Ecuaexperience Reviews 43

I went for 28 days: 2 weeks medical rotations, 1 week on the volunteer site and the final week travelling.

The medical rotations are what got me to go on this trip but I ended up having way more fun than I expected. I witnessed procedures and learned skills that I couldn't have until third year of med school here in Canada.

The volunteer portion was the most impactful experience of my life. We spent a lot of time bonding while working with the community and the other students. It was truly a humbling experience.

The trip itself is very organized. We were always accompanied by a driver and translator. Juan and Jose (owners) are incredible people and I learned so much from them.

11/10 would recommend!

This was experience of a lifetime that I will never forget. In less than 3 weeks I learned more than I could ever attempt to in lecture, class, or at any job. The first week we had the opportunity to see different surgical departments and it was truly a turning point for my future endeavours. The mentors had a passion for teaching and made me enjoy the entire learning process. The second week we volunteered in the village of Patate and the emotional connection we developed with the community and families were unforgettable. Despite the language barrier, the community was kind, warm, and welcoming whenever we were in the village. On the weekends we would discover other parts of Ecuador and go zip-lining, water rapelling, tubing, kayaking and many more excursions. I met friends that I will stay close with forever and we became a family. Leaving Ecuador and all the amazing people was definitely the hardest part!

This was an amazing opportunity to experience the hospital environments in Ecuador as well as volunteer to help those in need. The hospital rotations were interesting to see the differences and similarities between healthcare systems in Ecuador compared to back home. The volunteer opportunities to build an expansion to a school and provide a Mother's Day celebration to a community was so rewarding. The people there were so nice and so welcoming to all of us despite having a language barrier. There were also many days of travelling around to site see and do fun activities that I would never imagine doing. I also met so many amazing people that came onto the trip and made great memories together. I'm so glad I decided to spend a part of my summer with this program and would definitely recommend it to others!

Ecuaexperience really gives an all-around amazing experience. Every component of the trip was better than I thought it would be. The trip was insanely fun and I could talk about it forever, but one thing I want to share is that going to Ecuador genuinely changed my life. My perspective on life changed so much and I now know exactly what kind of person I want to be. Going to Ecuador with Ecuaexperience is honestly the best thing I ever did.

Of all the programs out there, ecuaexperience is the one that caught my eye, and i don’t regret it! I had an amazing time learning about medical stuff in the AXXIS Hospital with the staff. For people that are interested by med school or any medical field you should honestly go through an experience like this. It opens up the options for you. The volunteering part of the program was eye opening as well. When building the school for the kids of the community of Patate, I saw how much our actions impacted the community. We had an amazing time getting to know them and their kids. The community was so kind and loving. The traveling part was amazing too. We got to learn about the lifestyle and different specials thing about Ecuador. When you get out of your comfort zone, that’s when you’ll enjoy the trip the most i promise!

Ecuaexperience was absolutely AMAZING! You have the opportunity to shadow medical students who can answer any questions you can have about the medical field. While following them, you can see surgeries in the OR, learn how to do stitches, how to properly draw blood, learn about an xray or an MRI or an ultrasound and even get to learn about some patients cases in the ER. During this experience, you also have the chance to help build houses for people in need. This part of the trip was the most significant for me. You get to know who your building these houses for, which makes it even more special. We also got the chance to meet the other communities that HLD helped in the past years. And on top of that, we got to do amazing hikes and visit SO MANY amazing places around Quito. I will always be thankful to have gone on this trip and to have met so many good people from different places in Canada and in the USA. If you love travelling and you wanna make a difference in this world at the same time of learning so much more about the career you're dreaming about (whatever that is, HLD has different programs), Ecuaexperience is for you!!

Such an amazing experience. The staff is very supportive and friendly I would do this trip again if I could. Juan and Jose are amazing people who are so great at what they do. It was my first time traveling without my family to a foreign country and they made me feel very safe. The experience was great because we got to shadow medical professionals, learn relevant health care information, help build houses for communities in need, and explore the wonders of ecuador!

The trip was simply amazing! Everything about it was great, and it without a doubt changed my life for the best. The restaurants were good, the tours were well planned and the medical rotations were awesome! I recommend doing this to anyone interested in becoming a doctor someday and/or changing the lives of the less fortunate people in Ecuador.

Ecuaexperience is such an incredible summer program. It is the perfect vessel that allows you to explore who you are through the amazing opportunities that Help, Learn & Discover gives you. In essence, the passion you have for volunteering and learning is brought to life as you experience helping others, learning, and travelling in a unique way.

Volunteering for me personally was especially enjoyable. I wish we spent more days volunteering. I remember that when we got called for a lunch break, our group did not want to stop working because we were all so into it. It is a remarkable and rewarding experience to be a part of a whole hearted team and work with them alongside the community.

The people you meet and the relationships you form while being there enhanced the meaningfulness of the whole trip. Being surrounded by like minded people and having a blast with them in a beautiful country is all you could ever ask for!
Don't hesitate if you are thinking of going on this trip. You will get more out of it than you expect!

HLD was one of the most influential experiences of my life up until this point in time. I first travelled with them as a student volunteer and ended up working with the company for 3 years afterward.

The experience in Ecuador was incredible. Getting to see what life is actually like as a medical resident/physician is one of the most valuable aspects of the HLD experience, especially for students who may be considering medicine as a career. It is very different than what many people think, and it is important to expose yourself to it. The volunteer portion was incredible as well. So was the travelling. All of the trip really is incredible.

To me, however, the relationships you build along the way with other students and like minded individuals is the greatest part of the program. To this day I still stay in contact with many people whom I travelled with in Ecuador. Some I was only with for a week in Peru, almost 6 years ago, and still find time to catch up with over FaceTime.

HLD was an incredible experience. I am convinced that it contributed to my success as a student, as well as my personal development, and would recommend it to anyone who is open to a little adventure!

I participated in this program about two years ago and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I went to Ecuador for 6 weeks in 2016 where I did the pre-med program with HL&D. This program really delivered their views of helping, learning and discovering because while I was there I did help. I helped by fundraising money and building homes for a community struck by an earthquake. I definitely learned, by getting the chance to shadow medical students and doctors. I was given a thorough experience of all the aspects of the hospital from the operation room, to the radiology department, to gynaecology and obstetrics. And I surely discovered many wonderful things about the country of Ecuador, the people in the community and about myself. Before going on his program I was pursuing a degree in health care but like many students I was constantly questioning whether a health care profession was for me. So I went on this trip to reconfirm my choice, and I did. I gained so much knowledge and experience from this trip that I am so thankful for. If I got the chance to do it again, I undoubtedly would !

Going to Ecuador with Help, Learn and Discover is honestly one of the best decisions I've ever made, I cannot recommend this trip enough. Every single aspect went above and beyond my expectations !

If you choose to do med rotations you will get meaningful experience that is difficult to get in North America. The discover portion of the trip is incredible, Ecuador is truly a unique country that combines mountains, rainforest and beaches into one region. But for me, the most rewarding aspect of the trip is the volunteer portion. Helping build homes side by side with families that will live in them gives you a true sense of Ecuadorian culture and its amazing people. And it makes giving away the homes all the more real.

All in all, I am so glad I went to Ecuador with HLD and absolutely recommend it to anyone 100%. I was so blown away by this trip, I went back.... twice!

Two years in a row with HELP, LEARN, & DISCOVER has formed a huge part of who I am. This experience is an excellent opportunity for passionate and caring young adults who need to scratch the itch to travel!

The medical rotations, the volunteer work, and the travel portions of the trip were all humbling experiences in their own unique ways.

Ecuador stunned me with its landscape and culture. The program blew past my expectations. And the fellow students I traveled with are now some of my great friends.

To ease any worries you may have, I felt safe the entire time, the leaders are there to make the most of the experience for you, and I never went hungry!

Its hard to say anything negative about this trip.
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Ecuador m'a stupéfié avec son paysage et sa culture. Le programme a dépassé mes attentes. Et les camarades avec qui j'ai voyagé sont maintenant certains de mes grands amis.

C'est difficile pour moi de dire les choses negatif au sujet de ce voyage!

Help, Learn, & Discover formera un grand partie de qui vous allez devenir!

Although I went on this trip two years ago, this experience is still one of my favorite memories. For anyone contemplating on going to Ecuador with Help Learn & Discover, GO! The program will without a doubt be a rewarding experience, but will also change your life.

While in Quito, I participated in medical rotations in various hospitals throughout the city which allowed all students to shadow different doctors. During my time in the hospital, I observed numerous surgeries including a shoulder replacement, a gall bladder removal, and even a brain surgery! Aside from observing, I also learned to draw blood, suture a cow heart, and perform CPR. For anyone interested in a career as a medical professional, this part of the trip is definitely for you.

The rewarding part of the trip comes from helping to build the homes which will be given to a rural community in Ecuador. This was by far one of the most eye opening experiences for me ever. You get to work alongside the families that will eventually live in the homes, so it makes your time working on the homes that much more pleasant and real. Pack napkins for this part of the trip though, you will cry.

Finally, you get to actually travel and discover beautiful Ecuador. Between the mountains, the beaches, and the AMAZON JUNGLE, you will be left breathless. The country is truly incredible and you get to see some of the most exhilarating landscapes from a local's perspective. Every part of this aspect of the trip is so well planned out with regards to the activities that you will partake in at these various stops along the way.

Go on this trip, you will not regret it!!

Ecuaexperience was an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! I participated in the 28-day BioMed program, so we shadowed doctors, volunteered in Pujili, toured around Ecuador's jungles and coast, AND got to visit the Galapagos Islands. The HLD Team is made up of super passionate individuals, and the overall trip was very well thought-out. I would highly recommend anyone who is adventurous, interested in health care and is willing to put in a lot of effort to get a lot out of the trip. I met some amazing people on this trip and am so glad I went!

Ecuaexperience was one of the most amazing, unique, genuine, and enriching experiences of my life. I learned so many things that varied from healthcare specifics to life lessons about what it is like to live in poverty. All in all, I would 100% recommend this to anyone who is considering it.

Ecuaexperience completely changed my life in ways I never expected. Every since moment was worth it. There were three different aspects to this program. The "Help" portion was so incredibly rewarding! We were able to build homes with the money we fundraised alongside the most friendly Ecuadorian families. I felt so welcomed by the community and extremely grateful to see the direct difference we made in their lives. During the "Learn" portion, I was able to get first-hand experience in various hospitals during the 28 day pre-med program. I am now able to say I was an arm's length away from the operating table during live surgeries! The "Explore" portion was the icing on the cake. I was able to travel all over Ecuador, eat the most amazing, (and cost-friendly) food, and participate in exhilarating activities such as surfing on the coast, hiking through the jungle, tubing down the amazon. I will never forget the friendships, memories and experience I gained from this trip. My number one piece of advice, DO IT!

My 18 day experience in Ecuador was one of the best moments of my life. The all-in-one experience allowed me to accomplish more than I could imagine in a relatively short amount of time. Every portion of the trip left me in awe, a feeling of amazement and fulfilment. The "Help" portion of the trip gave me taste of their lifestyle community dynamics. As a pre-medical student, the "Learn" portion of the trip gave me invaluable experience in the ER and OR. The "Discover" portion of the trip opened my eyes to the beauty of Ecuador and inspired me to see more of the world.

When I was looking to volunteer abroad I wanted a program that encompasses many different aspects, and HLD has just what I was looking for. The first component was the volunteer where we got to go to rural Ecuador and build 20 new homes for the community. This was one of the most special and life changing experiences that i’ll never forget. The community worked along side us and we really got to build those connections with the people were building houses for. Although technically we’re the ones helping them get better access to education, sanitation, work, and healthcare, they have affected my life just as much as I have affected theirs.

HLD also has the learn component which is probably what differentiates it from most volunteer programs. We had the opportunity to shadow doctors, nurses, and physiotherapists in different wards of the hospital- something I know I would never be able to do in Canada. Getting to enter the operating room and watching surgeries was an unreal experience! We also did rotations in the ER, radiology, ICU, gynaecology, sports med, and even learned hands-on clinical skills like stitching.

For the discover portion we toured different parts of Ecuador and got to do really cool activities like waterfall rappelling, horseback riding, swinging at the end of the world, tubing down the mouth of the Amazon river, and hiking in the amazon jungle. I never thought we would do SO much everyday and even though its really busy sometimes, I wouldn't have wanted it any other day.

I also decided to add on an extra week to the Galapagos, and I can say this was hands down the best place I’ve travelled to in my life. The amount of biodiversity here is unbelievable and amazing to see how humans and animals just coexist- so we were able to see and get up close to so many different animals like giant tortoises, marine iguanas, sea lions, sharks, sea turtles, penguins, flamingos, sea horses, manta rays, and so on! The activities here were really amazing as well; other than chill at beautiful white sand beaches, we visited Darwin’s Research Centre, went snorkelling, kayaking, hiked a volcano with a huge crater under us. This was probably one of the best parts of the trip and I would highly recommend going!

The memories I’ve made because of this trip are ones I’ll never forget, and experiences that I wouldn't have the chance to have otherwise