Making A Difference

I decided to go on a community service trip to Ecuador this summer in hopes of helping some people that less fortunate than I am, i also gained experience working with children, volunteer hours and inspiration for my are- three things that are very important to me and my future. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure of what to expect when I arrived in Ecuador because I had not done any research This may sound like a strange choice, but I did this in hopes of keeping my reactions as authentic and in the moment as possible.

When we arrived at Quito Mariscal Sucre International airport, it was well into the night. I didn’t think much of it because was just an airport and i've seen many of those before. We waited outside the airport for our bus to come and get us, then went straight to the hotel, then to sleep. For the first couple of days, we didn’t do much but go to different restaurants and see the sights. Sure it was fun, but that's not why I was there. I had become so relieved when it was finally time to do the community service. to work with the children that I thought needed us, But to be honest I don't feel like we did enough to help those children. I felt like I and the others learned something, but it also felt like part of a show, and that the real impact won't be until much later when we do more charitable work in our lives After about a week of that we got on a plane to head to the Galapagos Islands.

We were In the Islands for several days and we had a lot of fun we got to see the site and visit a lot of the island and learned about the animals that call the Galapagos island home at the Charles Darwin Research Station and even though it was a blast i really wish we did more volunteer work while we were there.

Then it was back to Quito for a eight hour bus ride to the Amazon, which I didn't mind because this is where we did our most worthwhile work we got to help clean up the forest and to plant trees to as to help with the reforestation also there is where we meet the indigenous people of Ecuador people to that you could talk to and learn about life their and what it's like to be a kid my age in those surroundings. Being there was amazing, It had this sense of realness, so genuine something that impossible to fake or forget.

The trip to Ecuador wasn’t all I expected it to be,I know that for others it was supposed to be like a vacation, but I really wish we had spent the whole time in service--especially to the community in the rain forest. It has made me want to spend a huge part of my time actually making a difference.and help the people in my community and maybe this is my fault but i have no idea how that experience was suppose to help i'm already doing a lot in my community almost every week i’m at Heaven's soup kitchen on avenue D volunteering and that's about as much i can do for now altho this experience has helped to start thinking about maybe to Peace Corps.