BEST MONTH EVER!

First of I'd like to say, if you are having a hard time trying to decide whether or not you want to go on this trip, definitely GO! This has been the most incredible month of my life, and I promise you will have an amazing time as well!

I first heard about HLD through the SFU2016 Facebook page. I had been looking for a volunteer abroad program to do in the summer and right away I knew this would be the perfect fit for me. I was DEFINITELY right! These past 28 days in Ecuador and the Galapagos with HLD have been absolutely incredible. I did the Biomed program, meaning I first got to do 4 days of medical rotations, followed by activities, volunteer work, a trip to the coast and finally a week in the Galapagos islands. Although the days were jam packed and we were constantly on the move, I wouldn't have changed a thing about how our schedule played out!

The first week was definitely a crazy one. Being part of the biomed group, we had to fit everything the Premed group did in two weeks into one. This meant our days were schedule like this: 4 hours of med rotations (OR, ER and radiology) in the morning, a tourist activity in the afternoon (we visited churches, downtown Quito and the middle of the world) and finally a lecture in the evening (we did abdominal pain, stitches, fractures, headache and drawing blood). All in all this first week was absolutely amazing and was filled with incredible opportunities to see, learn and do things that we would never have the chance to experience in Canada as Pre-med students. Juan and Olivia definitely made sure we would get the most out of this first week. The medical tutors were also very knowledgeable, friendly and welcomed questions at all times.

After the first crazy week, we spent our weekend horseback riding in Cotopaxi, swinging at the end of the world in Banos, hiking in the jungle, and finally relaxing at the hot springs in Papallacta. All of these environments had much different weather patterns (ranging from Cotopaxi being at about 2 degrees, to the jungle being 25 and humid), so definitely pack well and be ready for any kind of weather!

We then travelled to the volunteer site (this year in Pujili) and spent 3 days volunteering with the community to begin building 12 of the 20 houses the HLD 2017 group fundraised for. I was absolutely blown away by the people of the community. They were all very welcoming, grateful and patient with our group. They also had the most admirable work ethic, and I felt very fortunate to be working alongside these individuals knowing how much these houses will help change their lives. As for the work itself, be prepared for a lot of lifting, digging and sifting (if you're part of the May group) so bring clothes that can get dirty and can afterwards be left for the community!

The second weekend was spent at the Coast. Here we had the opportunity to relax, learn to surf and have fun with friends! The UV index in Ecuador is normally 11, so my one biggest recommendation is BRING LOTS OF SUNSCREEN!! Even if you don't normally burn, you will burn if you don't wear sunscreen, trust me.

Finally we returned to Pujili for a few more days at the volunteer site and for a heartfelt goodbye to the community. We then headed to our last stop in the "Discovery" part of the tour in Ecuador: Mindo. Mindo was definitely my favourite place we visited in Ecuador. Here, we not only got to live in mushroom shaped cabins, but we also got to do activities I otherwise would probably never have done in my lifetime: water rappelling and tubing down a fast river.

We then travelled to the Galapagos islands (which is a 2hour flight from Quito) where we spent 1 day on the main island, Santa Cruz, and 4 days on another island: Isabela. In the Galapagos, we had the opportunity to explore the most incredible beaches, kayak, hike a volcano and of course go snorkelling. I have travelled to many beautiful places in the world, but I have never seen a more diverse and incredible ecosystem as the one in the Galapagos. We saw sharks, stingrays, blue footed boobies, penguins, turtles, sea lions, tortoises, marine iguanas, and the most beautifully coloured fish! Everyday we were accompanied by a naturalist guide. Every guide was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Olivia, our HLD Galapagos guide, was also a great person to have with us in the Galapagos as she had previously lived there. She knew exactly where the top places to eat and the best activities on the islands were, and she insured that we had the most incredible week imaginable!

As a last note, I just wanted to thank Jose, Juan and Olivia once again for everything they provided for us during our stay, and for all of the effort they put in into making sure we got the most out of our 28 day stay. I would also like say that if you're having a hard time trying to decide wether or not you want to add a week in the Galapagos, definitely DO IT. It will hands down be the most incredible experience of your life!