Phase 3: the Zulus

The third and final phase is upon us and everyone has now been deployed to their respective projects. As we waved goodbye to one another, everyone bemused at how quickly the time had flown by, the excitement for the forthcoming few weeks was palpable. Our seven-weekers also set off early yesterday morning. There were tears but many happy memories and lifetime friends made along the way. We hope everyone is having an awesome time!

ZULU 1 - Coast to Coast trek

Vic Moorhouse, Paul Davis & Gabby Brunton

Adriana Arce

Amelia Heimler

Iona Clark

Merle Boontje

Anna Bakker

Lilly Murmann

Henry Vasquez

Kieran Simpson

Tung Wing Chow

Tom Merrill

Olly Walrond

Matt Heathcote

Cas McCormick

Greg Obi

ZULU 2 - Corcovado trek

Sacha Lapins, Colin Houston & Marisa Dunn

Jeannina Barrientos

Katinka Halvorsen

Ella Howman

Ella-Kate Nye

Michelle Melchoir

Emilie Wesseling

Berny Garro

Tom Warren

John Warner

Dominic Orchard

George Clifton

Mark Saville

ZULU 3 - Turrisantos trek

Marie Duguid, Angie Turnball & Clive Arkell

Akalia Ouellet

Jess Nineham

Amy Davies

Florentine Claus

Céline Nobels

Lucinda Hamilton

Roger Zuñiga

Rakeem Shan

Thomas Bots

Josh Arbon

James Anthoney

Drew MacPherson

ZULU 4 - Miratombo trek

Gemma Hickey, Sarah McMurtrie & Sally Bell

Amy Finch

Kate Eskins

Brooke Jones

Flo Bottema

Alexandra Braun

Harini Dewage

Ignacio Vargas

Olly Diponio

Don Hill

Ben Robinson

Alex Bailey-Smith

Anthony Pollen

ZULU 5 - Carara NP

Kate Feeney & Pauline Clarke

Emily Carter

Robin van Gelderen

Laetitia Boels

Anouk Nolte

Jess Adsett

Issie Rughani

Nelson Rostrán

Victor Rojas

Alex Buehrich

Jaap Velenturf

Rob Angus

Frederick Brock

Anthony Thompson

ZULU 6 - San Lucas Island

Denise Hurden, Jess Black & Kat McClenaghan

Nathalia Tchaikovsky

Denise Quint

Charlie Dumoulin

Stella Aichholzer

Wisha Walker
Rachel Holey

Esteban Majano

Lewis Battes

Henry Ash

Glyn Wright

Conrad Hagger

Dougie Critchley

Anders Jacobsen

ZULU 7 - Cabo Blanco

Emma Nightingale & Helena Williams

Alejandra Ruiz

Fay Koster

Willie Aukema

Katy Johnson

Sarah Tilley

Elpha Perkins

Nina Lodeizen

Maykel Martinez

Matthew Hicks

Sébastien Henrist

Philip Kolff

Angus Richardson

Dom Lowe

Ben Jacobs

ZULU 8 - Siares, San Ramon

Sarah Legrand, Chris Powell & Lou Robinson

Adelina Vásquez

Emily Elliott

Emma Holder

Frances Savage

Cecilia Ricks

Luis Velasquez

Freddie Baggerman

Charlie Cunningham

Jelmer van der Ploeg

ZULU 9 - La Corona, Conte Burika

Shane Deverell, Dav Amin, Liz Boyd & Holly Howarth

Daniela Zamora

Abi Hayward

Eleanor Shilton

Ottalie Westerink

Izzy Letty

Jeff Young

Jos Swanwick

Charlie Lacey

Job Brenes

ZULU 10 - Arenilla, Miraflor

Antonio Moreno & Zoe Hudson

Adriana Cruz

Jade Sylvestre-Carberry

Eva McAdam

Jac Potts

Catherine Davies

Rosina Findlay

Kieran Bowen

Nick Verney

James Taylor

Philipp Noodt

You might have noticed the painted faces of our groups this time round? Everyone found out their final allocation by being smeared with a little bit of their team colours by their new PMs. Good luck to all our teams on phase three!!

Changeover Skit Night

It was that time again on Friday night- skit night, where any self-dignity that remains from phase, vanishes in off-key acapellas and dodgy acting. Presented to the entire 13A crew and in front of a panel of three judges, the ‘Nica Chicas’: Jess, Alice and Holly, the skits were marked on humour, language, inclusivity and creativity. As with the first skit night, the second had hilarious moments and every group put in a huge amount of effort. Most incorporated a medley of songs within their skit- ‘It’s Raining Men’ appeared not once, but twice and the venturers’ experiences of D&V and other general ailments were harmonised in some very witty melodies.  The dominant theme was water, and anyone lucky enough to not get drenched whilst trekking in Phase 2 had their alms paid that night thanks to the enthusiastic use of water guns.

The winners of the evening, however, were X-Ray 9, who did a fantastic theatrical sketch of their time in Conte Burica and below is their transcript from the night.

            We present to you a skit of subjective interpretation. For your pleasure, for your knowledge, we created theatre. Our walk we depict, the events in order, from the onwards, to shortly thereafter. Our scenes we shape, our actions we ape, for a short time, we will stretch out this rhyme. Tonight, we give you our journey and our trek to Conte Burica, the walk.

            With night cloaking X-Ray 9, our journey began. The air thick with emotions aflutter, we began our time, with anticipation, nerves, excitement, with boots on we were gone.

            Beginning a walk rumoured tough, fearing worst, hoping wrong. Yet soon we were swamped by tide and ocean. We emerged from the waves, weighed down by the sun, returning to land. It stretched to the horizon. We reached the mountain, our hearts quickened, our throats heightened, the behemoth before us resolute in statue and nature. Yet Katy forced it down, she took it in her palm, without qualm. It fell away before her steps like Goliath before David. We come upon Eden, La Corona. Welcome awaited. Spoken in Guaymí, the language of Ngäbe hosts, we perplexed and tired, their harmonic voices lulled us to sleep.                      
              First light, work, carrying, sawing, trekking, hammering and most of all, tiring; our goal so far, yet four hundred locals depend upon us. The health centre was our all, medical our being. Despite some of our things fleeing, Sebastien, Patricio, Ronaldo, but potent and flaming, surrounded by ‘estrellas fuegas’, our purpose kindled. Older than the mountain, heavier than the waves: we are X-Ray 9.     

Artist's Blog: Changeover 2

We've had some fantastic work produced in Phase 2 by the X-Ray groups and much of it went beyond the art kits and sketchbooks, supplied to them on every phase. There were some really dynamic pieces involving not only the venturers but the local partners as well. After the Nicaraguan road trip which myself, Alice, Jess and Vanessa undertook, X-Ray 8 in San Ramon took to the task of continuing with the mural on the pre-school, which was started when we visited them a couple of weeks earlier. With the school children, the group created a beautiful mural consisting of a large butterfly with all of their handprints in and around the painting.

X-Ray 10 made a beautiful social map of the community, detailing their lives during their time at Miraflor. It included some fantastically detailed pictures of their respective houses and the characters that live in them. In Cabo Blanco, X-Ray 6 finished their path with wonderfully decorated rocks, lining the new Alberth Ingalls trail. The 600 meter path will be the prettiest in Costa Rica, for sure! 

Continuing on the theme of International Women's Day, X-Ray 7 worked with one of the homestay Mums, Sylvia, on some wonderful drawings depicting life in Achuapa. The group also used art as a means of learning Spanish and teaching English to the children in the community. PM Emma drew some beautiful images. 

Below is a roundup of theirs and others achievements over 19 days of second phase- good job guys!

X-Ray 8's Conrad and Billy get stuck in in San Ramon

Alpha 10's fantastic social map

Charlie: proud as punch

Merle and her beautiful design

Katrinka got stuck in and created several

Anna drew a picture of her homestay

Sylvia's lovely drawings