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
Learning the ABCs of Ecuador
Carrie Hamilton
2012-10-01
Culture is a funny thing. It dictates so many aspects of our daily lives and, whether we realize it or not, it is responsible for many of our values, routines, and social behaviors. When I first arrived here in Ecuador, I was hopeless. I simply could not understand how to conduct myself in such a...
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Fútbol and Friends
John Villanueva
2012-09-28
It’s the first week back from Quito from our six-month host communities and I spent eight days in the provincial capital city of Riobamba, about four hours south of Quito and ten times smaller. With a population that small in comparison to Quito, the week-long stay was therapeutic. And the night before we all returned to Quito, I couldn’t wait...
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Updates and Anecdotes Part I
Aidan Holloway-Bidwell
2012-09-26
Ok I let me get you up to date on the past few weeks of my life in Ecuador. Many of the unknowns I spoke about in my previous post are now knowns, and yet there’s still much I’m excited to figure out and experience. Here’s the low down. Last Sunday I returned from a week-long stay in...
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Wanting to Feel in a World of Infinite Possibilities
Emily Power
2012-09-26
Ever since I started the Global Citizen Year program, beginning with Fall Training, I have been experiencing this very strange feeling, which is incredibly difficult to pinpoint. It’s always on the tip of my tongue, but I don’t feel any anxiety to find out what it is. I am flabbergasted when people ask me how...
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Hard Money
Jordan Lee
2012-09-25
They are loud, heavy, and easy to lose. When in a hurry, it is difficult to distinguish one from the other. In the United States, they are somewhat of an afterthought, but here in Quito, they are an absolute necessity. They are coins, and I can never have enough of them. In 2000, Ecuador changed its national currency...
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Never Have I Ever
Sarah McMillan
2012-09-24
I wander the town like a stranger and mostly I am but I feel like spitting fire, like I always have, I feel like making myself open, like I always have, like saying anything that people could understand, anything would do, really, but my tongue is made of cement, just like every single house here. Every single one, I...
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A Sweep Is As Lucky As Lucky Can Be
Sam Reeve
2012-09-24
After almost three weeks of brushing up on Spanish, expanding my Spanglish vocabulary, seeing my fellow Fellows daily, learning about the culture of Ecuador through presentations and speakers, and receiving three authentic Ecuadorian meals a day from my host father, Ivan Bonilla, I have arrived in the rainforest. On Saturday, September 15, 2012, we all split up into our respective...
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ChiQuito
John Villanueva
2012-09-21
The first two weeks in Quito, Ecuador have consisted of excitement, learning, and a slight case of paranoia. During the first week in Quito, I pondered the fact that I´m only one of the two million plus people who currently populates this massive, sausage-shaped city. I’m not exactly a big city type of person, so I found it disheartening that...
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Let’s Dance…
Sammy Gachagua
2012-09-19
First, I want to apologise for the delay in updates and blog post! A lot has happened, so let me bring you up to date with what’s going on. Well, I arrived to Quito, Ecuador about 4 weeks ago and I have been taking spanish, Ecuadorian culture, and politics classes. Currently, I am in a...
Read MoreLife In Quito, Ecuador
Daniel Schwarz
2012-09-19
Here is a short video about some simple aspects of life in a forgien country. Enjoy!
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Something New
Daniel Schwarz
2012-09-18
I thought to myself, “I’m going to Ecuador for 8 months.” I didn’t know why but I knew it was what I was supposed to do. Something from within me knew it was right. Something from within me knew I wasn’t ready for college. I went with my gut, something that has never failed me,...
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I am exactly where I’m supposed to be
Delia Ross
2012-09-17
Reflecting on the past four or so weeks, there’s no denying that they have been some of the longest weeks of my life. That early morning that I waved goodbye to my parents as I walked through airport security feels like worlds away. Since then, so many things have changed. My friends from home are...
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