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
Afraid of Change
Sophia Carroll
2016-12-19
I wanted to do this year abroad because deep down I didn’t want to do it. Or, in simpler terms, because I thought it would be hard. I’ve developed a liking, maybe from 6 years of competitive rowing, to doing things that are hard because I enjoy the feeling of satisfaction after, which can be...
Read MoreOn My Own
Kenya Barbosa-McCauley
2016-12-14
*written using some parts of my diary* I was rarely serious about anything I did. The things my hands have created are all seemingly done accidentally. Rushed, as though they too can barely wait to get away from me. To do things seriously means to plan for reality, to plan for waking nights and sleepy...
Read MoreThe Bus Ride That Is Life
Kenya Barbosa-McCauley
2016-12-10
I pop my headphones in and sit down on the metal benches as the cracking yellow paint rubs on my pants. I lean my tired, heavy head on the plastic, graffiti-etched backing that holds it all together. The bus stop.They all look the same, blue, white and yellow just like the buses. When I see...
Read MoreConfusing emotions
Alondra Quiles
2016-11-27
I’m stuck between the feeling of mourning and the wanting to jump up and down with joy. It’s been a week since my host grandmother passed away and at the time it was all happening, my Brasil cohort was preparing to leave for TS1 in the town of Guarda de Embau where all fellows of...
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How to Live with Cats
Christopher Iba
2016-11-21
When I first got the profile of my permanent host family, I was surprised to see that they had 5 cats. I have never lived with cats nor have I ever been a big fan of them, but my bridge year is about adapting and stretching the boundaries of my comfort. When I first arrived,...
Read MoreBreathing In
Makenzie Leigh Meacham
2016-11-20
It is such a unique feeling, the moment a memory is sequestered. And the form of memory through scent is absolutely amazing to me. A slightly familiar smell caught in the wind, and entire days can come back that we completely forgot about. Sometimes, we can't recall the memories, but a certain smell will...
Read MoreImmersion, Not Submersion
Julia Shankin
2016-11-19
Before I came to Brazil, and even during my early days in my community, I was convinced that the best way to immerse myself here was to give up all aspects of my former way of life and adopt all of the routines and values of my community. I was prepared to go with the...
Read MoreThree Months Late, But At Least Now You Know
Julia Shankin
2016-11-19
Disclaimer: This is an original blog that I actually wrote during PDT, but due to technical difficulties, I was unable to upload any blogs until now. I hope you enjoy this snapshot of how I was feeling almost three whole months ago! It has now been a full week since I have been in California...
Read MoreMinha Avó
Alondra Quiles
2016-11-19
I've never been good with receiving news. I’ve never understood what the correct way to react is. So imagine my luck when I walk into my living room on my way downstairs to the garage when suddenly my host dad says, “A mãe de Maria Jose faleceu 30 minutos atrás” (Maria Jose’s mother passed away...
Read More2016 Election
Christopher Iba
2016-11-16
As everyone knows, we have just elected a new president, Donald Jay Trump. I assume that the majority of Americans were very shocked by this outcome noting that the polls and statistics portrayed Hillary as having a substantial lead. For me, I am happy to at least have an answer to who is going to...
Read MoreLove Trumps Hate
Amanda Hawks
2016-11-09
Today I woke up at three A.M, and reached for my phone. I was so excited for the news, and fully expected to pick up my phone and see that sanity had prevailed. While I knew our country was divided by racism and hatred, I was almost positive that the majority would vote for love...
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