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
The Power of a Single Word
Eliza Stowe
2018-11-28
A picture can tell a thousand words, but sometimes a single word can paint an entire picture. If my time here in Ecuador has taught me anything, it’s the importance of a single word. Living in a Spanish-speaking community while speaking a limited amount of Spanish, has made me realize how important words are. On...
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An Ecuador Mixtape
Grace Partridge
2018-11-26
One of my favorite parts of the day is the breathtaking bus rides through the mountains, where I am often blessed with the company of my *vecina*, Avry. I’ve made a playlist of a few favorite songs we frequently share earbuds to on our daily drives. Follow the link to Spotify to channel some carefree...
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A White Man’s Perspective: Something You Have Already Heard Before
William Shain
2018-11-26
Not every part of this journey is amazing. Many parts are unforgettable, but that’s not always a good thing. The picture above is from a park in Ibarra, the hub city for fellows in my area. Walking through on my way to lunch, I was caught dead in my tracks. At first, I searched for...
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A Day in the Life
Sarah Montross
2018-11-21
I haven’t written a blog in a little over a month, and while I could have written about my new life in Biblián, or my apprenticeship in the *escuela inicial* (daycare) where I work, I really wanted to share with you all a story from today – one that perfectly describes a day in my...
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My Apprenticeship (the past, the present, the future)
Jeffrey Fishman
2018-11-18
As I sit on my bed writing this blog post, I am currently stuck in my house due to a citywide transportation strike in Ibarra. Not only are the taxi and bus systems not running, but the taxi drivers have also lined up their vehicles to blockade the highway and other parts of the city....
Read MorePUEDE LLAMARME MERI (YOU CAN CALL ME MERI)
Meredith Jones
2018-11-17
Me llamo Meredith. I have called myself Meredith for 18 years. I have never shortened it. Occasionally in conversation or introductions, people asked me if I had a preferred nickname. The truth is that Meredith was my preferred name. Every shorter variation of my name did not feel like me. Upon meeting my host family...
Read MoreAlgae Bloom
Avry Richter
2018-11-16
If you had the opportunity to live, learn, and breath the air of another people, culture, family and country, would you? So, here I am. Here I am taking in this world as the moments pass. I sit here with Yolanda, Domenicha and myself in a car in a city called Ibarra while the spacious...
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The Volcanoes
Jeremy Chan
2018-11-15
Closing seminar just ended, meaning no more catch and release, also meaning we are spending more time with our families and apprenticeships. For the past month and a half, catching the 8:45am bus has been the norm every single day. As I wake up and leave the house, the 2 volcanoes welcome me out of...
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Two Months without a Comfort Zone
Holly Shankin
2018-11-15
I want to start this blog by saying that Ecuador is beautiful, and not just it’s landscape. This country is full of vergüenza but everyone still loves to dance, and the kids still scream Teacher even though they don’t know it means profe. The sky is so full of clouds every night that I can’t...
Read More‘Mi hija’
Surabhee Arjunwadkar
2018-11-15
I was waiting for my bus to Quiroga, the town I live in. It hadn’t arrived yet. I took a chance and asked the bus conductor. ‘A Quiroga?’ ‘No, mi hija…’ I don’t know what he said after that. I stopped listening after mi hija. Mi hija. My daughter. My father says it. My mother...
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Portraits of Home
Maya Foster
2018-11-14
It occurs to me that sometimes conventional language isn’t sufficient. I find, increasingly each day, that words alone cannot describe the complexities of my life here in Cuenca. This realization actually has more to do with the absence of words than their presence. Photography has always been my primary medium of choice. Portraiture, specifically,...
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¿Te gustas el Ecuador?
Macy Lipkin
2018-11-14
The short answer: yes and no. Every time I introduce myself to someone new, I explain that I’m here until April, living with a host family in Quiroga and interning at Radio Pública Cotacachi. Usually, the stranger asks, “¿Te gustas el Ecuador?” Sometimes, I just answer, “sí.” Other times, I’m more honest: “Hay cosas que...
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