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
The Great Outdoors – An Introduction Pt.2
Kara Esplin
2018-03-30
Hello, my names Kara (Or Carol if that’s easier.) I live on a small island (Florianopolis) in the south of Brazil. It’s only 33 miles long, yet it still takes about 3.5 hours to drive from top to bottom. Don’t even ask me how long it’d take with a bus, I tried it once and it was...
Read MoreWakcha Karay
Maria Lanza Arancibia
2018-03-29
*Feliz Jueves Santo! *Every year on this day the *Wakcha Karay* is celebrated in Peguche. The people from the community prepare *morocho, colada* and other traditional foods and stand in front of the *capilla* to share with the rest of the families. Some of the people that come are called *rezadores* (reciters), they approach the...
Read MoreTo Myself:
Meaghan Coulter
2018-03-29
When you’ve thought of home, you’ve thought of a warm cat caressed in your arms, the cold kiss of an evening’s snowfall, and the soothing idea of a simple rest on a plush mattress. You even missed the notion of the unique feeling you’ve found that can only come with the relief of tears. But...
Read MoreDomestic Dogs are Overfed
Meaghan Coulter
2018-03-29
I noticed because they struggle when they walk and their waists nearly extend past their ribs, but I was told they’re usually fed rice. Maybe, to an extent, that is not ideal, but food will be food. I see strays on the street with abundance as well; appearing contaminated, dreaming of rice, struggling to walk....
Read MoreMy 3 host families
Robin Kershner
2018-03-29
1 family for 1 year is the idea, in the hopes that we will be somewhat part of the family by the end. I have seen my some of my friends blend into their host families. And, for some of them, it seems like they have grown closer to their families in India, than they...
Read MoreA Final Toast
Sunghoon Kwak
2018-03-27
I’d like to raise a toast to all the people who guided us through our days here in India. You know, there are a lot of factors that go into a “thriving” year. Of course, it’s no surprise when the fellows just happen to be phenomenal. I mean look at us. Look how great we...
Read MoreLong hair in the Indigenous culture
Maria Lanza Arancibia
2018-03-27
Have you ever wondered why most Indigenous men grow their hair and wear it in a long beautiful braid? Check this video out! It presents some interesting facts about long hair in the Kichwa Indigenous culture. ENGLISH SUBTITLES AVAILABLE This video was made by my apprenticeship APAK (http://www.apakotavalo.tv/) many years ago. Now we are developing a...
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The Renaissance Time
Christopher Maloney
2018-03-26
I finally feel like I have my life here figured out, I mean more or less. There will always be those moments that remind you that, although you have been here for 6 1/2 months, you still lack the lifetime of experience of those around you. Those moments such as when the sunlight has...
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What I’ve Learned From the Paradoxical De-Sexualization of Women in Senegal
Wyatt Foster
2018-03-25
As I sit squashed next to a woman openly breast feeding her son in a sept place on my way to Joal, I think about the odd relationship between Senegalese society and women’s sexualisation. On one hand, Senegal has progressed far beyond the U.S. in terms of public breastfeeding. Mothers can openly breastfeed anywhere in...
Read More“Dear Mama”
Robin Kershner
2018-03-25
Here is descriptive writing , the first of 3 in a series of small journals titled “ Dear Mama”. I wrote them with in the first month of being in India. They represent things were going on and feelings I wanted to tell my mom but for some reason never planned on sending them to...
Read MoreMeet My Brasilian Family
Zoe Ward
2018-03-25
This is my host family. We live in an adorable little neighborhood in the far south of the island among the hills and by the ocean. Our house is on the top of a hill, with a little waterfall in the backyard and a beautiful view that I often enjoy swinging from our hammock. Armação...
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10 Reasons Why This Gap Year is NOT a Trip
Danny DeBare
2018-03-25
“Let’s hang out when you get back from your trip!!!” one friend texted me. Another, “Danny, how’s your trip going?” It happens every so often; someone refers to the seven months I’m spending in Ecuador as a “trip”. While one can assume that they mean no harm, it puts me on edge, even for...
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