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
Alma da Terra
Karina Rodriguez
2012-03-28
Where do you begin to talk about your Life To talk about where you´ve been And what you´ve done Who you are and where you´re from? In a mess of systems and an almost Obligatory form of Living, Who am I to say who I am and what I come from? Is it true what...
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Finding Faiths
Winson Law
2012-03-28
Before coming to Brazil, I did enough research to find that the country is predominantly Roman Catholic, a legacy of Portuguese colonization centuries ago. Growing up in a Chinese Buddhist family, I prepared myself to be immersed in a faith I had little exposure to. In the months that I’ve spent in Bahia, however, I’ve...
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Giving Thanks… Training Seminar 3
Mariah Donnelly
2012-03-21
Every seven weeks the fellows come together in a unique or an important place within the country that are staying in to discuss different aspects of their gap year and their journey thus far. During the days the fellows usually engage in what we like call “modules” where we focus on different aspects of our...
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Security- SEC-URITY
Albamarina Nahar
2012-03-21
I had no idea that Brazil used to be ruled by military dictatorships and governments for a long period of time in history. Many blame America for its influence on military and torture. Although that was in the past, today still lives some type of military practice in everyday life of all the...
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Finding Humor in a New Language
Winson Law
2012-03-12
In the ongoing adventure to gain proficiency in Portuguese, there are times when I have to make the universal face of confusion and times when I really get a kick out of learning. Below are three accounts of my daily, hilarious trek through the Portuguese language. The Difference Between Puxe and Pull Besides the obvious...
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The Crying Man and the Machete
Henrietta Conrad
2012-03-07
I was having trouble figuring out exactly what was going on. There was a blubbering man with tears streaming down his face and my host dad sitting on a stool, determinedly looking straight ahead with arms stubbornly crossed. My host dad owns a burraca in front of the house, a tiny convenient store/pit stop, which...
Read More In the Name of Smelling Good, I Have Proudly Represented the American People
Henrietta Conrad
2012-03-07
“You know, you’re not like the other Americans.” I looked up from brushing my wet, clean hair. My older host cousin, Iarema, was standing on the other side of the living room, one hand placed lightly on her thrust out hip. Her eyebrows were furrowed as if she was trying to solve a puzzle and...
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Food For Thought
Annie Plotkin
2012-03-07
Feijão, arroz, cururú, moqueca, vatapá, churrasco, pirão, quiabada, vatapa, acarajé. Bahians do not mess around when it comes to their food, and as a result, I can’t fit into anything I brought with me when I first packed for my year in Brazil. Every day, I wake up and begin the day the way my...
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The Museum of Imaginary Objects
Antonio Peluso
2012-03-07
During my short time so far in Brazil I have been through many things that have left me with perspective. A quote that I recently heard, and am always coming to identify with more, is “From the hottest furnaces comes the finest steel”. Challenges have always been a part of everyday life and yield great...
Read More“Michael, Eles não ligam pra gente”
Mariah Donnelly
2012-02-05
15 years after Michael Jackson chose to record his historic music video “They Don’t Care About Us” in Brazil, the problems that Jackson tried to reveal through his video still exists. If you haven’t watched his video (the one he made in Brazil, not the one that was made in the U.S.), I recommend...
Read MoreBagunçaço
Antonio Peluso
2012-02-04
After a while of getting settled into my new home and working with my supervisor when requested, I have found myself regularly volunteering at an organization called Bagunçaço. Bagunçaço is an after school project that is geared towards keeping at-risk youth off the streets, lowering the risk of being influenced by the negative aspects of their...
Read MoreBlack Friday in the BRA more like FREE FRIDAY in Pirajá!
Albamarina Nahar
2012-02-04
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CURRENT NEWS IS ONLY OCCURRING BECAUSE THE MILITARY POLICE IS ON STRIKE. THEY WANT THE GOVERNMENT TO PAY THEM A DECENT LIVING WAGE AND ARE NOT CONTRIBUTING TO DOING THEIR JOB, “PROTECTING THE PEOPLE AND CATCHING THE CRIMES.” Before reading on, take a moment and watch this video that was recorded here...
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