Fellow Stories
True gap year stories from Fellows abroad!
Check out the latest blogs from Global Citizen Year Fellows in Brazil, Ecuador, and India!
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The Lessons I’ve Learned
Andrew Chen
2019-05-31
Hey guys! Today will probably be my last blog. I wanted to talk about some of the lessons I’ve learned from my gap year, whether I learned them from experiencing Indian society; meeting people from other walks of life; or simply from having time to reflect on my life – a basic luxury I often...
Read MoreMy gap year playlist
Hailey Thomas-Turner
2019-05-31
My Senegalese Playlist Music has been such an integral part of my gap year experience. I never knew how poppin the aspect of music would be to Senegalese culture. I love the drum breaks in both traditional and contemporary Senegalese music. Here’s a list of the music I constantly bumped to during my gap year....
Read MoreJournal Entries: Before and After
Hailey Thomas-Turner
2019-05-31
Journal Entries: Before and After August 26th 2018 7:30 pm Stanford, California I have been here a total of eight hours, and I am ready to turn back home. The people here are inspiring, intelligent, and intriguing, and I do not feel that I match their caliber. However, I continue to smile and give the...
Read MoreMy Yaay’s Omelet Recipe
Hailey Thomas-Turner
2019-05-31
My Yaay’s Omelet Recipe 3 Large Eggs 1 Small Sweet Yellow onion ½ cup of peanut oil 1 tablespoon Brown Vinegar Salt ¼ of a Madji Cube, ground Black pepper French Baguette (to serve) Mayonnaise (to serve) Background I remember the first real street food item that I had was an omelet....
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tchau tchau
Giselle Esquer
2019-05-31
As my chapter with GCY comes to an end, I’ve had the opportunity to finally reflect about my growth from beginning to end. For my capstone project I shared a presentation at my old high school. I stood in the same spot of my english class where I had given my end of the year...
Read MoreKYA BAAT HAI
Jemina Auge
2019-05-31
From my journal, 10 February As I made my way from a taxing day of disciplining undisciplined ten year olds, I was tired and a tinge frustrated. My mind wandered back to Ayush relentlessly using his pencils and desk as a drum set, to Nupur proudly applying glue in her braids the same...
Read MoreVEGETABLE MARKET
Jemina Auge
2019-05-31
From my journal, 18 January Wednesday nights on Sinhagad always mean one thing: सब्जी बाजार [sabzi bazaar – vegetable market] On this midweek evening, once the sun surrenders its dry heat to cooler, more tolerable temperatures, a parking lot abandoned during the daytime begins to buzz with activity. Under large tents and bright neon lights,...
Read MoreBONDING OVER CHAPATI, part 1
Jemina Auge
2019-05-31
From my journal, 15 November For the entirety of the first month with my host family, the kitchen was a ‘do not enter’ zone. In this space where chai was always brewing and rice was always steaming and vegetables were always frying, my host mom set the rules – and apparently, one such (unofficial)...
Read MoreTRUST ISSUES
Jemina Auge
2019-05-31
From my journal, 25 September I instantly heard the footsteps behind me pick up their pace, the pitter-patter of feet becoming quicker and louder. “Keep on walking”, I thought to myself, hoping to fight off the habitual feelings of discomfort and weariness from settling in. These efforts, however, were in vain: only a few...
Read MoreI Remember
Anna Denniston
2019-05-30
I remember sugar cane. I remember the black bowler hat my great-grandpa always wore, even under the shade of the Guava tree in our backyard. I remember the wasp in my room one Saturday morning. I went and got Danny, and he helped me get it out. I remember playing hangman with Danny on the...
Read MoreSilhouettes of Palm
Anna Denniston
2019-05-30
I love my bed in Iowa City. It’s small, but that’s okay, because it only needs to fit me, which it does perfectly. I’ve got it positioned so I can pull my curtains back and look out through the screen into my backyard, and the outline of the pine tree branches in the back. In...
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