2 weeks in
I've officially been in Ecuador for 2 weeks and it has been emotional, overwhelming, and ultimately amazing time. Leaving Atlanta mid Hurricane Irma was quite an ordeal, and I made a dramatic entrance 2 days late. There are 17 of us on the trip, and 3 program leaders. We spent the first week in a small town about 2 hours outside of Quito called Mindo in an ecolodge, which was pretty much a glorified tree house. I'm talking everyone crowded in a room sleeping on mattresses on the floor covered with mosquito nets. It was quite the bonding experience. The first week was filled with getting to know you games, safety talks, and excursions in between. We zip lined, hiked to a waterfall, went to a butterfly farm, and went into Mindo several times. Everyone on the trip has been amazing so far. We're all very different, but at the end of the day we all are here for similar reasons. We've also been able to interact with locals a good amount so far, and everyone I've spoke