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 Importance of Community
Caroline Smith
2017-09-17
My bridge year, like most endeavors I take on, has been great so far in large part because of the people I have met and those who support me. I am so grateful for my newfound family in the Brazil cohort, who are always down to jump in the ocean fully clothed, stay up late...
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Tres Dias de Aprender
Sophie Winter
2017-09-13
As day three of my new life comes to an end, I begin to reflect on my days in Brazil and while my time has been short here I have learned many things. There are small cultural differences such as the TV always being on, eating four meals a day; lunch being the largest, most...
Read MoreBem-vindo ao Brasil
Leonardo Salvatore
2017-09-12
Two weeks have gone by since I embarked on this adventure and it feels like forever. The first week was all about getting to know the incredible people who have created this path for students around the world and mentally preparing to overcome the inevitable challenges we will have to face during our bridge year....
Read MoreLearning to Disconnect
Kaya Van Dyke
2017-09-05
I am learning to balance connection and disconnection. In the last week here at Stanford, I have heard hundreds of names and become familiar with dozens of faces. I have been met with people who are passionate, enthusiastic and inspired by the same things that I am. Simultaneous to all of this new connection, I’ve...
Read MoreHow I’m Learning Portuguese (And Having Fun Doing It)
Savion Sample
2017-09-04
Hello, and welcome to my first blog! For this post, I’m going to be explaining some of the ways that I enjoy learning languages in general, and currently Brazilian Portuguese! Duolingo Contrary to many others, I actually really enjoy Duolingo. It’s a simple, yet effective way to get a good baseline in a variety of...
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The Places You’ll Go And The People You’ll Meet
Alexi Strike
2017-09-02
With pre-departure training coming to a close, I felt it best to fill my first blog post with a small chunk of newly-learned information. One thing that has really stuck around with me after this week is the classification of facts about oneself. I've met so many amazing people this week and I felt that...
Read MoreTo Set Out Upon the World
Jonas Gerken
2017-09-02
At the beginning of Hemingway's "The Old Man and The Sea", the protagonist–the old man–sets out on a journey. The goal of the trip is seemingly simple: to set out upon the water to fish for his food. And yet, at some point in his trip, something changes, and his goal suddenly changes with the...
Read MoreIMPRESSIONS OF AMERICA- “THE DANGER OF A SINGLE-STORY NARRATIVE”
Filip Carnogursky
2017-09-02
Before arriving in Brazil, all participants of Global Citizen Year meet at Stanford University in sunny California, to connect, get inspired by exceptional leaders and to share their worries and excitement. Since I was a small kid, I greatly adored the US. I remember as I watched High School Musical at home, together with my...
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A Fast and Furious week
Sophie Winter
2017-09-01
The week has flown by in a flurry of lectures, field trips, impressive games of sharks and minnows, and finally learning about the tools that are necessary to aid us in the year to come. I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting 130 other 18 year olds who chose to take a bridge year and who share...
Read MoreAn Empty Planner
Sophie von Muench
2017-09-01
I have now been away from home for two weeks. However, it feels like it’s been much longer. These weeks of orientation have been packed with seminars, discussions, and group bonding activities, without giving us fellows very much time to breathe. The working theory is that our leaders were trying to keep us busy enough...
Read MoreSo this is how it happened, my Global Family is expanding into Brazil!
Juliana Trujillo Mesa
2017-08-31
Looking back, I will never forget the day when while having what seemed to be a typical afternoon in UWC Mahindra College, right before everyone gets really busy and emails cease to be checked, an email changed it all. I opened an email that sparked my curiosity as it contained a document which explained how...
Read MoreFirst Blog!
Nicolas Livon-Navarro
2017-08-27
I am from Buenos Aires, from the pinchos al carbon in the hot summer heat. I am from my family in Madrid and Pamplona. I am from the beautiful game that is futbol, the game that raised me and showed me to kick before i could walk. I am from my little sister, and the...
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