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 Graveyard Outside My Window
Jordyn Voss
2016-10-06
One of the things that has scared my family most in my coming to Brazil was the mosquitos. I was told that it was an easily manageable problem, and not to worry about it. Those were lies. Now this is a bit of an exaggeration. The mosquitos in Santa Catarina carry none of the terrifying...
Read More
6th week / 34
Fernanda Tornell
2016-10-01
I have been putting off writing this blog because I have had so many different experiences since I left home that its hard to put them into words. However, I have been taking plenty of pictures, to the point that I have to download them all to my computer on a weekly ritual and since...
Read MorePiano Man
Eugene Henninger-Voss
2016-09-28
On the Global Citizen Year packing list under “Other recommended items” is “Small musical instrument (if you play one, can carry it, and can tolerate possible damage — music is a great way to connect cross-culturally!)”. I realized that a grand piano was out of the question. What about the Henninger-Voss family upright? 0/3 was...
Read MoreConsider the following
Alondra Quiles
2016-09-25
5 things you are never told when considering a bridge year: It will never feel 100% right The truth is… no matter how many times you tell yourself that you made the right decision. No matter how many times you feel content and satisfied, there are still going to be moments where all you want...
Read MoreWhen It Isn’t You Pushing Yourself
Angus Larsen
2016-09-24
With the inability to communicate (and the lack of people around to communicate with, thereof) comes much time to reflect, observe and eat acai bowls. The change of scenery from Curitiba to Florianopolis, too, holds much to do with this. The connection I had managed to build in Curitiba during the time I found myself...
Read MoreBlessed
Alondra Quiles
2016-09-18
The thing about life is that it somehow always plays out just the way its meant to. And its crazy to think about how little actions line up to big moments in our lives that shape us. For me, deciding to leave my home and come to Brasil was one of the roughest decisions to...
Read MoreSwept Away and Finding Comfort – Exploring the Tip of a Very Large Iceberg.
Angus Larsen
2016-09-13
The colours of the buildings in Centro that surround the Feirinha do Largo da Ordem, the location for the small Sunday market that bustles with people every Sunday, and the beautiful street art, bursting with colours, captivates not only my eyes, but stimulates my emotions pulls me out of a reality that I need to...
Read MoreICO is coming to an end
Alondra Quiles
2016-09-12
It's 9:24 PM and tomorrow morning as I head out for language class at PUCPR my host father Ale will be heading out to go fishing for the week. And I sit here on my seven year old host sister Carolina's bed and am contemplating the fact that I will be finding out who my...
Read MoreI lied, maybe just a little
Alondra Quiles
2016-09-10
It's like… I want to go home, but I also don't. Honestly, I don't even think that that makes any sense, and I'm not saying that I'm homesick… At least I don't think that I am because every day feels great. Yes, there are moments where I'm just tired and want to be home alone...
Read MoreNo Expectations
Sophia Carroll
2016-09-07
All the mindfulness and self-awareness exercises I’ve been doing at both Global Citizen Year PDT and Tufts 1+4 Orientation have made me think a lot about my character traits, ones that I value and ones that I want to change over my bridge year. I’ve realized that adaptability is one of the keys of doing...
Read MoreWhy I Don’t Miss My Friends and Family
Jordyn Voss
2016-08-31
Montana is not known for its cultural diversity. That being said, when one of my friends asked if I wanted to get Japanese food while we were both in Paris this July I was a little terrified. Her experiences with culture in London where she lived and the time she spent in Japan made it...
Read MoreChallenging Happiness
Makenzie Leigh Meacham
2016-08-27
Here, at the end of Pre Departure Training, I feel saturated with knowledge. Any fellow can tell you that this past week we've been repeatedly exposed to risk takers, leaders, mistake makers; speech after speech of rich information from innovators who have valuable advice. Additionally, fellows were quick to impart knowledge upon eachother, give tips...
Read More