Luggage And Laptop

Now all three phases have been completed its back to Fieldbase one last time....

The expedition wraps up with a quiz night and an award ceremony - Golden Mess Tin are handed out for "Kindness Ambassador", "Outstanding Volunteer", "Motivator", Raleigh Double Act", "Most Improved Language", "Entertainer" and "Spirit of Raleigh".

Golden Mess Tin Award Ceremony

Some bright spark had the idea that the VM's should swap clothes....

So Louis swapped with Jemma...

Heather with Fernando....

And Julie with me!!!

After the award ceremony most of the VMs went to bed but unfortunately the volunteers did not. Probably best not to go into detail but lets just say it was hard to get them up and on their way the next day!

Strong coffee anyone?

Some were a little harder to get rid off!

Most were looking forward to going home

With the volunteers gone we just had to clean up their mess and then head off to the beach for a well deserved treat!

One last team photo

Then on the bus to the airport.....

Phase 3 - The Final Phase

After another successful changeover the teams get ready for phase 3. We try and fail to get a group picture - where is Mayte?

The VMs of 23A - minus one!

Julie is allocated to a Community Resource Project and their team will be constructing a new classroom at a school called Kjakou Sulo. Her fellow VMs are Raul and Louis - a great team! The school is in the indigenous region - just over an hour away from Fieldbase. On a map it is only 15km away, as the crow flies, but takes over a hour as the roads go up and down a few mountains! I am convinced there are no straight roads in Costa Rica - where are the Romans when you need them?

Raul, Louis and Julie -Alpha 3 VMs

Their equipment is carried in a 4x4 and dropped off at the school but unfortunately the last 4km of is pretty steep and rocky and too dangerous for the bus - so its a lovely hike for the group, with their backpacks!

The group will be sleeping in some of the existing classrooms

Classrooms on the left where the Volunteers and VMs sleep.
The hut on the right is a traditional building used for socializing

Julie's "bedroom" - shared of course!

This kitchen was built by the last Raleigh Group

Cooking on gas - but no electricity so no lights!

The group settles in and start the project. The ground where the new classroom is to be built needs cleaning/preparing, foundations dug, sand brought up from the river (I kid you not!), cement mixed by hand and foundations poured. The classroom is basically a concrete base with a wood framed structure. The wood has to be sorted, ends squared off, cut to size, etc.

Clearing the ground

Mixing the concrete is back-breaking work

The design and construction process is overseen by Don Raffa - he have been involved with Raleigh projects for many years and works really well with the volunteers.

Base is starting to take shape

Selecting, and prepping the wood

Raffa & Dulce cooking pancakes for the group

Julie getting the "DIY" bug

Luckily for me Raffa was making pancakes on one of the days I visited the group! I did help with mixing and pouring some concrete - it is really back breaking work - but hopefully I worked the pancakes off.

The PSV are really fun. We take treats for the volunteers (candy, fruit, marshmallows, etc) and some entertainment - this time a movie and karaoke songs - who doesn't like a good sing along!