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
Jacqueline Oeschger vs. Fatou Djiba
Jacqueline Oeschger
2018-09-23
Have you ever read the article called “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema”? It unveils our innate bias and tendency to assume that there are always “others”. When in reality we all stem from the same tree of life. I am in a new land. I have been given a new name, a new family, a...
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Finding a new place to call home…
Maddi Schink
2018-09-23
Hello again! Welcome to blog post No.#2! There is a A LOT of new information to share with you all since my last post, as I am finally in Ecuador!!! 🙂 I arrived in Quito, Ecuador at the beginning of September and after a week of training, fostering some incredible friendships with the other program...
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BUSES GO EVERYWHERE IN ECUADOR, BUT NOWHERE IS BUS FRIENDLY
William Shain
2018-09-22
This is the wisdom that I have gained in my short time here in Ecuador. Though pickup trucks and small cars make up more than 80% of the automobiles that you see on the road, giant 40+ person buses dominate the paths as they hurdle past town after town, always en route to the next...
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Pimampiro, Ecuador – The New Place That I Call Home
Eliza Stowe
2018-09-22
Expectations (n): a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future. Throughout the Global Launch week at Stanford, we had countless seminars about expectations. We heard numerous speeches about the importance of flexibility and adaptability. They told us it would be impossible to enjoy our year if we set expectations...
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Love
Macy Lipkin
2018-09-20
Two hours into my seven-month homestay, the three-year-old told me she loved me. “¿Tan pronto?” I responded. “So soon?” I’m living in Quiroga, a suburb in northern Ecuador, with my host mom, host dad, and their three girls, who are three, eleven, and thirteen. My host mom, Paola, introduces me to friends as her daughter....
Read MoreGetting to Know Giron and Mi Familia
Barbara Peck
2018-09-15
The first thing I saw when I walked into my new home: Have you ever had a teacher explain the same thing in three different ways but you still didn’t understand, and so you just end up smiling and nodding? That pretty much sums up my first week here with my host family. Regardless of...
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My Ecua-Family
Sarah Montross
2018-09-15
I thought I’d designate this blog post to my host family because a short – or long – week ago, I arrived in Guapán, Azogues, Ecuador, where I will be spending the next seven and a half months. Guapán is a small town on the outskirts of Azogues, a relatively modest city in the province...
Read MoreReally? It’s only been a week?
Kaya Pearson-Gaglia
2018-09-14
The fact that I am in another country just truly hit me. My host family is hosting a church gathering at my home and playing Christian rock so loud the house is shaking. If you know anything about the way I was raised this is definitely a new experience for me. It has finally been...
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The Eating Habits of the Pineda Family
William Shain
2018-09-14
Yesterday I watched three guinea pigs go from squirming little fellas in a box to a delicacy on my plate. Did I think this would be how my Thursday night would be going? Of course not. But turns out “cuy”, as the dish is referred to in Ecuador, is pretty delicious! Pro tip however: Don’t...
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What Not to Do When Preparing for a Gap Year
Brian Hill
2018-09-13
*My mom is freaking out.* I mean, you really can’t blame her. I’m the youngest child, and both of my older siblings are way past college and returning to live at home during the summer. So, I’m the only child left, and not only am I going away, but I’m going about as far away...
Read MoreWhy a Gap Year?
Rebecca Bogart
2018-09-13
Hi! My name is Rebecca Bogart and I was born and raised in South Florida. I decided to take a gap year for multiple reasons. I’m sick of hearing stories of people who went to college for all four years and come out not knowing what they want to do afterwards or can’t even find...
Read MoreThe Cure for Homesickness?
Grace Peel
2018-09-12
It happened on the second day, right after breakfast. I called my mom for the first time since arriving at my host family’s house. We talked about how great my host family is, how beautiful Illuman (my new town) is, how excited I am to start my new apprenticeship, and how things are back at...
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