Fellow Stories
True gap year stories from Fellows abroad!
Check out the latest blogs from Global Citizen Year Fellows in Brazil, Ecuador, and India!
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Class Year
Country
A Snapshot of a December Morning
Joe Giallo
2011-01-02
It’s December 30th, and still not even noon. I’m playing over this morning’s events in my mind as I sit in my room playing Free Cell on the computer, stepping outside my life for just a second to relax and reflect. I woke late, having been excused from work the night before by my boss...
Read MoreI Will Always be a Gringa
Lily Shaffer
2011-01-02
I am white. I am a young woman. Luckily, I’m about the same height as most Ecuadorians. My hair is just reaching a point where I can put it in a ponytail. I don’t stick out too much. But nonetheless, I am clearly an outsider. It doesn’t matter that I call this place home right...
Read MoreIt’s About Changing Myself
Lily Shaffer
2010-12-30
For a long time, I thought Global Citizen Year was about changing the world. It always bothered me when my friends or family applauded me for “saving the world”—that’s not what I’m doing at all. But, part of my intent of taking a bridge year was to make sustainable, systemic change. Part of GCY’s intent...
Read MoreJambi Huasi: Providing Affordable Healthcare for All
Alberto Servin
2010-12-30
For my GCY assignment in Ecuador I feel very honored to serve as a volunteer at a health clinic here in Otavalo. The place is called Jambi Huasi that means Health House in Quichua, an indigenous language of Ecuador. Jambi Huasi was created in 1984 by a private organization called Federación Indígena e Campesina de...
Read MoreHow to Cook a Cuy
Alberto Servin
2010-12-29
Warning: The videos below may be disturbing for some people. Refrain if you think that will be the case! “Here’s the cuy, I hope you enjoy it!” says my host-dad as he puts plates down in front of Joe, Liza, and me. The plates of just-broiled meat and vegetables steamed in front of us. At...
Read MoreTracing back to Peguche
Alberto Servin
2010-12-20
Saturday morning in Otavalo, the downtown is flooded with locals and tourists alike. People from all over Ecuador and the world come here on Saturdays to buy souvenirs in the famous market. Starting with the nucleus in the Plaza de los Ponchos, the market sprawls down several blocks in the city of Otavalo. Some of...
Read MoreReflections from Zuleta
Omar Arteaga
2010-12-20
As I look back on all of my mistakes, I ask myself if the path that I have chosen to pursue is the right one for me. All of a sudden I shed a tear, I soon wipe it of my cheek and then I begin to listen to my conscience. Little by little I...
Read MoreMy home in Cayambe
Chloe Bobar
2010-12-13
This is probably a biased statement, but: my house and neighborhood are absolutely gorgeous. Here follows picture-evidence: [slidepress gallery=’my-home-by-chloe-bobar’] Note: Move your mouse over each photo to see the captions!
Read MoreThe Other Side of the Fence
Cameron Kaufman
2010-12-06
I recently started working at a day care for underprivileged children in Cayambe, Ecuador. Just the other day I tucked in a six month old to bed with a blanket reading “Beautiful Baby” (in English), accompanied by a picture of a smiling blond, blue-eyed baby. This was most certainly not an accurate representation of the...
Read MoreVideo From Caminata al Quinche
Lily Shaffer
2010-12-03
On Saturday, November 20, I went on the Caminata al Quinche with three other fellows, Pete, Caroline, and Omar, and the family who owns La Choza, an organization Pete´s been working with. I took some videos during the plilgramage and put them together in a little video. Hopefully it will give you a sense of...
Read MoreLa Caminata al Quinche
Peter Saudek
2010-12-03
La Caminata al Quinche, or the ‘hike to Quinche’ is a yearly tradition through the Roman Catholic church in which hundreds of thousands of people from Ecuador and all around the world travel to a region in Ecuador to participate in an all-night pilgrimage to reach the church, Quinche. The majority of the people who...
Read MoreC is for Calor
Liza David
2010-12-03
I was incredibly excited to go to the monthly meeting. Naturally, seeing all the Fellows that I had not been able to contact and to hear about their apprenticeships was a highlight, but the thing that I looked forward to having the chance to take a shower. After having previously been told that the shower...
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