5 Reasons I Would Retake My "Bridge Year" to Ecuador in a Heartbeat

I have been home from my bridge year in Ecuador for almost two years. I am still absolutely convinced that being a Global Citizen Year fellow was the most impactful experience in my life to date.

Five reasons I would retake my bridge year over and over again:

1.  I had the chance to learn another language, through hands-on experience.

(A skill that served me through my mission, my career and in my personal life.)

2. I got to know students (fellows) my age with the same passion and love for life & adventure

I have made lifetime friends,
and when all of these people are famous/successful, future career connections ( ;) ).

3. I had the experience of living in another culture -- not just traveling through it.

With this, came a new understanding of how others' perceive and experience the world, which expanded my own perception of the world around me.

4. I had the space and opportunity to create a project to benefit my community.

(& the opportunity to learn from the triumphs and failures that come with this. I've been able to apply this experience to later education and career projects.)

5. I fell in love with a small community in the middle of the Ecuadorian jungle that I had never even heard of before moving there. I really don't know where I would be without my dear Puerto Quito and Puerto Quitaño friends.