EcuaExperience: Pre-Medical and Volunteer Programs

I will always consider myself incredibly lucky to have stumbled upon Help, Learn & Discover. I was looking for a medical, volunteer experience in a Spanish-speaking country, so when a spontaneous Google search introduced me to HLD, it felt meant to be. I took part in the pre-medical program and each component of my 21 days spent in Ecuador was amazing. I can sincerely say that the only part of the trip I disliked was having to say goodbye to the incredible people, culture, and adventures I fell in love with.

The Help component was one of the most rewarding parts of the trip. We spent a week in Jama, Ecuador working with the community to prepare concrete blocks for their new homes to sit upon. Although the recent earthquake made our living conditions less than ideal, I always felt taken care of and appreciated. Surprise “bun” breaks at the work site and evening trips to Canoa Beach were the perfect breaks from the hard, but rewarding, work. Lots of tears were shed on our last day in Jama when the families blessed us with gifts and lots of hugs. I am so happy to have played a part in giving twenty deserving families a new home.

The Learn component of the program allowed me to gain a unique perspective into the exciting world of healthcare. The medical students and physicians we shadowed were not only very informative, they were funny and very easy to get along with. I especially enjoyed the evening activities, which allowed us to learn how to draw blood, do sutures, give a physical examination, and take vitals.

Thinking about the Discover component of the trip still brings a smile to my face. I made a point of not researching any of the cities listed on the itinerary beforehand, and I am SO happy with that decision. Each day of the travel week was packed with a new and exciting adventure. From dancing on the bus, to fireworks around a campfire, to cruising around in a party bus, HLD incorporated a thoughtful surprise into each destination.

My only regret is not having signed up for a longer trip. If you have any doubts about signing up for next summer, please DON’T! It will be one of the best things you do for yourself! Everyone I met through HLD was so kind and helpful, especially the staff at 593 Hostel Boutique and our charming bus driver, Rubén. Lastly, I would like to give a big shout out to the two men responsible for HLD, Juan and José. I will always be grateful to them for reminding me that helping others is one of the best ways to live our lives.

I challenge anyone to find an experience that can top the one I had with Help, Learn & Discover. I can’t remember a single moment on this trip when I wasn’t smiling or laughing constantly, and looking back, I have nothing but fond memories. The 3 aspects of the trip encompassed absolutely everything I could have dreamed of (plus more!), and I know I’ll remember these experiences for the rest of my life. Without sounding too cliché, you truly will learn so much about yourself on this trip, and you will return with a new perspective on life.

The Help portion was incredible. It was truly humbling to work alongside the community in Jama to build homes for the most deserving families you will ever meet. The locals were so grateful for everything that we did, and knowing that you have a made a difference in their lives is an indescribable feeling.

The Learn portion of this trip—the medical rotations—was so cool. Not only will you be scrubbing into surgeries and literally watching operations over the surgeons’ shoulders, but you will also interact with patients in the Emergency Room, partake in medical hands-on learning sessions, and all throughout you will have medical tutors teaching and explaining things to you. During this portion of the trip, you see what the medical profession is really about. Before HLD, I thought I was interested in medicine. But after participating in this portion of the trip, I now know without a doubt that this is the field that I love!

The final component of this trip, the Discover portion, was one you will never forget. Ecuador is absolutely spectacular; from the rainforest to the coast to the volcanoes and mountains, this country truly has it all. It’s hard to believe how much of Ecuador you get to experience on this trip, but somehow HLD manages it!

On top of the trip itself, you will meet people who will change your life. This is one of my favourite aspects of this trip. Everyone you meet—from the program directors, to the tour guides, to the volunteers alongside you, to the leaders, and everyone in between—will impact your life. I started my 28 days in Ecuador with a group of strangers, but left Ecuador with a new family.

I can definitely vouch for HLD and all the experiences that come along with it. Go on this trip, and I promise you won’t regret it!

I don't even know where to begin when it comes to telling people about Help Learn and Discover. Everything about the trip was absolutely spectacular, and I don't think I'll ever forget some of the experiences I've had. I met amazing people, gained valuable experience in a unique learning environment, and travelled to parts of South America that took my breath away all accompanied with the priceless satisfaction of improving the lives of those in need.

I would highly recommend HLD to anyone looking to volunteer abroad. The passion for helping others that staff and organizers express is inspirational to say the least, and to see how far the organization has come and how many people they have helped is incredible. It's a wonderful feeling got be a part of such an organization, and I'm very proud whenever I tell people about the work the company has done. Especially after seeing the damage and destruction that the earthquake in April caused to parts of Ecuador, it's clear that many people still need help and HLD does just that by building sustainable houses.

I was part of one of the the pre-med trips this past summer, and the experience you get as part of the pre-med learning component is next to impossible to find anywhere in Canada. We were actually inside the operating rooms, or conversing with patients in ER, or gaining first-hand practical experience that would otherwise only be taught in med schools. These experiences are all extremely valuable to anyone considering medicine, as it was a lot like a trial run of what med school and practicing as a physician would be like, minus the stress of applications and grades and what not. You learn a lot, but in a fun and engaging environment.

The final component of the trip, which involved travelling around Ecuador with options to travel to Galapagos and Peru was one of my favourite travelling experiences, and for someone my age I've travelled a lot. HLD knows all of the best sites and places to visit in Ecuador. You see a very large portion of the country in a relatively small period of time. From snowcapped mountains, to the amazon, then to the beach and back. I had a hard time keeping up with the beauty of the country, and was grateful that I chose HLD to show me all the amazing parts of Ecuador.

Help Learn and Discover gave me an amazing experience, looking back I don't remember a time when I was dissatisfied or upset. Anyone looking for any volunteer experience should seriously look into HLD.

My time in Ecuador was truly life changing. I made great friends, got to travel all over the country and make a difference in peoples lives, and I was able to gain some hands on experience in a hospital setting throughout my medical rotations. HLD does a phenominal job at sticking to the 3 words it stands for: Help, Learn and Discover. This program has managed to incorporate these three things to give students the best time of their lives whether they come for 17 days, 21 days, or 28 days. I did the 28 day program and couldn't be any happier and satisfied with my experience.

Help - this was by far my favorite part of the trip. I got to make personal connections with the locals and the community we were working with while helping them build their homes. This year was really important to me and the others I think because of the earthquake that happened months ago. It affected many communities, so volunteering and working on site meant so much more to us and the community. The work is physically demanding and fun and I wish it was longer than a week because I could spend the whole month there, but the locals were very welcoming and all of the hard work we did is really paying off and helping the program move one step closer to completing the project.

Learn - since I was in the 28 day program I got to do 2 weeks of medical rotations. The tutors were awesome and they provided us with a lot of valuable information and made sure that we were learning and enjoying all of the activities that they had planned for us. We learned how to take vitals, how to read an ECG, how to do CPR, how to stitch, how to take blood and many more things. We got to sit in on surgeries and work with patients in the emergency room. My favourite part was the fact that we were able to scrub in and watch surgeries in the operating room and ask our tutors any question that we had and they were always ready to help and explain. This part of the trip was very important for me because it really helped me find areas in the medical field that I enjoyed, which will further help me once I start applying to medical school. This part of the trip exceeded my expectations and I couldn't have imagined anything better.

Discover - This was another one of my favorite times. I really enjoyed traveling around from city to city and staying at places that I didn't even know existed. Ecuador is a beautiful country and luckily we got to see a lot of cool things. From water falls to tubing down the Napo river, hiking in the Amazon jungle, and horse backing riding to active volcanos, it truly was some of the best times of my life. The night life was always so fun and all of the hostels we stayed at were also amazing and made the experience that much better.

Taking a look back at the four weeks I spent with HLD, I can't say a single thing that I wish we had done differently. I have made life long friends on this trip and I can't express enough how much this trip changed my life. the leaders, activities, and experiences were all perfect. I think I smiled 24 hours a day on this trip! I definitely recommend it to everyone!

Help, Learn, and Discover has made such an impact on my life and will continue to influence my life beyond the conclusion of the program. The program does an amazing job of giving students a taste of three areas that I am very passionate about.

The Help aspect of the program was a truly life changing experience. Especially after the earthquake, it was incredible to experience all of the students and community coming together to rebuild in the community of Jama. The fact that all of the money was fundraised by the students makes this experience even more rewarding knowing that we were able to make a difference both financially and physically at the worksite. The worksite conditions were one of the most impactful parts of the volunteer program. It was really eye opening to see how the members of the community had been living since the earthquake happened and it really made the experience so much more rewarding knowing that we were not living in conditions above the community. We were living in tents without good showers or wifi, just as how the community has been living for months. It really made the students and community members come together during this week of volunteering. The days of volunteering were always hard work, but very worth it. We did lots of concrete mixing, sanding, and painting of the shipping containers that were used to create earthquake-proof homes.

The Learn portion allows students to experience so many areas of the medical field to broaden their scope of knowledge and help them to decide if medicine is the right decision for them, and further, which area of medicine interests them the most. The tutors are incredibly knowledgable and helpful throughout all of the rotations and the evening activities. A mock medicine interview, stitching, ECG, and blood draw are just a few of the activities that are done in addition to shadowing in many different wards of the hospital such as the ER, OR, radiology, and sports medicine. The students are able to get a lot of hands-on experience and see so many cool things up close in the hospitals! The variety of healthcare programs also allows you to tailor your trip to your interests by offering pre-medical, pre-dental, and physio programs! I have only experienced how amazing the pre-medical program is, but I have heard from other students that the pre-dental and physio programs are incredible as well!

The Discover portion was a blast! We did everything from tubing down the Napo river, hiking in the jungle, waterfall rappelling, swinging at the edge of the world, and salsa dancing! Each different part of the country we went to had something unique to offer and had it's own individual beauty. All of the activities we did were so much fun and we all learned so much about the culture and country of Ecuador. I was also able to to an extra week to the Galapagos which was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had. The Galapagos islands are incredibly beautiful with so much biodiversity and beautiful landscapes. We were able to snorkel with sea turtles, sharks, tropical fish, and the list goes on! We also went kayaking and experienced some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen and were able to see a giant tortoise sanctuary. The Galapagos is definitely a must-see if you're going to be travelling to South America!

I have nothing else to say about this program except that it is incredible! The owners Juan and Jose are always making sure to give the students the best experience possible and are tons of fun to travel with for the month. Definitely check out HLD if you have been considering travelling abroad!

I had a decent experience. The hostel we stayed at was nice and we were well fed. The travelling portion was pretty cool, we went to many places. However it was kind of expensive because we ended up paying for a lot of activities out of our own pocket which wasn't cool. The volunteer portion was rewarding, however the water went out on us for days and we had no water to wash our hands with or shower or even flush the toilets. We weren't well taken care of there.
The worst part of the program was the fact I did physio. I found the program leader to be conceited and extremely unhelpful. There was no sense of support, and they put us on the spot and was overall rude. My friend and I cried several times when we got back to the hostel because of it. They didn't seem to care about anyone else. Even the med tutors who would teach us would constantly talk about how cruel they found this individual to be.
I was also forgotten at the airport.
Anywhooooo, it was nice to help the families of Jama. They are incredibly sweet people.

I did the 28 day pre-med program with HLD and it was more than I ever imagined. It was incredible.

For the help portion, we worked in Jama to build new homes that were destroyed by the earthquake. The community was amazing, everyone was extremely welcoming and loving. The day we left the community was the hardest, tears were shed because we had all had such a great time working together, regardless of the language barrier. The kids were resilient and were so energetic and excited to play with us. We worked hard, we were drenched in sweat most of the time, we were dirty and smelly and it was the most rewarding feeling in the world.

For the learn portion, I was extremely surprised and impressed with how hands on we were and how much I learned. The med tutors were extremely helpful (and funny) and they taught us ALOT. Everyone was always willing to teach, even the surgeons would walk us through the surgeries we were able to sit in on which was such a good learning experience. HLD really does give you insight on what it's like to be in medicine and it reinforced the fact I do want to be a doctor one day. I highly recommend this program for anyone considering medicine as a career, or even nursing!!

For the discover portion, words can't begin to explain the amazing memories we made together. Everyday was filled with activities, laughs, jokes and lots of dancing!! We went to so many different places in the beautiful Ecuador and we were able to experience the culture as well as have fun. There isn't a day that isn't jam packed with exciting things to do.

HLD has definitely impacted my life in so many positive ways and if you have the chance to go to Ecuador with any of the programs they offer, go!!

Ecuador is very dear to my heart now and I hope to go back, for the people and the country.

I love to travel and discover new things. This trip has allowed me to do so much. Not only did I get to travel to the most beautiful places in Ecuador, I also got to help build houses in Jama and got to learn a lot about a doctor's job. I went tubing down the river to my hotel in the jungle, I played soccer with the children in Jama after a long day of hard work and I got to see multiple surgeries, such as an open-heart surgery. There is no other trip that offers you as much as this one. Everyone, from the doctors at the hospital to the staff of HLD, has been very generous and hospitable. I got back to Canada a couple days ago, and I can't stop thinking about this wonderful and unique experience. I feel like Quito is a second home, and I only wish to go back next year to see all my friends again. Do not hesitate to go on this trip. It is completely worth it <3