Best five weeks of my life.

I had an incredible time in Ecuador. The experience was a fantastic blend of home-building as volunteers, exposure to the medical field and to the system in a developing country, and of course plenty of recreation. I was able to lead and to follow, to share my skills and to make an immediate, visible, and lasting difference in the lives of the people I met. The medical component was engaging and educational and it reaffirmed my passion for medicine. We toured from hot springs and farmland to mountains and beaches and jungle and cloud forests, sometimes in the same day. As a group you move from urban to rural areas and experience the culture gaps. The hikes to waterfalls were exhausting and invigorating and I went hang-gliding and learned to surf with one-on-one instruction from a pro! If you can, don't hesitate to take an extra week in Peru or the Gallapagos, or try the new one in Argentina. The food ranged from incredible to not so hot, but it never mattered and I was never sick. I met lots of incredible people and never for a second regretted my decision to go. I would definitely go back.