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
BLOG#4 Garopaba And Independent Travel To Porto Alegre
Haider Ali
2019-04-26
Since I moved to Garopaba city, things seemed really changed. Daily routine became different except apprenticeship and language learning classes. In week days, I´d go apprenticeship in the morning and I’d come home at lunch time. I´d eat some lunch and would help my mom with washing dishes and setting cutleries on the table. After...
Read MoreBLOG#3 New Homestay. My Apprenticeship and Language Learning.
Haider Ali
2019-04-26
This morning, I was supposed to wake up early than I´d been waking up, because Marcella (my team leader) told me, we will go visit my apprenticeship, which was adjacent to my homestay. It was like 10 min walk from the main street. I could walk by either main street or street behind my house....
Read MoreBLOG # 2 Host Country “BRAZIL”, Welcome Week, Homestay, Apprenticeship.
Haider Ali
2019-04-26
After the amazing pre-orientation meeting in Stanford with beautiful motivational speakers, we started our journey to Brazil. I was so full of excitement and nervousness. I was happy to see the most beautiful country of my life. After a long journey, from Stanford to 4 more different places, we were so tired but still excited...
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Falling in Love
Julia Salomone
2019-04-21
It was the beginning of January and I still wore fear like a scarf around my neck. I was grappling with it – truly! The week before I had even eaten a new type of pastel my friends had been begging me to try. I came to Brazil very afraid of the world around me...
Read MoreCollege Decision Day 2.0
Sophie Auvin
2019-04-18
I hit the refresh button willing the status update to appear early. It was Friday, February 8th and Hamilton College EDII decisions were coming out at 8:00 pm EST. I hit the refresh button again just as the clock changed to 11:00 pm Brasilia time and the blue “view update” link appeared. Breathing in and...
Read MoreA Gap Year in Thirty Photos
David Jiang
2019-04-05
A Gap Year in Thirty Photos Um ano sabático em trinta fotos Here, I show how I made the most of a seven month’s time in Florianópolis, Brazil. The pictures speak far better than words. Enjoy. Aqui mesmo, eu mostro o melhores momentos depois sete meses morando em Floripa. As imagens contam muito melhor que...
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Learning How to Let Go
Sophie Auvin
2019-04-04
I decide to take the long bus ride home rather than the direct one. I tell myself it’s so I can do some reading, but I end up falling asleep. I wake up halfway through the ride to the sunlight beating down on my face through the open window. As old samba songs play through...
Read More15 things I will miss about being in Floripa
Julia Salomone
2019-04-02
1. Long bus rides to TILAG when the sun is setting 2. Walking through the forest every morning to work 3. Reading on the little island near my host family’s house 4. My host brother working on his art 5. Waking up every morning to work with animals 6. Swimming in an ocean surrounded by...
Read MoreLive From The Field
Luis Juarez
2019-03-27
*Evolution and Racism* Ok. So. This is going to press a few buttons at once. Humans are very good at judging things. Especially when it is unjustified. However, I will not be defending the neurobiological reason for stereotypes, or racism (principally because prejudice is a learned thing). I am going to take a holistic view...
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Environmental Activism in Brazil: Saving our Oceans from Plastic.
Marco Barracchia
2019-03-24
During the last three months, the NGO I work with launched a new project in southern Brazil: raising awareness on the use of plastic and its effects in the ocean ecosystems. Having been an environmental activist for some time now, I couldn’t be happier to be part of this project, which in the end had...
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Why nature saves me
Marco Barracchia
2019-03-24
During my gap year (and all my life) I’ve always felt a strong urge to consistently connect with nature. The reason behind is that it helps me grounding, meditating and connecting to the roots of the earth. Listening to the whispering of birds, watching sunsets, swimming in the cold ocean, hiking, canoeing, running, among others,...
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