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
Infinity
Lily Shaffer
2010-10-06
Quito, Ecuador. How can I describe it to you? My home is at the base of a volcano, Pichincha. I am terrified of driving in anything but a big bus because the traffic has no rules. In the morning, it’s warm and sunny and I can see Cotopaxi, a stunning snow-capped volcano, the tallest active...
Read MoreSuch Great Heights
Joe Giallo
2010-10-06
Estoy aqui. Or, in English, I’m here. In Quito, Ecuador. Well, that’s one way to look at it, anyway. I’m also here: at the start of something so vast I can’t really conceive the full implications, even now, inside the country. These last two days have been increiblisimos, and I’m more than a little overwhelmed....
Read MoreFlight Write
Peter Saudek
2010-10-04
I am on the final flight of the day from Atlanta to Quito. No matter how many times I tell myself I’m going to spend the next seven months in Ecuador it’s still surreal. When I boarded the plane I quickly realized my skin and hair are lighter than most of the people’s on this...
Read MoreIn Training…
Liza David
2010-10-01
I am sitting in a lecture hall, surrounded by thirty-two new faces. The seat is slightly uncomfortable; I adjust myself. The speaker walks in, is introduced and begins to lecture. As I sit listening to the speaker discuss the concepts of change, development and freedom, I am struck with a strange notion. These are not...
Read MoreReflection
Alberto Servin
2010-10-01
With the GCY training coming to an end, I’ve been reflecting a lot on what I experienced so far. My mind is cluttered with so many memories, but one has really impacted to me these past two weeks. It was last Tuesday, when the Fellows and I ventured into San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. The assignment...
Read MoreSelfishness Vs. Selflessness
Chloe Bobar
2010-09-29
My mind serves as an arena for the constant conflict between selfishness and selflessness. I want to believe that my actions are inspired by the latter of these forces, but as I sit here trying to answer the question, “What do I want to achieve out of my Global Citizen Year?” I cannot help but feel as though many of...
Read MoreBridges
Joe Giallo
2010-09-28
One day, probably about a week ago, we were doing an activity where we had to speculate and journal about our identities. It was an exercise in self-examination, and how identities affect the stories we tell. I was ranting, as is my habit in private journal entries, but that’s not really important. What is important...
Read MoreBlood, Sweeet, and Tears
Joe Giallo
2010-09-28
Allow me to introduce you to Sweeet. That’s his street name. You might also know him by Sterling, his handle for the Street Sheet newspaper, or Christophe (that’s phonetic, never saw his name in print), his given name. I met Sweeet on the streets of San Francisco, working on a project for GCY. What was...
Read MoreWhat is Empathy?
Lily Shaffer
2010-09-26
I’m hungry. It’s 11:02 on Friday night and I’m really freakin’ hungry. This is because I had approximately 2/3 of a cup of rice for dinner. Tonight, we had an Oxfam hunger fast. Of the 29 Fellows, five got to eat a typical, delicious (and I mean, unbelievable IONS food) dinner with drinks, dessert, utensils—the...
Read MoreThe beginning of a journey
Liza David
2010-09-21
It has been so exciting to finally start this journey. Before, it was an abstract idea; something to tell people offhandedly, “Oh yeah, I’m going to Ecuador”. And even now, the idea of going to Ecuador is only somewhat of a reality. After all, I am still in the United States, albeit I am across...
Read MoreEnter Stage Right
Joe Giallo
2010-09-21
So, hey y’all. Coming from Raleigh, North Carolina, it’s me, Joe. As a Global Citizen Year fellow, I’m really excited and can’t wait to get out in the field in Ecuador. I’m taking a bridge year in order to flesh out my understanding of the world, and sort of fill in the gaps left in...
Read MoreReaching out
Caroline Pocock
2010-09-21
I’ve always been the adventurous type. Ever since I could wobble on my own two feet, I’ve been seeking out new challenges and experiences that have the potential to broaden my horizons and strengthen my knowledge of myself and the world in which we live. Coming from a small town (Rutherfordton, NC population: 4,000) has...
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