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
Something.
Elizabeth O'Malley
2014-09-24
On a clear Saturday, three friends and I hailed a cab to take us to “el Teleférico.” I’m not quite sure what that translates to, but our understanding was that we were headed to the base gondola of volcán Pichincha. And luckily, this isn’t one of my many stories where the cab driver has no...
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On Mastering the Art of Discomfort
Bella Bjornstad
2014-09-24
The other day we were asked to describe a time when we felt our most healthy, in body and mind, and when we felt the most satisfied. I picked out several examples, but none felt as real as now. While I might have made a few too many stops at the panederia on my way...
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Why Expectations Are Good
Briana Merrigan
2014-09-24
Since 8th grade, I have backpacked at least 45 miles each summer, so when my friends and I decided to hike the volcano, Pichincha, one Saturday afternoon I felt confident in my abilities. However, as we rode up to the base of the mountain in el Teleferico (basically a ski lift) and the air was already...
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The bigger picture
Danielle Spencer
2014-09-21
I found myself lost in the middle of Quito. We were five gringos with maps out trying to find the next point on the map to check off for the chance to win a mystery prize at the end of the race. Task 1: Find a place for “Almuerzo” that costs no more than 2.75$....
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In A Relationship with Life
Aiman Ahmad Marzio
2014-09-18
September 16th, 2014 It has been a month since I left home in Malaysia and already so much has taken place. I want to share it all – families, training, failures, triumphs, conversations, mosquito bites, mangoes, inspirations, marriage proposals, tears, dances, quirky language teachers, baobabs et cetera – but I’m afraid I have no idea...
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Travel, Grow, and Keep Running
Nicholas Chieng
2014-09-17
You might have clicked the link in your email update wanting to read about my latest adventure in Brazil from trying new foods to talking to random strangers on the bus. That will come in a later blog post. For now, here’s what’s been going on internally: Today, our team leaders had all the Fellows...
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Finally, My Explanation
Rosie Fitzsimmons
2014-09-17
At the beginning of the year, I had my mind set on making the more practical choice and going to community college whilst living at home. Now I’m going to be living in another country for the next 7 months. Nowadays the huge expense of college has convinced our generation that no time can be...
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My ‘exceptional’ first few weeks
Lindsay Saligman
2014-09-12
If I were to describe my first few weeks in one word that word would be ‘exceptional’. Be careful: By exceptional I don’t mean wonderful or perfect or exceeding my expectations in absolute blow-my-mind-into-a-million-pieces-ness. What I mean by exceptional is, characterized by exceptions: things that are unusual or not as one would expect them to...
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Learning to Drink Coffee
Elizabeth Schmidt
2014-09-11
It has been a week since I moved in with my Dakar host family. I came home Sunday afternoon to a room full of suitcases, soon to be packed and sent off to France with half of the family. When my grandmother first brought me home, most of the adults were preoccupied with packing so...
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Impact
David Jenkins
2014-09-10
During our time in Stanford we were required to define what impact meant to us. The immediate thought that came to my mind is head trauma. This is a physical impact and not the correct intention of the seminar, but was the only kind type that I could truly relate to. I remember when my...
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Tudo Bem
Myriam Sitterson
2014-09-10
The other night, as I was getting ready to go to sleep, I heard a familiar sound from outside my bedroom door — “Luiza, não ande descalça!” (“Luiza, don’t walk around barefoot!”) It was my host mom, Luciana, telling her daughter to put socks on. It’s nearing the end of winter here in Brazil, and...
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Baby Steps
Alice Brower
2014-09-08
When I saw the Philippines vs. Senegal basketball game on the TV in my families’ home, my cheeks moved into a consuming smile and happy tears sprung to my eyes. Because culture shock ain’t no joke. My life in Senegal is hard to undersand. Wolof sounds like everyone is playing a practical joke on me and...
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