Best Month of my Life

Overall I thought the trip was incredible. Every single day was better than the last. I have so many amazing memories and friendships made from the trip. One issue was that we had no idea what our schedule would be for the month until we arrive at the hostel in Quito. Although I was worried about not knowing my schedule, I found that it wasn't that big of a deal anyways. We learned to go with the flow and enjoy the laid back lifestyle.

My trip began with a week on the Galapagos Islands. It was AMAZING! If you have the opportunity to go then don't miss out on this week. (Volunteer, Bio med or extra week) We swam with sea lions and penguins! Our leaders took us to see everything. After the week was over I felt that it was the best week of my life.

The next 3 weeks consisted of traveling and visiting the work site. As soon as I stepped foot on the work site I knew I would like it even more than the Galapagos. I felt that we really changed the lives of the families we were helping. During those 3 weeks we also got to see A LOT of Ecuador. I could have never fit so much in if I did a trip on my own.

The only other issue I had with the trip was the food. We spent a lot of money to go on the trip but I was hungry often. Breakfasts didn't usually consist of much more than toast and cereal. I understand that it is expensive and difficult to serve a group of 30 students but I wish we got a little bit more and maybe some snacks during the day.

The organization and food were minor issues I had with this amazing program. We were involved in helping a community in need while also getting to see this beautiful country. I would recommend HLD to anyone.