I Think Everyone Should Do This!

There are no words I can say to express how amazing this trip was. It was a life changing experience. I learned so much, and not just about medicine (I was in the premed program) but about life, my goals and about myself. I got a whole new perspective abut what I want in life and had a blast in the process.

Help: we work super hard and fundraise as much as possible before we leave on this trip and we get to see where every penny we raised goes. We also get to get our hands dirty when we spend time at the volunteer site building the houses we fundraised for. The best part is meeting the people of the community. Which ever community HLD chooses to help, you can bet on it being a great one. The people are so welcoming and friendly and also so willing to help. Meeting the people who live in Camarones was the best part of my trip and I'll never forget them! I had so much fun playing with the kids and the community organized some special events for us to get to know them. We had two soccer games in which we volunteers played, and two community parties where we all got together danced and had snacks! You know when you're there that you've made a difference in these people's lives and they appreciate it.

Learn: I was in the premed program so I did rotations in the hospitals. I got to see so much in fields such as orthopedics, obstetrics, and geriatrics. I got to see lots of surgeries and interact with the patients. You learn a lot about the different fields of health care and can maybe even start to narrow down which ones you're the most interested in. The tutors HLD arranges to take you around on these rotations are invaluable. You will learn more from them in a day than you do in any class in your undergrad and this knowledge will help you to achieve your goals. They are the coolest people too so you can feel free to ask them any questions and just have a good time when you're with them! I can't thank my tutors enough for the time and effort they put into us.

Discover: HLD will show you all the best of Ecuador! I can't even choose a favorite site because I loved them all, everywhere I went I'd say this is perfect! They plan so many activities ranging from hikes, to waterfall repelling to surfing. One of my favorite parts of the trip was the Amazing Race. I wasn't that excited for it because I wasn't too sure what to expect but it turned out to be so much funner than I'd imagined. The best part about where they take you in Ecuador is that they show you what Ecuador is so you're not in all the touristy areas doing touristy things. You get to know the country and it's people and you will fall in love! I certainly did.

I had no idea what to expect when I signed up for this trip and I got way more than I could've hoped for. The things I got to do and see helped me grow as a person while having the best time of my life. If I could do it all over again (and I probably will) I wouldn't change anything! Except maybe stay longer than 35 days!

Thank you HLD for everything this was the trip of a lifetime!