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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From Florida to Floripa, and a Whole Lot of Portuñol

2014-10-14

It’s unbelievable that it has only been a little bit over a week since I arrived in Brazil. So much has happened since, and my life before seems so far away. Well actually, it is quite far away -about 4,392.5 miles to be exact. I currently live in Florianopolis, or Floripa as Brazilians call it,...

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Do You Know Obama?

2014-10-13

Global Citizen Year made it very clear to the Fellows crazy enough to sign up that this experience and the places we were going to would defy all of our expectations. Before I left for this experience, my mother drove me all the way to downtown Washington, DC, waltzed into the air-conditioned souvenir shop, and...

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Conceição

2014-10-13

I am staying in the beautiful city of Florianopolis for my first month in Brazil. With more than 90 beaches and palm trees lining the streets, I’m sure you can imagine its grandeur. My homestay is in the bairro (neighborhood) of Lagoa Da Conceicao. Translation: Lake of Conception. It’s a beautiful, and very tropical neighborhood....

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The Ten Biggest Lessons I have Learned So Far

2014-10-13

Some of these lessons I should have understood before now, but it’s very humbling to admit that I am just starting to learn them and to really understand them now.  I will probably learn most of these lessons again in the future, but for now – this is where I am. #1. This is not a...

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Notes for Ecuador

2014-10-13

Notes for Ecuador: Don’t let the taxi drivers think that you’re “just another gringo,” we know how much a cab fare should cost. Don’t be afraid to try new things! Want to know how many new types of food I’ve tried? Well so would I! At this point I can’t even remember. (But be careful...

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Mom Things

2014-10-13

On Sunday afternoon I was playing house with my five-year-old sister and five-year-old cousin. The girls promptly instructed me to be their mom and began to set up an abandoned cement house as our home. I asked what I should do and my cousin replied, “You know, Mom Things. Cook, clean, tend to the cows.”...

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Viva La Vida Gringa

2014-10-13

A month ago, I would have expected to be somewhere in Senegal right now. But what I’ve taken from these few weeks is that things never – ever – turn out the way one expects.  After a busy week of Pre-Departure Training in California, I boarded a plane with four fellow switchers to Quito, Ecuador. Quite a...

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Chee Eye Dee Eye

2014-10-13

I write these words on Wednesday, October 8th, 2014 Despite having what I believe to be an above-average capability to understand and respect other people’s points of view, I never understood “the country folk”. Being raised in a mainly urban setting for my entire life, it became increasingly hard over the years to comprehend why...

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Chi Ay Di Ay (Español)

2014-10-13

Escribo estas palabras el miércoles, 8 de octubre de 2014 Aunque considero que yo tengo una Buena capacidad de comprender y respetar los puntos de vista de otras personas, jamás llegué a comprender a la “gente del campo”. Como fui criado en el área urbano toda mi vida, se me hacía muy difícil comprender por...

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Week On Senegal #1: On Food

2014-10-13

The wise King Solomon once wrote: “So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.” -Ecclesiastes 8:15...

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Week on Senegal #0.5: On Ebola

2014-10-13

I write these words on Thursday, October 9, 2014. Yesterday, I wrote that I would write one blog per day, each one concerning a different characteristic of Senegal. I also asked a few friends if they had anything specific they wanted me to talk about. A couple of them mentioned Ebola. Since I wish to...

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Gone to Carolina in my Mind: Reflections on Homesickness

2014-10-13

If I close my eyes, I can see my home in Chapel Hill and my round dining room table with afternoon light bouncing off the light wood. I can hear my mom’s boots bounding up the steps. I can feel the last turn in the car on the drive to my best friend’s house. I...

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