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
Ready together
Brooke Donner
2015-08-27
Last night we danced. Senegalese pop music bounced off the trunks of centuries-old redwood trees as we encircled a campfire and attempted to follow the lead of our dance instructor Christian, a fellow Senegal Fellow from Germany (I’m still not sure why he knew the routine, but he sure knew it). Our feet moved quickly...
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Why Not?
Maya Panicker
2015-08-27
When informing peers of my imminent bridge year in Senegal, the response usually starts out the same: Where the heck is Senegal? After explaining to them that, yes, Senegal is a real country and, no, it’s not one of those tiny island nations, they begin to ask the real question. Why? Why would I choose...
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A Journal Entry Into Mindfulness
Noah Hapke
2015-08-27
It’s about time to leave for Quito, and the transformation is already extraordinary. Sitting in the Redwoods, my back against a sixty-five foot tree, I have began to learn that comfort lies within one’s self, probably, more than expected. Leaving my home in Huntington Beach, my family and friends, everything I had grown accustomed to,...
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Bridge of Serendipity
Alice Wong
2015-08-27
When people ask me why I am taking a bridge year, I always have my answer ready. I would respond succinctly that I have an intense desire to gain maturity, as I will not be eighteen upon entering college. I want to understand the local culture, learn Spanish and learn how to dance. I want...
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Let the Adventure Begin!
Abigail Foy
2015-08-27
August 26, 2015 Welcome to my blog! I can’t believe the time has come to begin this journey! I would like to introduce myself and tell you a little bit about me. My name is Abby Foy, a recent Los Gatos High School graduate and a member of University of Puget Sound’s class...
Read MoreSomos El Mundo
Brianna Gilmore
2015-08-27
The Saturday before I left, my mom bursts into my bedroom with her phone playing one of my favorite songs “We Are The World”. However, this version wasn’t the original 1985 for Africa, or the 2010 25thanniversary for Haiti. It was called “Somos El Mundo 25 por Haiti”. It was a version...
Read MoreThe Departure
Janet Sebastian-Coleman
2015-08-26
My anticipation for travel has been building up for months, then suddenly the date and time of departure are staring me in the face, shouting “I'm here!”. And I stare blankly back. “You're here? You look like tomorrow, but are you real?” But it must be true for I have a schedule that says “2:30am...
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What’s up, Gabriella?
Gabriella Westcott
2015-08-26
“Oh hey, Bree!” “Whats up, Gabi?” “Hey Bridget, are you the one who lost their phone?” “It’s Libby, right?” “BREENANASSSS!” Although I couldn’t tell you where Bridget or Libby derived from, the amount of different names that have been bestowed upon me this last week is undeniably too many. But it’s understandable. Since birth, I’ve...
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The Bigger Picture
Tatiana Calonje
2015-08-26
I’ve always been a victim to “the bigger picture.” I was going to start this off with, “I’ve always been a victim to the thought of the bigger picture” but it’s not just a thought. It’s a reality. It’s the now. It’s the tomorrow. It’s the when you’re gone and everyone forgets your name. It...
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Questions
Elena Doss
2015-08-26
“ What are you feeling?” / “ Are you excited?” / “ Are you freaked out?” These are the three common questions I have been asked over (and over) the past six months while preparing for my travels to Ecuador. Instead of writing my entire emotional history of the past six months of planning, I...
Read MoreHugo Santiago’s first blog – Blogger #1
Hugo Santiago
2015-08-26
So it’s my last week at the California Science Center-which means it’s my last week of working the job I got to help out with my fundraising campaign! and I feel as if…I learned-but in a completely different way in which I believe was intended. Global Citizen Year’s summer fundraising campaign most likely would have...
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