Fellow Stories
True gap year stories from Fellows abroad!
Check out the latest blogs from Global Citizen Year Fellows in Brazil, Ecuador, and India!
Category
Class Year
Country
Blue Hose, Green Thumb, White Fuzzy Potential
Aubrey Haddard
2012-01-04
Going back to school after winter break was never easier than today. After a long vacation filled with both homesickness and new experiences, I was rejuvenated to get back to work. I managed to drag myself to school (nearly) everyday and made some real progress on my newest and most exciting project, the school garden....
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Adventure Time
Kaya Hartley
2012-01-04
A fellow and friend, Awa (Megan) introduced me to the phrase ‘Adventure Time.’ Adventure time was started in Dakar, when we would go downtown, meet new people, and see where the day took us- usually ending with a good, crazy, interesting story to tell. The key to having an excellent adventure time is to be...
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Halfway There
Megan White
2012-01-03
Becoming who we are. Everyone told us this experience would change us, shape us. Sure, I said. I was in it for the adventure, not the personal development. These past four and a half months have seen plenty of adventures. My words were the first words several Senegalese babies ever heard. I’ve spoken on the...
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Cleanse
Lily Ellenberg
2012-01-02
It’s a quiet Sunday in the Andi-Cerda household. We’ve just finished lunch when I notice my host-dad Juan cutting up something brown outside. “It’s tobacco, we’re going to mix it with water,” Irene, my host-mom, explains. “Its part of our culture,” Juan interjects, “want to try?” Although I dont know what it...
Read MoreExpect the Unexpected
Lydia Crush
2012-01-02
It’s an old cliché , but it holds true no matter what you are expecting. One of the first things we were told about this year was to not have expectations, to start our experience with a mind clear of preconceptions. I didn’t listen to well to those instructions, and thought about how different and...
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Feeling Like Family
Elizabeth Warren
2011-12-30
When I first arrived in Ibarra for my home-stay week, I was filled with mixed emotions of meeting and becoming part of my second family in Ecuador; the family I would be living with until returning to the United States in April. I was excited, anxious and nervous, but my first week there was good: my family...
Read More Lost in Otavalo
Stephanie Dunning
2011-12-30
Tuesday, October 11 Otavalo isn’t as big as Quito, but I had a map of Quito. That really isn’t the only thing I had going for me while wandering the streets of Quito. I had the mountain in the west that helped with generalizing directions. In Otavalo, there are not only mountains West, but also...
Read More Some mini Ecua-adventures
Jacob Stern
2011-12-30
Dear United States, Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve blogged. So here’s my attempt to make up for lost time: seven different 100-word slices of Ecuadorian life. 1. My new “hermanos”, or siblings, and the dog, took me exploring by the small river behind our house. I slipped on Vans and a sweater, and...
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When She Wears a Skirt
Tessalyn Morrison
2011-12-27
It is 10 AM and you are hungry, so you decide that you would like to take a break from your semi-mediocre job at managing the karaoke equipment at the bar in this sleepy little town to walk over to Comidas Típicas. At this small restaurant, you see the maito and Kichwa families…and then you see...
Read MoreChristmas in Zuleta
Lydia Crush
2011-12-26
Christmas in Zuleta? Didn’t she change towns? Why is she in Zuleta for Christmas? Yes I did move, but my sisters and cousins were invited up to Zuleta on Christmas Day. As we drove through, and out of, Ibarra I was snapping pictures already. Half-way up to Zuleta. This is a wide part of the...
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Lists
Stephanie Dunning
2011-12-23
Monday, October 17 So, I’m sick again- gotta love it. When I’m sick I have a lot of time to think. I’ve been in bed since ten o’clock this morning; my sister suggested I try to sleep it off. It’s one o’clock now. I slept for about two hours but just couldn’t sum up enough...
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Thankfulness
Galen Burns-Fulkerson
2011-12-23
In my family, we have a tradition of making and eating foods from different countries every Thanksgiving. Last year, we did Mediterranean and the year before that, Ethiopian. Although our tradition is to not follow tradition, Thanksgiving is always an important holiday during which we take time to appreciate all that we have. This past...
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