Once in a lifetime, the ultimate amazing experience

I participated in the HLD May 2017 trip under the Bio-med program and it was by far the best month of my entire life!!! I met so many amazing friends and I seriously did not want to go home by the end. The initial idea to do this trip was not immediate as the price had me on edge, especially because it was all in USD which made the conversion to the Canadian dollar rough. HOWEVER, I do NOT regret this trip or the price WHATSOEVER! Believe me when I say you get what you pay for. The amount of things I saw, did, made, smelt, tasted, experienced is almost too many to count and this trip has forever changed my life. So in case you are concerned that it won't be worth your money take it from me - don't let the cost hold you back from what will be the best trip of your life.
As well, if you are concerned about going on this trip by yourself, DON'T BE! Most of the other students going will be just like you and will also be travelling solo. You get to know everyone in no time and believe me you will make life long friends!

With the Bio-med program I got a taste of everything HLD has to offer; Medical Rotations, Volunteering, Travelling, and the Galapagos. I am extremely glad I made the decision to do the Bio-med program because it gave me the option to try out everything!

For the first week I did medical rotations which involved surgical rotations in the OR, radiology, and the ER. You have to dress professionally for this part of the trip and I would suggest professional tanks and/or skirts if you are a girl as Ecuador is hot and the OR and ER are super warm and being it your first week in Ecuador you might feel too warm or lightheaded from the heat in the hospital like I did. The tutors you get during the rotations are med students that are roughly our age and are so smart!! You can ask them any questions they are super approachable and extremely knowledgeable. This first week was also jam packed with tours of Quito in the afternoon and lectures in the evening so I would suggest trying to get a good-nights sleep as you start early every morning (although this might be hard because you are having too much fun hanging out with the other students!). Overall the medical rotations gave you a good taste of what being a doctor would be like and would give you a good sense if this is what you would what to do as a career. If you are serious about going to med-school I would suggest the pre-med program as they did get an extra week of rotations than myself and were taught more.

The next two weeks consisted of exploring and volunteering. At most we would volunteer three days in a row before taking an exploring break, however this was fine because if you were to volunteer any longer than that in a row you would burn yourself out. As part of the May group I participated in starting the houses. To put it generally the May group does the digging, cementing and the floor, the July would do the walls, and the August the finish touches. I personally LOVED being part of the May group because it gave me such pure joy to do the nitty-gritty work and work as hard as I could to provide the houses for the community. The community members themselves work along side you and the Ecuadorian women with babies on their backs lifting twice as much cement as me was just motivation enough to push myself to my limits. If you are worried that you are not strong enough do not worry! Just the fact that you are there, supporting and showing effort means a lot to the community. You can take a water break at any time and go at your own pace. Each year HLD builds in a different location so housing will varying from trip to trip. I stayed in a hostel within the town Pujili that we were building in. The rooms were nothing fancy and there was no hot water but I was not expecting anything luxurious because we were in an impoverished town. Some people in past reviews have complained about a lack of hot water but to me the hostel I stayed at while volunteering was completely practical for the situation. HLD's personal cook was there and prepared the most delicious breakfasts and lunches daily while at the site. My advice would be to bring baby wipes and TONS of sunscreen. The baby wipes will keep you clean during the stay if you don't want to shower (remember it is only for 3 days at a time before you take a break and travel) and don't forget that Ecuador is at the equator - sunscreen is a must! This was my first experience building homes and it warms my heart just reminiscing about the experience. The community is so deserving and welcoming I am so proud to say I was a part of building their new dream homes.

For the traveling portion the quickest way to sum it up was "What an ecuaexperience!". HLD never lets you get bored! I can honestly say I got to see the country Ecuador in its entirety. We visited Cotopaxi (active volcano) and went horse back riding, Banos (edge of the amazon) where we swung at the end of the world and did a traditional Ecuadorian spa, Canoa (the coast) where we went surfing, and Mindo (cloudforest) where we did waterfall repelling and white-water tubing to name a few of my favourite activities. Ecuador is an amazing country with a crazy landscape! We traveled from 4000m in the mountains to sea level at the coast and back multiple times during the trip. This meant breathtaking views as well as varying weather conditions. On my trip the temperature changed from 5 degrees and rainy in Cotopaxi to close to 30 degrees and sunny in Canoa. My advice is to make sure you pack for all kinds of temperature and weather.

My last week was in the Galapagos. Even if you did not choose the Bio-med program I highly recommend you add the Galapagos week onto your trip as it was the most amazing and unique place I have ever been too and will absolutely be worth your money (compared to traveling their on your own vacation, the HLD price is a steal of a deal). We stayed on Island Isabella and Island Santa Cruz and did a lot of hiking, snorkeling and learning! Each tour we did (kayaking, volcano, los tunneles) was occupied by a naturalist guide that knew everything about the flora and fauna of the Galapagos. To get the most out of the "Bio" part of the Bio-med program I suggest you take advantage of these guides and ask them all your questions. The animals are not scared of you at all there because of the strict no touching rule which allows for unique up-close interactions that you could never experience elsewhere! The sea lions are as common as dogs in mainland Ecuador and to quote my guide, "there are as many sea turtles as stars in the sky". If you love seafood you must try the seafood in the Galapagos! Extremely fresh (caught a couple hours ago) and you might get to try some interesting fish (such as swordfish which is delicious). My biggest recommendations for the Galapagos would be bring a water shirt - the water can get cold when you are snorkeling for a long period of time and the shirt helps to keep you warm as well as protects your back from getting sun burnt. Secondly if you are at all susceptible to motion sickness - BRING GRAVOL. The ferry rides from one island to the next are about 2 hours long and some of the tours involve traveling on boats. The water is rocky (especially if you go in the later months) and Gravol will be your best friend because you don't want something like motion sickness getting in the way of your fun!

Lastly I was to comment on the lovely HLD leaders and staff: Juan, Jose, and Olivia. Juan is in charge of the medical rotation portion. I only got to see him for a week but he is hilarious and personable and will care for you like family. The pre-med students got to know him more and would have nothing but great things to say. Jose is in charge of the volunteer and traveling portion. Jose is so much fun, he is always making sure that everyone is having the time of their lives. Both of them are such great guys that have an unbelievable love for their country and do an amazing job in getting you to fall in love with it as well. Last but certainly not least is Olivia. Olivia was the Bio-med students personal tour guide during the first week in Quito so we developed a strong relationship with her. You will not meet someone with more happiness than Olivia. She brought a smile to my face and I loved listening to her explain what we were doing and what we were going to be seeing/learning that day. Olivia was also the leader that joined us in the Galapagos. She use to live there so she was the perfect guide as she knew all the best places in town for food, shopping, and night life. I want to take the time to thank all three of them for giving me the ultimate experience and the chance to help, learn, and discover in the beautiful Ecuador!