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
Muchas Thank Yous
Marisa Etzell
2015-09-19
My host mom in Quito knows very little English, and the other night when I was washing the dishes was one of the first times I heard her speak English; she used the term “muchas thank yous” to express her gratitude towards me helping out after dinner. As I prepare to say goodbye to Quito...
Read MoreMy Finding of Certainty in Uncertainty
Mila Le
2015-09-19
In a cage, I never knew any better… Than to work only with things given to me To sleep, eat, and learn in the same place Imprints of iron bars defacing my skin Years after years Outside this cage existed no house I wanted to belong to This house was not a home All...
Read MoreI am not homesick.
Noah Hapke
2015-09-19
I am excited. I am excited to return home and share these old and new stories with my friends and family. I am excited to look in the mirror and see a changed me. I am excited to head to San Francisco for college. I am excited to call up my fellow Fellows and go...
Read MoreLost Stars
Brianna Gilmore
2015-09-19
“But are we all lost stars, trying to light up the dark?” During Pre-Departure Training, each morning the fellows, alumni, and staff assembled at 9 am for “Day at a Glance”. “Day at a Glance” included the daily schedule, a “Speak Up”, announcements, and a warm up activity. The most meaningful warm up was...
Read MoreA Glimpse Into The Life
Allison Douma
2015-09-19
To my family and friends I am sorry if I am not able to describe my experience here in Senegal so far. It’s been crazy, fun, absurd, difficult, and amazing all wrapped up into three incredibly short weeks. Just know that we are were we are supposed to be and we may not know the...
Read MoreEmpathy: singing and dancing in holes
Brooke Donner
2015-09-18
It happened immediately. As soon as I stepped outside of the gated parking lot of the airport in Dakar, a young boy approached me. He held out his hand with his palm facing up toward the cloudless sky of a hot Senegalese summer morning. In his other hand he carried a tin can that rattled...
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The Pursuit Of Empathy
Munyaradzi Munyati
2015-09-18
I have travelled thousands of miles across the world searching for what I believed would give me meaning in life. At first, the hunt led me to Hong Kong, where I was in pursuit of a higher, more globally focused education. However, finally obtaining it only opened the door further and allowed me to peer...
Read MoreThe Five W’s
Marisa Etzell
2015-09-18
The purpose of this blog is to give a little more background information on why I am here in Ecuador and what led me to this point. Who: You. Yes, you. If you are reading this, you are part of my story. While it was ultimately my decision to apply to this program and choose...
Read MoreAdaptation
Maxx H. Jordan Espinosa
2015-09-16
(All quotes are pretty damn exact! at least to the best of my knowledge. I made an effort not to embellished). To preface this post I would like to say that I initially planned to write this post about climbing Mt. Pichincha and ending up in the hospital. Then I was going to write...
Read MoreThank You PDT!
Isabel Garcia
2015-09-16
Before landing in Brazil, I spent eight days getting to know more about Global Citizen Year and the purpose of my year abroad. But most importantly I got to meet a diverse group of fellows who share similar interest as me, the global cohort of 2016. During PDT(Pre-Departure Training) we started our journey at Alliance...
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que pasa
Katherine Brooke-Davidson
2015-09-16
First, some basic updates: Friday is my last day in Quito! On Saturday I will be moving to northern Ecuador to the region of —–Imbabura. I’ll be living in a small town in the Andes called Pimampiro and doing an apprenticeship in nearby Paragachi with an international NGO called Vibrant Village Foundation. The past two...
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Life is a journey, not a destination
Talia Bailes
2015-09-16
Life is a journey, not a destination. A mug I received on my birthday a few years ago currently sitting 2,739 miles away says just that; Life is a journey, not a destination. But what does that really mean when our society is driven by goals and we are constantly racing on the treadmill of...
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