The Experiment: Ecuador: The Galápagos Islands, Cloud Forest

I went on this trip during a hard time in my life. I have always wanted to go to a rainforest and have always loved learning about the delicate balance of the environment and human society. This trip allowed me to find who I am, including who I want to be! I was immersed in the Ecuadorian, and South American culture and their beautiful environment. I realized my dream of protecting nature through conservation and found a college that would be a perfect fit, for my path and purpose as a human being, and that is pure magic. This was a beautiful experience, and I still talk to my group on WhatsApp!!! We formed a bond and learned a lot from each other. We all pushed past the box we grew up in, and our learned limits, which is such a beautiful thing. Difficult of course but so so worth it!!! I suffer from a lot of anxiety as well as Chronic Lyme and this helped me grow from the barriers I thought those labels put me in, including how and what I needed to work on for myself especially mentally.

We got to explore so many parts of the country, from Quito, Mindo, Tena, Banos, Riobamba, to Galapagos, everything was so different and interesting at the same time. We explored rainforest, waterfalls, Chimborazo and the Galapagos islands. We saw so many different animals and experience so many different physical activities that are really once of a life time experiences. We hiked in the Amazon Rainforest for 4 hours, snorkeled in the Galapagos islands, climbed the Chimborazo mountain that is the closest to the sun and experience homestays in Riobamba.

In this one month adventure trip in Ecuador I have all type of new experiences in different places and situations, all the factors I build up during the trip has also strengthen my personality and independence that made a new strong version of me. One of my favorite schedule is the week in The Galapagos, to live on a yacht with a group of friends and caring people, and experiencing new aspect of the world such as through snorkeling. This trip to Ecuador have a unbeatable special place in my heart with tons of unforgettable memories, I am extremely thankful for everyone that made this trip happen, and special thank you to our two leaders, local leaders, and group members that made this trip one of the most wonderful things in my life.