The time of my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Prior to this trip, I had so many doubts if this trip would be worth it. I couldn't have been proved more wrong after spending the best month of my life with Help, Learn & Discover!! I don't even know where to begin.....from working with the community of Jama, or watching the most insane surgeries, or spending the morning trekking through the Amazon Rainforest, swimming in a natural waterfall pool at the end of a beautiful hike, then having dinner in the gorgeous city of Banos all in the same day!!!!!!! The thing is with this trip, you're doing at least 3 new things you've never done every single day!! All of these experiences are what I could have hoped for but to top it all of, the part I never saw coming was the people you meet on this trip! To this day, now some of my best friends are because I met them through HLD. Everyone was bawling their eyes out when it was time to say goodbye!!

During the volunteer week, the most heartwarming thing was to work with the community of Jama. These families have lost so much during the earthquake that happened in April but for them to wake up every day and work their butts off for the new homes that we were helping them build was simple admirable. The craziest part about interacting with them was seeing their spirit despite all the terrible things that have happened! They were always laughing and joking around, played soccer and other games with us in the evening and when it came time to say goodbye, they cooked us dinner and crafted us small souvenirs from wood and stone..! Words won't do the justice of telling how satisfying and heartwarming it was to bring hope to people who are way less fortunate than us. It also was a good reminder to be appreciative of our standard of living back in Canada!

The med rotations were unreal..! We shadowed almost every ward possible with the coolest med tutors who were in their final year of med school and were just a few years older than us! I saw the craziest vascular surgeries, live birth, a C-section, rhinoplasty, just to scratch the surface! The med tutors would also teach us some clinical skills like stitching and CPR. Every day was a blast learning the most amazing things that only further inspire me to become a physician.

The discover part was beyond unreal! Ecuador is one of the most beautiful countries ever!! Day to day, we did so many new things I can't even keep track of! I remember one day, the morning we spent in natural hot springs in the mountains, in the afternoon we tubed down the Napo River to get to our hotel located in the middle of the Amazon and at night we slept in cabins hearing the sounds of various animals and insects everywhere!!! Every day is action packed with the coolest adventures!

Simply put, this is one the best experiences out there! It wouldn't be right if I didn't give a shout out to Juan and Jose, the owners of HLD, who will go out of their way and move mountains for you to have the best experience possible!! The energy that they bring to the group really makes the trip special and they ensure everyone is having a blast!! We had people with dietary restrictions, allergies, medical conditions and they were all provided for..!! Ultimately this trip is totally worth what you're paying for and I can guarantee you that you will not regret it whatsoever!!!!!!