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
Family Time
Filip Carnogursky
2018-02-06
My host father has 13 siblings. Most of them live with their whole families on our afforested street bearing their family name. Addressing them as a Tio [uncle] and a Tia [aunt] does not only sound familiar but works perfectly to dwarf my incompetence of remembering their names; at least at times when they do...
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Feel it All
McKenna Daily
2018-02-05
Feel it all for this moment, let it pass. Since arriving in Quito, and starting this song, I have felt excitement, loss, wonder, fear, connection, and love stronger than ever before. Now, having tea with my host mom who I now truly love, I still feel all those emotions, but they don’t scare me,...
Read MoreWhy I Have Enjoyed The College Application Process
Jamie Constantine
2018-02-05
When people learn I’ve applied to college during my time here in Ecuador the responses I usually receive are a mix of a painful grunt and an apology. This type of response has time and time again left me confused. Most people I’ve spoken with, current college students or current Global Citizen Year Fellows, associate...
Read MoreON FAMILY
Christopher Chieng
2018-02-04
A few weeks ago, I was sitting on the bus with my host mom, going on our usual Sunday trip to Atuntaqui to buy groceries. I was letting her know that I would be gone for the week, visiting some of my friends in the south of Ecuador. As we descended from the bus, I...
Read MoreInside Global Citizen Year: Shukura, Khuda, and Leandra
Antony Le
2018-02-04
Meet the Ecuador Southern Cohort fellows: Shukura, Khuda, and Leandra, and hear about their unique stories before, during, and after their gap year with Global Citizen Year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idNps9jHPgY
Read MoreThe country with infinite peace.
Isabel Munoz Beaulieu
2018-02-04
While roaming through the crazy streets of Senegal in a bus that is not the most comfortable mode of transport I’ve been in in my life, Izzy, another fellow, decides to ask me what I think about Norway and its people. I suddenly got reminded of the two years I spent living there and how...
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when words fail
Stephanie Sanchez-Aguilar
2018-02-04
“Music is the universal language of mankind.” — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow We recently had TS2, where all the fellows come together after spending uninterrupted time with our host communities and being immersed. During these seminars we have sessions in which we talk about a number of things surrounding our experience in Senegal. One of the...
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Vamos – Ecuador: Mid-Year Video
Antony Le
2018-02-03
Take a look into my experiences in Ecuador so far. In this video, you will see footage of the schools I teach in and the city I live in, Guachapala, as well as some sights from Giron, Banos de Ambato, and Pailon de Diablo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=[vc_video link=’https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DefKPs18Bhg&t=20s’]&t=20s
Read MoreAn encrypted dialogue
Sydney Scanlon
2018-02-03
Picture meticulously hand building a life-sized Taj Mahal from common playing cards with minute detail then carefully shaping your lips into a perfectly round O and releasing a soft, though exact breath into the foundations of the masterpiece causing the intricate structure to topple from slow to rapid procession. Imagine the feeling of euphoric oblivion...
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Where’s Carlos been?
Carlos Henriquez
2018-02-03
Hey friends! I was talking to a close friend of mine the other day and suddenly he asked “Wait, I know you’ve been in Brazil for more than four months already, but why? What are you doing there?” We’ve been friends for over four years and we’re constantly in touch, however he had no idea...
Read MoreAmerican cooking for the modern Indian family
Isabel Hallock
2018-02-01
My host family once again asked me to make dinner. Niraj, my host dad said it was my duty for Sunday nights, and I had 3 hours to whip something up. I knew I didn't know how to cook very well, especially not Indian dishes, so I looked up American recipes instead. I asked my...
Read MoreAffirmations
Talia Drayton
2018-01-30
****This blog is about….5 months overdue? Oops. I can’t think of an inspiring introduction, so this is going to have to do the job**** Here is a condensed list in no particular order of importance for some of the affirmations that I have found useful during my gap year. Self-Motivation: ….. Some days,...
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