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
Olive Branch
Kim Asenbeck
2013-01-09
In Germany, next to my blonde-haired, blue-eyed cousins, I look like the child from the Jungle Book. Next to my Brazilian cousins, I look like a pale ghost. I’m too dark. I’m too light. In Germany, they tell me to take myself more seriously. In Brazil, they tell me to laugh a little. I don’t...
Read More
The Difference Between Man and Wolf
Alan De Leon
2013-01-09
During the weekdays, I make a regular 30 minute walk to my apprenticeship organization’s headquarters. Back in Houston a similar trek would have been largely annoying – my car courts my laziness. I get a kick out of HQ every time I see it. It is an odd structure by common architectural standards: the outer...
Read More
A Vida Sem Aventura Não Vale Nada
Devani Santos
2013-01-05
QUE BELEZA Glimpses into my life as a Global Citizen Year Fellow 2012! Vale do Capao, Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brasil
Read More
Another Reality
Ava Hoffman
2012-12-18
Two million, nine hundred ninety eight thousand and fifty six people live in the city of São Salvador de Bahia de Todos os Santos ₁. Of that population, six hundred and eight thousand and nine hundred seventy six inhabitants live in extreme poverty. — Salvador is beautiful in its own way. Always bustling, Salvador never...
Read More
Snippets of Life
Benito Aranda-Comer
2012-12-11
I find that when I actively look for something amazing, interesting, or out of the ordinary to happen in my life I come up short. My actions remind me of the saying, “a watched kettle does not boil.” There are so many beautiful and wondrous things to glimpse, learn, and understand here in Brazil it’s sometimes hard to get...
Read More
Being Happy with Where You Are
Joshua Reason
2012-12-11
After our cohort’s first training seminar I was sick. It wasn’t anything serious, but nevertheless I decided that once I got back to Lençóis I would take it easy for a little while. I have been taking jiu jitsu classes for about a month now. I just bought a jiu jitsu kimono from Salvador before...
Read More
A Day in My Life
Jayshawn Anderson
2012-12-05
5:30-7:30: Whenever my eyes have had enough of the early morning sunlight, it is time for my body to get up (yes, it’s sunny around 6 here in Salvador, Bahia). 8:00: Café da Manhã (breakfast), which usually consists of coffee, fruits, bread, cheese, and presunto (a slice of ham). 8:20: The Walk. My NGO is about...
Read More
Settling In
Drew Hayes
2012-12-05
Often when I tell people I’ll be living in Diogo for the next six months, they tell me how privileged I am. They gush about the beach, the sand dunes, and the river. Now that I’m here, I can confirm that Diogo, Bahia, Brazil is a place worth gushing about. It makes an awesome postcard....
Read MoreJigsaw Puzzles
Julia Carter
2012-12-04
When I was younger, I loved working on jigsaw puzzles with my grandmother. I loved getting down to eye level with the table and seeing life from the eyes of the puzzle pieces. With half my face revealed, I would watch as a picture magically materialized from what used to be 1000 little pieces of...
Read More
Where in the World Am I?
Avery Ashwill
2012-11-29
No, this is not some uplifting, inspiring post about identity as a North American living in Latin America. This is actually just a post about where in the world I am. I figured this is obligatory, because I’ve been in Brazil since September and haven’t even mentioned my whereabouts. And that’s just inconsiderate. So, let me answer some questions for you....
Read More
Paper Rain: A Reflection of Brazil’s Electoral System
Kim Asenbeck
2012-11-27
Read the initial publication in the Christian Science Monitor’s “Change Agent” blog, by clicking here. __________________ A small boy, maybe six years old, stood in the middle of an intersection. The streets were covered by small, colorful pieces of paper. Unfazed by the passing traffic, the boy gathered up two handfuls and tossed a rainbow...
Read More
Get Over Yourself
Joshua Reason
2012-11-27
I don’t give hugs. I have a couple of reasons for this, but the main one is that I am adverse to physical contact. Coming to Brazil, I never thought that this and many other personal preferences I have would make my experience more challenging. For example, it’s very common in Brazil to greet someone...
Read More