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
Conceição
Na'ilah Harris
2014-10-13
I am staying in the beautiful city of Florianopolis for my first month in Brazil. With more than 90 beaches and palm trees lining the streets, I’m sure you can imagine its grandeur. My homestay is in the bairro (neighborhood) of Lagoa Da Conceicao. Translation: Lake of Conception. It’s a beautiful, and very tropical neighborhood....
Read MoreI Love Running
Jaxom Moore
2014-09-29
Running sucks! I mean like really bad. Who in their right mind would ever want to push their body and mind to the limit with such a slow and boring method. First of all, you’re never comfortable while running; It’s too cold, hot, rainy, just don’t feel like it, WHATEVER. There are an infinite number...
Read MoreThere is Something Romantic About Public Transportation…
Camila Diaz
2014-09-26
“Você gostaria de se sentar” “Would you like to sit down?” “Não, obrigada.” “No thank you.” It amazes me how the bus drivers manage to keep buses intact as they quickly make turns, speed up mountains, and then back down them again all the while passengers sway from side to side. Every time I get...
Read MoreTravel, Grow, and Keep Running
Nicholas Chieng
2014-09-17
You might have clicked the link in your email update wanting to read about my latest adventure in Brazil from trying new foods to talking to random strangers on the bus. That will come in a later blog post. For now, here’s what’s been going on internally: Today, our team leaders had all the Fellows...
Read MoreTudo Bem
Myriam Sitterson
2014-09-10
The other night, as I was getting ready to go to sleep, I heard a familiar sound from outside my bedroom door — “Luiza, não ande descalça!” (“Luiza, don’t walk around barefoot!”) It was my host mom, Luciana, telling her daughter to put socks on. It’s nearing the end of winter here in Brazil, and...
Read MoreBeat of Brasil
Pooja Thekdi
2014-09-05
When we dance We are in-suppressible. Boisterous yet harmonious. We hear the music and we move. Boogie, Wop, Charleston, and Foxtrot, Careening, Jitter-bug-ing, Leanin’ down the block The music is in the road, in the sky and in the sea. Lagoa has a soft hymn. The kind you have to hear to believe. A melody...
Read MoreHow to Make Friends
Jaxom Moore
2014-09-02
Walking from the security check to the gate for my plane in PDX airport I was alone. I was more alone than I had ever been in my life. At that hour long moment of torture I had left all my friends in Portland, and I had yet to create new friends at Global Citizen...
Read MoreThis is Only the Beginning!
Kendall Yee
2014-09-02
At this moment, I sit here, feeling numb by the fact I just said goodbye to the Ecuador Cohort- from a very close friend I’ve known since freshmen year to all the amazing fellows I’ve met this past week. They are on their way to experience their wonderful year abroad and the amazing culture that...
Read MoreIntroduction
Myriam Sitterson
2014-08-31
While we were in the Redwoods, Abby Falik, the founder and CEO of Global Citizen Year, said something during her presentation that really stuck with me. Well, she said a lot of really cool things, but one thing in particular resonated with me that got me a little concerned. She said, “Some of you may...
Read MoreConnecting
Jaxom Moore
2014-08-19
Connecting A central theme in my pre-departure training to Global Citizen Year has been connecting with my community, family, friends, new Global Citizen Year fellows and the world. In so many ways Global Citizen Year has helped me connect with… New Friends In January one of the first things I did after getting accepted to...
Read MoreAre you ready to leave?
Azul Diaz
2014-08-07
Yes, they did give me a packing list, a list of things I need to accomplish before I leave, and a broad idea of what I will be doing for the next nine months. I have checked off items from that list and I have imagined my self countless times doing any sort of activity that...
Read MoreLet’s Begin
Elliott Aronson
2014-08-07
Insecurity derives from a lack of capability. And as people of the world have proven time and time again, a “lack of capability” derives from nonsense. The most wonderful part about being human is that improvement is always attainable. By constantly improving yourself, you are ultimately making your life easier by becoming more accessible to...
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