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
Preparing for Departure: A Feelings Post
Emily Hwang
2013-03-19
Words are elusive to me now. Perhaps the effects of the monstrous exhaust fumes that billow out from behind Riobamba buses like parachutes and dissipate into small portions of carcinogens to be inhaled by unsuspecting townspeople are manifesting on my tongue, because it feels ashen and heavy. I lack words. The titanic shadow of the...
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Orientation Journey
Benito Aranda-Comer
2013-03-19
I made this video back in early October 2012 when I was still getting to know Brasil and the people that are here with me. This video showcases the Fellows’ growing friendship and the incredible beauty that is Chapada Diamantina.
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The Girl Effect and The Golden Rule
Julia Carter
2013-03-18
The Girl Effect is a movement powered by the Nike Foundation where adolescent girls are called upon to help solve poverty within their communities. By reducing the percentage of child marriage, teenage pregnancy and the spread of HIV, a young teenage girl has the potential to break generations of poverty and change the life of her family and...
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The Girl Effect: Part II
Kim Asenbeck
2013-03-16
Here’s the setting: I’m sitting on the bus, speaking in English to a fellow Fellow, who is seated next to me. Across the aisle, a ten-year-old girl has her eyes glued to me. Everything about me must have been intriguing–the language I was speaking that she didn’t understand, my fair skin, and the far away...
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The Venture of One Republican for Democrat
Barker Carlock
2013-03-13
With unfortunate circumstances in my apprenticeship and in my home stay, it was time for me to get out of Joal for a bit. Thanks to the generosity of our country director, Nicole, she allowed me to work at some land that she owns with her husband where they are using unique agriculture techniques as...
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The Speed of Time
Nathan Edwards
2013-03-12
Hey everybody, Life has been going well down here. I’ve been lucky enough to have the opportunity to go travel and see some pretty amazing places and spend some time with good friends. The diversity of Ecuador is amazing. After a 5 hour bus ride from the mostly gray skied/ life packed cloud forest, we...
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Cultural Differences
Gabe Jackman
2013-03-12
Having been here for a while, I have gotten an inside look at Ecuadorian culture in the cities. I live in a decent sized city, considering that some other fellows in Global Citizen Year are living in towns of 100 people. Women wear low-cut shirts and jeans or shorts instead of traditional dresses. Men wear...
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He said, she said, we said: In translation
Grace Bachmann
2013-03-12
Host father, the village religious leader- “Fatou, where have you been? I hardly see you, my child, anymore.” Me- “I like to wander all over the village.” Host father- <chuckles> “That’s great- now the whole village knows you.” Neighbor- “You’re taking corn to the grinding machine. Can you cook latcheeri*?” *traditional corn cous-cous dish Me-...
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A Lesson in Language
Christopher LaBorde
2013-03-12
This one’s for you Kavy. When you’re in a place where you don’t speak your first language, you kind of have to think about what you say. What you want to say, how you’re going to say it, How you can say it. You probably do this normally, at least a little bit, but...
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The Islam I See
Becky McClements
2013-03-12
The Islam I see is not the one they said I would see. It is joyous dancing that shakes the ground you walk on. It is singing while you weep for the loss of a loved one. It is quietly washing yourself and laying down a mat five times a day. It is gathering every Friday under a...
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The Reality of Giving
Ariel Vardy
2013-03-12
“White person— give me money, give me presents,” the kids say in French. Shameless, they repeat themselves in case I did not hear them scream from across the court yard that they wanted my money. Then they grow up. “Give me your bike, I don’t have one, you can buy another easily,” the older men...
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The Girl Effect: Part I
Kim Asenbeck
2013-03-12
Who: 600 million adolescent girls around the world What: The potential to bring an end to poverty by educating and empowering girls Where: Worldwide When: Now Why: Watch this video to find out more.
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