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
Views are a’changin’
Eva Ackerman
2013-12-05
Throughout my teenage years, whenever I heard of people sending clothing, sports supplies, or money to a developing country, I got upset. There are people in the United States who suffer a great deal, yet it isn’t as glamorous to help improve their lives. I thought of all the people ten minutes away from my mainly wealthy community with...
Read More
Protected: Chicken Fight
Simone Fillion-Raff
2013-12-04
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Read More
Equality, and bringing people together. (Blue Sweater analysis)
Charles Hill
2013-12-04
As part of our fellow work, we read The Blue Sweater byJacqueline Novogratz. This book is about Jacqueline’s quest to bridge the gap between rich and poor in our increasingly interconnected world. In this book, Jacqueline donates her prized blue sweater after she outgrew it. Eleven years later, she sees a boy in Rwanda wearing this sweater with her name...
Read More
Somos Mujeres
Madeline Lisaius
2013-12-04
This particular blog has troubled me for quite some time. Two months living in rural, southern Ecuador, I have been struck by the great contrasts that la mujer, the woman, illustrates. But how do I explain to you my perception of mujeres, acknowledging how the lenses my U.S. education and personal experience narrow my vision, while simultaneously putting what...
Read More
Eat, Pray, Love
Lillie Mayfield
2013-12-04
I have never read the book, I have only seen parts of the movie on TV, but when I came across that title (Eat, Pray, Love) it struck me as the theme of my year. EAT “If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him… the people who...
Read More
October with Quinoa {a poem}
Ilana Marder-Eppstein
2013-12-04
I am a bride Carrying a bouquet of dried Quinoa. My train of dust dances Behind bare-feet. Down the sloped aisle I walk towards the awaiting women Circled around a mound of bouquets The same as mine. I let my Quinoa fall on the pile Landing with the rattle of seeds. The last harvest of...
Read More
Finding Joy in Simplicity
Abigail Clavin
2013-12-02
If there were one word to describe my bridge year experience so far it would be overwhelming. Adjusting to a new family, job, language, food, climate, and way of life has been incredibly difficult. The continuous highs and lows I experience make me feel like I’m constantly on a roller coaster. The love and support...
Read More
All Tomorrow’s Parties
Spencer Wise Watson
2013-12-02
“Whether we are born into a culture which emphasizes community over independence, or a society which values tradition over feminism, we cannot easily escape the influence in which they have upon us.” I hopped on the bus from Cuenca to Azogues and immediately made my way to the back. As with most people, I am particular about where I...
Read More
Stepping Back to Move Forward
Ilana Marder-Eppstein
2013-11-22
Lets talk about poop. Not mine, although I probably could talk about that for a good while as well. I am talking about cow patties, the kind that land with a splatter, and if you’re not careful, will fly on to your clean white shirt drying on the nearby clothesline. Here we have seven cows. Each morning I wake...
Read More
Homesickness
Alexandra Lines
2013-11-21
“Talking about our problems is our greatest addiction. Break the habit. Talk about your joys.” -Rita Schiano Homesickness is an interesting beast. It makes you realize how much you appreciate where you are from, your family and friends, and how comfortable you feel in your home. Sometimes you can be happy just checking in with those...
Read More
La Vida Tranquila
Isaiah Fischer-Brown
2013-11-21
Spending three weeks in Quito getting to know my country cohort was a much-needed introduction to the Ecuadorian lifestyle. We received excessive security briefings about how not to get mugged, pick pocketed, and even kidnapped, then despite our language barrier and little knowledge of the public transportation system, were let loose to enjoy everything the city had to offer. We...
Read More
My Life So Far!
Conner Evans
2013-11-20
Hey Everyone! So it’s been a little while since I last blogged. I apologize about that! While in Quito, I decided that I wanted to apply to college again and it took up quite a bit of my time during my first few weeks here in Pedro Vicente Maldonado. But now that’s over and I have been pushing...
Read More