Experience of a Lifetime (July 2013)

The experiences that I gained from this trip are honestly something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. From the moment I landed in Ecuador and through the duration of the trip, there was not a single moment that I felt unsafe or was worried about anything. I was quite surprised to see how involved and supportive the HLD staff were, they always made sure our needs were taken care of and that we were having a great time. The leaders were also amazing and defiantly made my trip that much better.

The "Help" portion of the trip was amazing. We got to see first hand where and on what our fundraised money was being spent which was very satisfying. It's hard to describe how, but having to physically dig trenches and mix concrete with shovels undoubtedly added to the satisfaction to the work we were doing and the impact it had on me. It puts into perspective the things we take for granted back home. But it is an incredible feeling knowing that we are able to impact a families life for the better and give them hope for there children's future.

The "Learn" portion was just as amazing. We were given the opportunity to see and experience so much that would not be possible in Canada. To this day I cannot believe I was able to stand next to a surgeon and watch them operate on a patient, the experiences from med rotations were unreal for me!
The tutors were also very helpful and taught us so much.They were very helpful in answering our questions and providing us with a realistic overview of medical school. The experiences I gained from the med rotations has defiantly given me the motivation to pursue my goals of becoming a doctor.

Finally the "Discover" portion of the trip was the most surprising for me. I was defiantly challenged to step out of my comfort zone but its totally worth it. Each day was always different whether it was hiking through the rainforest, tubing through the amazon river, repelling down a waterfall, surfing etc. All the travelling and long bus rides are totally worth it. Throughout the entire trip I had no sense of time which was nice and added to the experience, its not often that we live for the moment without worrying what comes next.

Its crazy how many different people you meet that share the same interests and goals as you, it was truly an amazing experience meeting these people and forming new friendships!
Ecuaexperience has truly created a once in a lifetime adventure.I would recommend this trip to anyone in a heartbeat.