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
Been There, Done That
Macy Lipkin
2018-08-15
This time three years ago, I was getting ready to transfer to boarding school. I spent August writing and rewriting my packing list, shopping for dress code clothes (khakis were a shift from the sweatpants of my public school days), and combing through my new school’s website and Instagram for any clue towards what...
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Let the adventure begin…
Maddi Schink
2018-08-15
Hello there! 🙂 Welcome to my blog! My name is Maddi Schink, and I am 18 years old and a Colorado native. In less than a month I will be embarking on the journey of a lifetime on a gap year through Global Citizen Year! As I entered my senior year of high school...
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An Unfinished Love Letter to the Place I Call Home
Surabhee Arjunwadkar
2018-08-14
पुणे. पुनवडी. पुण्यनगरी. माझं शहर. माझं घर. Sometimes, I wish I had found you sooner, felt your magic, seen your beauty. I remember, two years ago, when two foreigners thought that a rather unimpressive, dirty bridge was beautiful, I thought it was absurd. Now, as I pass that bridge, it reminds me of them, of...
Read MoreTwo Weeks
Maria Bossert
2018-08-13
As I woke up at 5:45 this morning to the sounds and motion of my co-counselor amid her routine sleep-talk-and-walk show in our summer camp cabin, I knew there was no going back to bed. Throughout this week at camp, the question I have been most frequently asked is “When do you leave for...
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Two Weeks and Counting…
Sarah Montross
2018-08-12
As I write this, I’m sitting atop the mountains in the southern part of Virginia, looking out at the lush, green valleys and endless, rolling horizon. Knowing I’ll be placed in the mountainous region of Ecuador, I can’t help but think how my view will differ in the upcoming weeks and...
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Answering the Why
Sophie Meltzer
2018-08-09
As I stand on the edge of my childhood, I teeter from the breezes of the influential voices all around me. From behind, the voices of my teachers, my high school friends, my parents, and all of those who have helped me along the way. Their messages are loud and clear and I know...
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Maclovia San Martín
Leila Merzenich
2018-06-22
The thing that’s been hardest about being back home is how much I miss my host mom Maclovia, or Maco. Maco showed me how to be compassionate even when it might be easier to think of only yourself and how to be a strong leader within the community. To support her own family of 5...
Read MoreLive From The Field
Allison Vaught
2018-06-18
Beyond the Classroom: My Life in Ecuador Or the Alternative title: $6.00 is a Ridiculous Price for a Coffee In Ecuador people don’t wear seatbelts. I learned that right away with my host family as we drove places together each week. We had five people in the family car and it was very foreign not...
Read MoreFinal Reflection Blog
Natalie Choi
2018-06-15
Since I have come back from Ecuador, countless people have asked me about my experience. And I’ve realized that I always talk about Ecuador nicely; not because I’m scared of offending anyone or because I want to battle against the stereotypes, but because I actually, truly love Ecuador. I love how I could see the...
Read MoreCapstone Reflection: A very long, jumbled page of unfinished thoughts and run-on sentences
Layla Solatan
2018-06-08
[vc_video link=’https://youtu.be/AqGHF_Y7lGQ’] Coming back from Ecuador, I’ve been asked countless times, “How was it? What’s Ecuador like? Your experience?” If you’re one of these people, I’ve probably failed to answer your question. I probably answered with something along the lines of, “Umm… great! *awkward laugh*” I hope you didn’t take this as, “I don’t have...
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El Blogo Final
Regina Markert
2018-06-08
It feels surreal to think that this may very well be my last blog post on the GCY website. This year has been a lot of things, but it has also been fulfilling in ways that I did not anticipate it to be. I have grown mentally, physically (shoutout to rice), spiritually, and intellectually. As...
Read MoreThe Extraordinary of Everyday Life and the Everyday Life of the Extraordinary
Jamie Constantine
2018-06-08
I’ve been thinking about my capstone a lot and I still don’t know if how I’ve chosen to go is what is best (hence the very last-minute completion). Originally, I had planned to present at the high school I graduate from, unfortunately though, that fell through due to an April snowstorm and hectic schedules. While...
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