The Best Life Changing Experience I Ever Could've Imagined

It's hard to even put into words everything that the ISV program has done for me. I had super high expectations for this trip: I was going to feel good about giving back to a community, explore all of New Zealand, and find myself along the way. This trip exceeded my expectations by far! I have never been so carefree happy in my entire life. I got to work on an awesome project restoring an island by planting trees, weeding, seed collecting, beach cleanup, monitoring rare New Zealand animals, and even more. Nothing was more rewarding than those two weeks. And then to go explore the country from south to north seeing everything that New Zealand has to offer. Every time I turned my head it was another perfect screen saver image. Then to not only be able to give back and explore, but genuinely learn the culture as we went too was something you don’t always necessarily get abroad. But the best part about the entire trip was the people I got to meet along the way. My project leader and adventure tour leader were truly amazing. They were both so kind and caring, made me feel safe the entire time, and taught me so much. And the team I worked with volunteering, they’re such great people and I know I made lifelong friendships with them. I indeed felt like I made a family by the end of that month, my whanau. I know I couldn’t have gotten this experience with any other program; I didn’t want it to come to an end. I recommend this program to every student! It’s honestly one of the best experiences and completely worthwhile. I just want to thank ISV for everything they have done. I appreciate it greatly for giving me the opportunity to have the best life changing experience I ever could’ve imagined. I would travel with them every summer if I could.