Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua

Tuesday, 31 March 2009

Anna Banana & The Return to Oz

It is with much sadness that we had our farewell dinner for Anna this evening. Unfortunately she has had to return back to sunny Brisbane earlier than planned. To mark the occassion we had a packed Field Base and enjoyed many laughs around the dinner table.

Anna and I did our first expedition together back on good old '06G' - she was Project Manager / Interpreter and I was Logistics Manager. Thankfully she returned last year and begun her first of three expeditions as Deputy Expedition Leader. During this time she been an inspiration to everyone she has worked with. A lot of you have already sent mesages to her and I'd like to join you in thanking her for her incredible hard work, professionalism and fun over the last year. I still haven't quite worked out what we'll do without without her! Anyway, here is a selection of Anna's finest Raleigh moments...

This is Alpha 5, Tres Colinas in 2006 - I took this one!

Digging a long drop with 06G Alpha 8 in La Perla, Miraflor.

The second day of Coast to Coast Trek on O8D&E - she loves this one.

Banana in her beloved Bravo 3 during 08J... on her way to the gym no doubt.

Coast to Coast Trek 09A - the last lucky Raleigh group to be led by Anna.

Julian, Anna, Ross. Presenting Anna with 'This is your Raleigh Life'.

Thanks again for everything Anna - you're a true Raleigh legend. Safe travels
Ross

Pictures of Alpha Five in Santa Rosa

Hi again everyone

It feels like both ages and only yesterday that I deployed with Alpha five at the start of phase three! In fact it feels like that for the whole expedition - only ten days to go now until everyone starts returning home, and what an amazing journey it has been.

I had an absolutely amazing 12 days in Santa Rosa - it is an incredible place and the group is amazing - I was very, very sad to have to leave yesterday to head back to Fieldbase. I know the guys here have been keeping you up to date with what we’ve been doing so I’ll dive straight into the photos...

Olivia carrying our water cans to the camp

Floor and Nick carrying more kit...

The group starting to put the camp together

"Hmmm, so how do these basher beds work then?"

A very tired, but happy Alpha five in their finished camp...

After this we put up our mosquito nets, but decided to brave the elements without tarps over our bashers. Fortunately it's very dry in Santa Rosa so we didn't need to worry abour rain, but the best bit was falling asleep every night under a carpet of stars and waking up to the sun coming up through the trees in the morning... (The view in the morning from my basher)

One of our neighbours, the white-faced Capuchin Monkeys who swang, climbed, ran and jumped their way through our camp every day

The group at the grand opening of BarTico (a highlight in the Santa Rosa social calendar!)

Amy, Mark, Olivia and Davis getting started on the demolition...

Floor, Sophie, Rose and Tish carrying the rubble from the demolised BBQs

Amy and James made easy work of this one...

Floor, Sophie and Isaac demolising another BBQ

The group tuning into Radio Raleigh last Sunday

Here is a selection of our group photo shots taken for the magazine up at the stunning viewpoint...

The group toasting marshmallows when we went stargazing at the viewpoint

Sunrise at the viewpoint

Davis, Isaac, Mark and Rose relaxing after the 13km trek to the beach

A deserted Playa Naranjo, with the magnificent Witch's Rock in the background, which legend has it was deposited there by an angry witch many years ago. The beach is now a legendary surfing spot famous for its hollow right handers (James and I were both very upset not to have our surfboards with us!)

Nick, Floor, Isaac, Rose and Me watching the sun go down

Watching the sunset, the perfect end to an amazing day

As you can see, Santa Rosa is truly a magical place, even though I know I’m probably a tiny bit biased! I spoke to Laura just now and she said the group are back into the swing of work already. I'm missing them very much already but I know they’ve got many, more fun times to come in their final week.

Going Home

As I read the many blog messages I can almost taste the excitement building back in Europe as you guys count down the days until your loved ones return. As I myself prepare to return to my own reality I thought I could give you some insight on what it is like, because sometimes returning is a little tougher than we all expect.

We've got a lot of stories to tell, so please be patient with us as we slowly work out that you might not want to hear how many crema biscuits Bob ate on day 5 of phase 2 and that jokes we found hilarious might not necesarily translate.

Please help us to work out how we can continue to do some of the things we may have discovered for the first time here, help us to do what the Raleigh motto says and keep "getting out there"

And please support us to be the sort of person that we may just be discovering and now want to be. If we feel down, and get a case of the Raleigh blues, please know that it has nothing to do with you, it might just take us a little while to settle.

And finally - please have your ovens ready - we have been talking about food and our first meal since day 1!!!

Due to personal reasons I am heading home today - and it is with more than one flood of tears that I pack up my room and desk which has served me so well since arriving in June. Yet again I have had the most amazing time on expedition and this is largely due to the venturers who continue to inspire, surprise and challenge me on a daily basis. Some brilliant young people, you can and should be incredibly proud of them - I certainly am.

Below is a reading which has been adapted for Raleigh -I think it goes a long way in explaining our sentiments.

Raleigh Reflections

My Raleigh Experience

Everyone in this room has had an impact on the experience I have had over the past 3 months so I have a few things to say about what this experience has meant to me.

I have laughed until my tummy hurts and cried a few tears too.

I have leapt around excited like a five year old and been as grumpy as an old man.

I have met people who will be in my life forever and people I am glad to have known if only for a short time.

I have stared up at the sky and felt there was nowhere in the world I’d rather be.

I have stared up at the sky and wished to god I was somewhere else!!!

I have seen proof time and time again of the enormous impact one human being can have on another.

I have witnessed honesty and bravery that has taken my breath away.

I have learnt some painful lessons that will help me to achieve more in the future.

I have watched friendships form and grow and been constantly impressed by the care and support that exists between the people in this room.

I have seen grit and determination etched on to many different faces.

I have been bowled over by the time, energy and effort that has been put into making someone smile.

I have seen people push through emotional and physical barriers to achieve things they would never have thought possible.

I have seen futures open up and endless possibilities shine through where before there was uncertainty.

I have made a difference to people and people have made a difference to me.

I have been part of something far huger than me, working with 106 other people from very different lives to achieve something that I believe to be amazing.

Every second has had an impact on me.

I have loved this time.

Enjoy the last week of hearing of their adventures from afar and really enjoy having these guys home!

Saludos

Anna

How to send your loved ones a message

It's easy. Scroll down to the bottom of the most recent entry and click the comments link. A box will then appear where you can write your comment - please don't forget to tell us who the message is for including the full name and project group of the recipient. You can select name/URL from the dropdown menu to tell us who it's from (you can leave the URL blank if you wish). Finally, click on 'Post Comment' and you're done.

As you can imagine there are 180 volunteers so hundreds of messages for loved ones, no comments go live immediately and have to be moderated for appropriateness, so please do bare with us.

All comments that are pertinent to the post will be publshed and all personal messages will be delivered (even if they don't appear published). Messages mean a lot to all the volunteers; thank you for your continued support.

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?”