope everything going well for alpha 4 and the turtles are hatching and swimming safely into the pacific. Hope you are all working hard and eating plenty of rice and beans! Miss u and love u to bits, mam and stu. Ps judy and gang and pearl say "hello" and of course nanna gaga and the davies's. And rocky is missing u-there's no one for him to run after round the house. Love u x x x pura vida!
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Mum23 October 2011 at 09:38
Hello Moll. Lovely to read the newsy blog from you, Lisa & Flor. Hope you've settled in well with your family, I'm sure they are loving that smile of yours. It's all very quiet here, nothing much going on ... and hardly any washing to do! Sounds like you may be getting washed while you work! Shame about the rain but keep up the good work and keep singing! Look forward to the next up-date. Lots of love X X
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Isabel23 October 2011 at 11:33
Daisy Knox Murphy (Alpha 2)
Bueno señorita,tras sufridos intentos y sin saber como funciona esto James, por imposible que parezca, me ha solucionado la vida para que por fin pueda escribirte, cosa poco fiable y que reduce las posibilidades de que esto te llegue en un 90% aunque tengo confianza jajaja No se si podrás contestar a esto pero necesito una direccion a la que mandarte cartas o algo que solo puedas leer tu porque la historia ha llegado a demasiados detalles, por encima un poco te cuento que con Lucio fue increible y con Victor quiero dejarlo y tengo una rayada en lo alto increible pero no worries jajaja y la uni la verdad que bastante bien aunque esta llena de gente con rastas y piercings antifascistas pero creo que sobrevivire :) espero que por alli te vaya todo muy bien y que no te me hayas puesto malita ni nada de eso, ya me contaras cuando te den el premio de mejor cavadora de zanjas y te den una estrella de well done jajaja te echo mucho de menos y ojala tuvieses un maldito telefono para poderte contar mi desastrosa vida. Espero que dentro de poco tengas contacto con la civilizacion para poderte contar detalles te quiero mucho sister!
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Anonymous23 October 2011 at 12:47
Alpha 3, Reinier van Doorn

23/10/11 drakie ik kom net terug uit barcelona, nu terug in london!!! was superleuk en papa en tito zijn naar barcelona-sevilla geweest gister hihi! hoop dat je t nog steeds onwijs naar je zin hebt en elke dag geniet van deze zaaaalige paar maanden!!!! heel veel zoenen en kan niet wachten totdat ik weer met je kan kletsen ipv deze monoloog! haha hoop dat je ze leest dit is mn derde!! xxxxh
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Jg23 October 2011 at 13:22
James Gilchrist Alpha 6
Hi Dim, sorry to break the news but Man U lost to Man C 6-1! I have no idea what went wrong but 3 goals were scored in injury time! Hope you are working hard, it seems that you are in the right place at the right time to help out after all that rain. Keep taking that tablets and we will see you soon, love mum
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Kris Steinbeck23 October 2011 at 14:33
To Moritz Steinbeck, CR&N11, Alpha 6 (Miraflor)

Hallo Moritz -
wir hoffen sehr, dass es Dir trotz des Regens gut geht.
Wir verfolgen die Blogs von Raleigh und haben den Eindruck, dass ihr da wirklich sinnvolle Hilfe leisten könnt.
Hier ist alles gut: bin nach 2 Wochen aus GAP zurück, es war sehr schön- goldener Oktober.
Wir denken an Dich - hdl K&P
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Georgina Corrales23 October 2011 at 16:53
UN SALUDO PARA ANA GABRIELA HERRERA CORRALES ALPHA 5
HOLA ANITA TE QUEREMOS MUCHO. LA FAMILIA ESTA BIEN, NOS HEMOS REUNIDO TODOS LOS DIAS EN MISA DE 6. ESPERAMOS SABER DE TI POR ESTE MEDIO. AQUI SIGUE LLOVIENDO MUCHO, OJALA QUE ALLA EL CLIMA HAYA MEJORADO PARA QUE PUEDAN CONTINUAR CON EL PROYECTO. TE AMAMOS MUCHO!!!BESOS. MAMI
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Anonymous25 October 2011 at 14:42
A: Bruce Muñoz (ALPHA 6, MIRAFLOR)
De: Vanessa Alonso!
Hola Bruce, Espero que te este llendo SALVAJE en Miraflor! con el grupo, con la comunidad y con todos! jejeje al final no pude verte en Esteli cuando llegaron, fui el dia k vinieron con todo el grupo al foro pero ya se habian ido, talvez antes k te vayas nos mandes un mensajito o algo para irlos a ver aunk sea a saludar!! jejeje
Por Cualquier cosa, si no logramos vernos ps te estoy escribiendo...
^_^ bueno, espero la pases genial y des al maximo tus habilidades como pm!! Pura vida en Nicaragua XD
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Anonymous26 October 2011 at 14:14
Para Bruce Solano Alpha 6
Hola titi espero que estes bien que Dios te bendiga por querer ayudar a los que necesitan . Aqui te extrañamos mucho . Te mandan saludos .Boo , Mami Mira y Yanci..

Siga disfrutando a lo bonito papillo :D

T.Q.M Mami 10/26/2011
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Anonymous26 October 2011 at 22:32
Para Ani ii alpha 6 (ana gabriela herrera)
espero que estés super bien y la estés pasando excelente, haces mucha falta. cuidate mucho y espero que estés hablando mucho ingles británico ;) jaja
te quiere CARO =)
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Anonymous30 October 2011 at 11:00
chelsie alpha 4.
chel hope your ok..your doin so well bin lookin at pictures of you an showin f! hes missin you,we all are! you still look good anyway even in wilderness :)
faines walkin nah hes all over show an othr than that not much is happenin at home...exept we dressed him up as a bat for halloween an he looked funny! sorry i ant rit sooner but iv bin tryna work out how to do it for bowt a week..o well last i no how to do it na ..anyway write back if you can an let us no how your gettin on ..miss you love you ryan, ellis an faine xxxxxx
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Anonymous1 November 2011 at 07:35
Chelsie Eccles 11l Alpha 4,
Just seen the photo's on the last blog update, it looks absolutly fantastic out there. 40 degrees in the sun, keep that tan topped up. Dad is so proud of you so keep up the good work. Love always xxx Dad + BobbyBoy 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?”