Program Reviews

At the beginning of the trip I didn't know what to expect, I mean I met my group for the first time at the airport, I mean that first day was really hard leaving your family's and meeting complete strangers is really hard. If I wasn't for our leaders and their games we wouldn't have talked to each other. Our leaders really made our group one of a kind they were still in our age range that it wasn't awkward talking to them. This whole experience wasn't anything I've ever thought about doing. But after spending a couple of weeks with my group we grew much closer than I ever imagined and now not waking up and seeing them everyday is really difficult. But I'm very glad I took this semester because the memories I have of them were life changing.

The east Africa trip was by far one of the coolest experiences I have ever done. For my gap year, I wanted to expand my boundaries and see the world and this trip did just that. The 11 other people on my trip were strangers, friends and then family. We grew closer than I though possible in the short amount of time together. But now looking back, even through the ups and downs, the good and the bad, they were and will always be there for me, no matter what. The east Africa trip showed me how strong I can be and showed me How similar and different the western society and the east African society is. I loved meeting new people and really getting to know them. Many of the people I met, changed my life. Peter changed the way I look at the world, he said, the world needs you more than you think and that if you work hard you can do anything. Constantly now, I wish I could go back. I wish I could be in the open plains of the Savannah, or in the crowds of children singing to us or in the wise embraces of mama from Lewa and Tania. My heart lives in Africa and someday I know I will go back and live every moment to the fullest possible, loving everyone and everything in my path of life.

First off: don’t pack jeans you’ll probably never wear them, despite with the list says. If you do pack two old pairs like I did, you can find somewhere to donate them along the way like I did! I say this first, because I hardly see the point in trying to sell this program, it sells itself! Working with sea turtles, hiking in the Andes, canoeing in Lake Titicaca, walking through Machu Pichu, the entire experience was incredible. ARCC prioritizes ethical, safe, and learning-based travel. Your money not only sends you on the trip of a lifetime, but also goes to help communities build meeting places in Ecuador and sends young women in Perú to school. Every experience, with the right attitude, could be framed to one of learnings and laughter. The leaders will care for you and look after you; they will do everything they can to help you succeed and stay healthy! There is a huge component that’s up to you: your attitude. You have to want to go on this trip, embrace living in close quarters with a group, and understand that the rules are for your safety. If you can understand and embrace all that, you will enjoy and laugh at every moment. Even the moments you don’t enjoy, you’ll still be able to laugh at the next day. I can’t recommend it enough. Perfect for people like me who plan to go to college in the spring, anyone who would like to go multiple places during their gap year, or spend a semester working and one traveling. It’s the only semester-long program I found in my research, but then again, I didn’t have to look much further since I already knew I found the perfect one from the descriptions and reviews. I wasn’t let down in the slightest.

This was the most unique and awesome experience I've had so far. Every day I was doing something I had never done before. This experience is something I won't forget for a wile. Just the experience of getting to do something new every single day and getting to interact, and also help people, there is nothing quite like it. Before going on the trip I initially had my doughts about what the experience was going to be like, or if I really was committed enough to spend three months away from everything and everyone I knew. But those doughts were nothing compared to all the knowledge and different experiences and friends that I gained. This trip helped shape the way I see the world and gave me new perspective on what is important. I would really recomend this experience to someone who is thinking about doing it because it is really worth it. If you want to have

This trip was the best 3 months of my life! I traveled with a group of people that I will be friends with forever. I learned so much about the places we were traveling through the people we met and the course reader our instructors put together. I learned a lot about myself and grew as a leader. I love that we did a variety of activities, never staying in one place for more than a week and living out of a backpack. We did some of everything: volunteered, saw tourist attractions, hiked, rafted, surfed, spoke Spanish, learned about the culture, worked on our leadership skills, and shopped, just to name a few. My leaders are incredible people who taught me so much and helped me with anything I needed throughout the semester. I'm so excited to be able to do another ARCC trip in the spring!

My time with ARCC in South America was an experience that I will never forget the rest of my life. I learned so many valuable things during my time abroad and so many traveling tips I had never heard before. My favorite part of the trip was the deep cultural exchanges and practicing my Spanish with all of the local communities. Also, I loved how my leaders , JP and Kaitlyn , discussed with our group major issues that were going on around the countries we traveled through. I also loved my group tremendously and I beliebe there was just the right number of students. Also, I loved the number of students in my group very much. The number of us was just right and I grew to know everyone so well and they became like family to me. I learned to many life lessons on this trip that I will forever cherish.

Never in my life would I have thought I would have the oppertunity to go on this trip. During my time, I gained many life strategies, new passions, and friendships. I learned about new cultures and languages. I helped paint a mural at a school in San Isidro, Costa Rica. I became a turtle midwife at 3 AM on the coast. I spent time sleeping in a school and building a community center in Minas Chupa, Ecuador. I snorkled with sea lions and turtles in the Galapagos. I lived at an orphanage in Peru, and helped clean guinea pig cages. I hiked for 7 hours through the Peruvian Andes to get to where we were staying for a week. I discovered my love for the mountains. I discovered to live comfortably with less. I realized my privilege even more from home stays. I learned that I was strong, and could overcome bronchitis while in high elevation. I learned that life is more about adventure.
Overall, it was a super valuable experience.

Never in my life would I have thought I would have the oppertunity to go on this trip. During my time, I gained many life strategies, new passions, and friendships. I learned about new cultures and languages. I helped paint a mural at a school in San Isidro, Costa Rica. I became a turtle midwife at 3 AM on the coast. I spent time sleeping in a school and building a community center in Minas Chupa, Ecuador. I snorkled with sea lions and turtles in the Galapagos. I lived at an orphanage in Peru, and helped clean guinea pig cages. I hiked for 7 hours through the Peruvian Andes to get to where we were staying for a week. I discovered my love for the mountains. I discovered to live comfortably with less. I realized my privilege even more from home stays. I learned that I was strong, and could overcome bronchitis while in high elevation. I learned that life is more about adventure.
Overall, it was a super valuable experience.

I am so incredibly thrilled that I chose ARCC for the first semester of my gap year. All you need to know is that the ARCC East Africa program is one of the best experiences that any young person can take part in. And it is the BEST way to begin your gap year.

ARCC as an organization offers a well-rounded gap curriculum that combines volunteer work, education, and positive travel. I chose the East Africa program since it is in a region of the world that I had not yet traveled to. ARCC's connections in this region allow for the most unique and holistic experience. We met so many incredible people, and took part in so many incredible once in a lifetime experiences (rafting the Nile river, volunteering at Uganda Rhino Fund, seeing the animals on the Masai Mara, installing solar panel systems in Masai homes in Kenya). Without ARCC and this program, I would never know how incredible East Africa is.

So many times throughout the semester I thought to myself, "Wow, instead of being in a lecture or in any class I'm here." And that could be applied to any of the projects we did because they were so unique.

The bottom line is that if you want an enriching, well rounded, supportive, adventurous, and all-around incredible first semester of your gap year, go on the ARCC East Africa trip. This is where you want to be!

When I first signed up and got accepted into the program, I didn't really want to go because I felt that I was going to miss out on going to college with my friends and having a social life. Taking a gap year and doing this program made me realize that there's so much more in this world than we imagine. To have this opportunity is a once in a life time experience that I will never forget and I'm so happy that I did this trip.
I also took a gap year because I needed a break from school. I was mentally and physically exhausted and school was draining. This helped me just take a breather from the stress and anxiety school was doing to me.
I love my group and they will forever be my family. They are so supportive and loving, we have a special bond and it's so amazing how quickly we connected and got along. They were my rock and support system for three months, I won't find anything like this again.