Read the text. Are the sentences true or false? 17. The writer didn’t have to pay for the trip. _________ 18. There were eight volunteers staying at the centre. _________ 19. The volunteers had to rescue the animals from cruel owners. _________ 20. They had to feed the animals immediately after breakfast. _________ 21. The volunteers entered some of the cages to feed the animals. _________ 22. They didn’t open the enclosures of the big cats. _________ 23. The writer thinks the gap years are character-building but don’t help you academically _________ AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE The trip of my lifetime was definitely the month I spent in Ecuador on an animal rescue project in my gap year. I’d worked temping for six months to finance my trip, and I had the most amazing time imaginable. I stayed with eight other volunteers in surrounded Santa Martha Rescue Center, which is situated in a rural part of Andes, by their owners and ranges from jaguars and pumas to monkeys and parrots. Our job was to feed the animals and keep them clean. A typical day started at 7 a.m. when we had to give the animals their breakfast before having our own. After breakfast, we helped the local staff with maintenance jobs around the centre, like repairing cages and building new enclosures. We normally stopped at around 2 p.m. and then went back to feed the animals again at 4 p.m. I spent most of my time chopping fruit for the animals, but the best bit was entering the cages and feeding them. My favorites were the baby monkeys who greeted me each morning by jumping all over me and pulling my hair. Watering the young cats was slightly more dangerous and we had to do it in pairs. One person would entertain the cats while the other opened the cages and grabbed the water bowls. We filled the adults’ bowls from outside the enclosures, which seemed like a much more sensible idea to me. The whole trip was unforgettable, and I would recommend everyone to take a gap year. You gain confidence and become more self-sufficient as well as getting hands-on experience of your degree subject. Just earn some money, book the trip you fancy most and get out there and do it!