Fellow Stories
True gap year stories from Fellows abroad!
Check out the latest blogs from Global Citizen Year Fellows in Brazil, Ecuador, and India!
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Kurt Vonnegut is a Genius
Diego Ramos-Meyer
2014-11-24
In a collection of his infamous graduation speeches (found after the previous Fellow Eli left it in my house), there are a few things that stand out about Vonnegut’s brief, insightful, words. He chooses a different theme and moral for each speech, but they always have the same recurring stories to illustrate that theme. One...
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Senegalese Respect
Diego Ramos-Meyer
2014-11-24
I never should have made that French toast. I had missed cooking and American food so badly that I’d spontaneously decided to buy dehydrated milk, eggs, bread, and oil and managed to prepare a half-decent “dinner,” that sweet, thick, crispy dish I used to make every Sunday morning after a late night. Matar, my 26-year-old...
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Everything’s Gone Green
Kamilah Udomsap
2014-11-21
As I brainstorm how to start this second blog, I am flooded with thoughts of simple measure: I am living. A popular response to “cómo estás?” (how are you) is “estoy aquí”, literally translating to “I am here.” There is this mindset here that has become truly sacred to me, and it follows something like...
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My Host Brother, the Metaphor
Lindsay Saligman
2014-11-21
My youngest host brother is six years old. His name is Edy. On September 20th, when I arrived in Napo, Edy came with my host parents to pick me up from Tena, the capital of Napo, and bring me to Santa Rita. While my host parents introduced themselves smiling, Edy clung to my host dad’s...
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Never Make Friends with the Pigs: 21 Things I’ve Learned from Living in Ecuador
Kali Nelson
2014-11-21
It is the slowest pace of life, EVER…”Ecuatime” is real, people! Life has never been more intriguing. A different way to love. The completely selfless love that my host family, and English students, and everyone has. The love that cannot be put into words but only felt, the love that warms rooms (which is more...
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An Average 24 Hours
Rachel Swartz
2014-11-21
Wake up at 5:30AM. 5:30AM-6:15AM: Generally spent washing clothes in Rio Napo. 6:15AM-7:00AM: Breakfast. Usually a combination of rice, eggs, bread, plantain, and of course, guayusa.* 7:05AM-3:30PM: Off to work at Sinchi Warm. There is no such thing as an average day at Sinchi Warmi. Potential activities include: Organizing our artisanship displays. Jungle Walks! Learning about indigenous practices with...
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Familia
Eustacia Meyer
2014-11-21
I have been living with my family for nearly two months now. I still can’t get over it, two months and this still feels like a dream. The biggest success in my life here has to be my family. I have gotten so close to many members in the family and love to just sit...
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Festivities of Cuenca
Aliya Habib
2014-11-21
Fridays nights are usually spent in the yogurt room outside the house. Two huge vats await my host mom and other women, ready to turn plain yogurt into delicious concoctions. This Friday night was a little more special because in two days, it would be the Independence Day of Cuenca and we were in full...
Read More 6. Mango Tree Revelations
Sophia Richter
2014-11-21
When I first arrived in Thiadiaye in the beginning of October, everything was new and fresh and begging for my attention. Yaay would take me to the Luma (the farmers’ market of Senegal) and every basket was full of vegetables, every table laden with fresh fish, every tent offering colorful cloth, and beautiful jewelry, and...
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The Most Important Choice
Bennett Quintard
2014-11-21
A few weeks ago I started my apprenticeship at an organic finca (farm) about 20 minutes outside of my community of El Juncal. Below are my first two experiences at my new job: Experience 1: Due to my decision to stay up late the night before, I was running on six hours of sleep as...
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Learning to Love
Aliana Ruxin
2014-11-21
I’m learning to love 8:00 AM rotisserie chicken on market days. Coated with herbs and freshly cooked, it really does taste good. It also really does wake up my taste buds, smacking them with a burst of flavor in the morning that is becoming more familiar every week. Saturday market days begin with the beeps...
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Losing “They”, Living “We”, Becoming Me
Alice Brower
2014-11-21
This blog first appeared on the Everyday Ambassador Blog as a part of Wednesday Wisdom. “Everyday Ambassador is a network of global citizens who believe that human connection, even in an increasingly digital world, is the key to lasting, positive social change. Everyday Ambassador visions a world in which all travelers and volunteers approach the...
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