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
We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For
Miniya Ali
2017-09-29
It is nightime in the funky Sahara town of Touba Toul and like most nights it is significantly cooler than the day. My host family sits under a neem tree to discuss the highlights of the day. They passionately gossip about about un-married women and crazy men and of course me. I am a new...
Read MoreTHRIVING :)
Phuong Nguyen
2017-09-29
I don’t write much anymore, which would normally be a red flag but not this time. I’m trying other outlets of expression and art. Bear with me. [vc_video link=’https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_k5yhCiRwQ&feature=youtu.be’] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_k5yhCiRwQ&feature=youtu.be
Read MoreLet Life Come To You
Joseph Hansen
2017-09-28
The view of Cerro Imbabura from my room on a clear morning. I slowly open my eyes as the quiet murmurs of my host father and my brothers permeate into my dream. Not long after I slowly arise to bear witness to the following. I live at the entrance to...
Read Morejournal entry #003- it’ll be okay
Stephanie Sanchez-Aguilar
2017-09-28
“Sometimes, the most healing thing we can do is remind ourselves over and over and over… other people feel this too. ” –– Andrea Gibson The hour is 21:30, the muffled voices of my friends are drowned out by the sound of my own beating heart. I float aimlessly in the hotel pool, eyes closed,...
Read MoreRecap: Quito and Difficult Times in my Family
Natalia Fischl-Lanzoni
2017-09-28
I have now been in Ecuador for around 4 weeks, and a lot has happened. This post will more be about updates of what I've been doing the past few weeks, and in future posts I hope to dive deeper into specific events and how they have affected me. Quito was an amazing city. With...
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An Early Morning Discovery
JuliaGrace Walker
2017-09-27
From Friday, September 22, 2017… I can now say I have been to the largest market in the region of Azuay: Feria Libre. It’s where bulk produce, fish, and meat are sold, like Costco on steroids. Visualize shopping on a football field packed with merchants. I have been living with my host family...
Read MoreBlog II
Nicolas Livon-Navarro
2017-09-26
I moved in with my host family and they have been so welcoming it’s insane. I think I’ve been able to adapt really well this beginning because of a lot of things I’ve learned through my life. Every day my understanding skills skyrocket exponentially as I learn new words and see new things, while my...
Read MoreWho knew…
Elizabeth Ollila
2017-09-26
Who knew it was rude not to hug everyone in the room every time you came and left? Turns out I’ve left bad impressions more times than I can count. However, now I know, and I’ve come to love the way Ecuadorians tell you they love you with a cheek kiss at every hello and...
Read MoreA lot has happened in the transition to Ecuador
Shauni Lustig
2017-09-26
We have finally arrived in Quito, Ecuador after having our flight be delayed for another 5 days. We had been staying in Berkley, California which was different enough from my home to already give me some sense of culture shock as I have never been in a place like Berkley. Looking back at it all...
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What is up with Brazil?
Sophie Winter
2017-09-26
As my posts on social media bring on an onslaught of questions about my days, what I am doing in Brazil, why I am taking a gap year, and more. I have realized that I have not disclosed exactly what I am doing living in a foreign world for seven months. No it's not to...
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First Week with the Host Fam
Maya Wilcox
2017-09-26
Hi everyone! It's time for an update on my life in Ecuador, have fun reading! My family lives in a town called Ilumán, about 30 minutes outside of Otavalo. My mother's name is Nancy and my father's is Rodrigo. I’ve got three siblings, the oldest, Laymi, is nine years old, and is in 6th grade....
Read MoreFive Reasons Why College Can Wait
Patil Khakhamian
2017-09-25
You just graduated high school, what’s next? Going to college/university. You finished your undergraduate degree, what’s next? Get your master’s degree, what’s next? Get your PhD, find a job, buy a house, build a family, etc… This is the mindset I have grown up witnessing from the people around me. In between finishing school,...
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