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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I Swear I’m Not a Witch!
Lily Shaffer
2010-11-14
I had spent the last 24 hours running between my bedroom and the bathroom, being force-fed oregano tea and chicken broth, and battling between “finding the light” in the situation and being thoroughly bummed out I wasn’t at my first day of my apprenticeship. After a day of this, I was starved, and Mamá and...
Read MoreFood Poisoning, Revelations, and a Little Bit of T-Swift
Lily Shaffer
2010-11-14
At 12:13 on Thursday, I should be delving into the first day of my apprenticeship at Pastoral Migratoria de Ibarra. I should be jabbering away with Mariela, my advisor, soaking in all that is political advocacy for the Human Rights of immigrants, anxiously planning tomorrow’s trip to Quito where I will be introduced to one...
Read MoreAppreciation for the little things in Life
Alberto Servin
2010-11-14
As I am walking to work in the morning, I am mesmerized by the dominant view of wispy clouds floating past the beautiful visage of the Imbabura volcano. One week has passed since I have moved-in to La Calera, an indigenous community near the market town of Otavalo. It’s an interesting and important change from...
Read MoreCooking Quimbolitos Con Mama
Lily Shaffer
2010-11-12
Quimbolitos are little gifts from the gods. I’m not kidding. They’re these delectable pound cake-like, steamed concoctions of sweet, buttery goodness wrapped up in the leaf of some secret plant I still can’t figure out. If you ever come to Ecuador, make sure quimbolitos are the first meal you eat—they’ll also be the last, because...
Read MoreThe Coffee Process
Liza David
2010-11-10
Let’s take a coffee farmer- we’ll call her Maria. She lives on and owns a coffee farm. On this farm she picks coffee beans. She then sells her coffee beans. For this venture, she has two options: She can sell her beans on the open market at a price that is below her household cost,...
Read MoreThe Next Step
Peter Saudek
2010-11-10
After finishing the first month in Quito, I said farewell to my wonderful first host family, and prepared for the next step. I have been placed in Ibarra for the next six months to begin my apprenticeship. Ibarra is a small, four-hundred year old city with antique-style buildings and churches, narrow stone-patterned roads, and is...
Read MoreOlor de Café
Joe Giallo
2010-11-05
Well, today, I worked with AACRI, my new employers, for the first time, and I’ll be the first to tell you it was an experience. As part of our (Liza and I’s) first month of training and initiation, we spent the day in la planta, the factory where all of the coffee that AACRI produces...
Read MoreRocks and Rivers
Joe Giallo
2010-11-05
I was sitting out by the river today with my family, and their family, and their family’s family, and then friends, and also the two Canadians who live nearby (they speak no Spanish at all, and seem to think it’s great that I’ve arrived and I speak enough to translate), when a thought occurred to...
Read MoreThe Most Beautiful Place No One Has Ever Seen
Joe Giallo
2010-11-05
I’m here in Apuela now. Well, in actuality, I’m just outside of Apuela, in a place that is just a bit more rural, and whose name I do not know how to spell, so forgive me. In lieu of a name, allow me to paint you a picture of what my house is like. Ten minutes on the...
Read MoreA few more bus stories…
Peter Saudek
2010-10-29
There’s something about riding the public transportation bus system every day that has really intrigued me. What’s most interesting about the bus is the make-up of the people on it. There are women in indigenous clothing selling their goods, men in full suits and ties, six year-old girls riding alone to school, preachers, and female security guards commuting...
Read MoreFirst Month Findings
Peter Saudek
2010-10-29
The past few weeks I have found myself doing lots of observing, listening, and gradually beginning to interact more with the locals as I gain more confidence in my language abilities. However, the more comfortable I feel here, the more I want to say. Then I realize there are still so many ways in which...
Read MoreEcuadorable
Cameron Kaufman
2010-10-28
This past week had us getting into the Quiteno rhythm; Spanish classes in the morning, a huge lunch back at home with the host families, and lectures at the university about various subjects to finish up the day. Of course, with the exception of Thursday’s, on which we have our “Ritmos Tropicales” salsa class after...
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