Greatest Trip!

Hi! I am Isabella, a 16-year-old girl from a small town in Connecticut. About three months ago I began to search for something to do over the summer. In July of 2018, I flew out of the country to Bolivia, traveling for over 24 hours, and commencing by far the greatest and most humbling experience of my short life. After traveling for a mere 24 hours, by myself, and for the first time out of the country, I anxiously awaited meeting my host family for the first time. They were some of the kindest and most genuine people I met in Bolivia, next to the Projects Abroad staff. This is a service that knows exactly how to plan and execute a trip for high schoolers from anywhere.
On my trip, though many days consisted of shadowing medical professionals, my favorite work was the hands-on volunteer work that reflected new things we learned. For example, we learned how to take the vitals in the classroom on a Wednesday and the very next day we traveled to a nursing home and took the vitals of over 30 elderly patients. In another instance, and perhaps my favorite activity of the trip, we worked alongside two vaccination nurses who helped us vaccinate dogs for free in impoverished homes where the owners would normally refuse medical care. We ended up having to hike up rocky roads where cars wouldn't normally travel to reach the residences. In doing this I witnessed the most extreme cases of poverty I would encounter in Bolivia. I left that day feeling humbled and blessed-as cheesy as that may sound. However, my emotions were most harshly tested at an orphanage that services children and adults with disabilities, all of which are given extensive physical therapy through their primary physical therapist and volunteers. My partner for the day was a 27-year-old man who had weakened muscles from the waist down. Regardless of his immobility, we were talkative and friendly and a please to have worked with. I ended up donating the majority of the trip money I had to the orphanage is that the patients were low on diapers and wipes. It was the smallest gesture but a rewarding one nonetheless.
On my final day as I loaded my luggage into the car, my host sister gave me a little angel that says “renewal” that is sitting on my bedside table as I write this. I owe all the gratitude in the world to Projects Abroad for keeping me and my roommates who I am still in constant contact with safe and happy for two weeks that were the greatest of my summer. They are an organized, safe, and knowledgeable service that truly wants to better communities worldwide. I would recommend them to anyone and everyone and have been ever since.