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
TLTD Vlogs: Day 25
Marissa Emerson
2018-06-06
The Last 30 Days (Day 25): March 31, 2018Please DONATE to my Global Citizen Year fundraising page here: https://donate.globalcitizenyear.org/fundraiser/978608 Today I spent the day in Cuenca with Gabby and her friends while they worked on a school photography project. Memory of the Day: Slipping and falling into a patch of mud – staining my sweatpants...
Read MoreTLTD Vlogs: Day 24
Marissa Emerson
2018-06-06
The Last 30 Days (Day 24): March 30, 2018Please DONATE to my Global Citizen Year fundraising page here: https://donate.globalcitizenyear.org/fundraiser/978608 Today I helped fight off a mouse, climbed a mountain to the top of my town, and got laughed at as I fell on the way back down. Memory of the Day: Sending Ramona to chase...
Read MoreTLTD Vlogs: Day 23
Marissa Emerson
2018-06-06
The Last 30 Days (Day 23): March 29, 2018Please DONATE to my Global Citizen Year fundraising page here: https://donate.globalcitizenyear.org/fundraiser/978608 Today I journaled next to a river, ate lunch at an Italian restaurant for my last Spanish class, and had my last 1:1 with my team leader, Lucia. Memory of the Day: Lucia and I hugging...
Read MoreTLTD Vlogs: Day 22
Marissa Emerson
2018-06-06
The Last 30 Days (Day 22): March 28, 2018Today I had my last day at my apprenticeship, ate lunch with the teachers, and got some college news. Memory of the Day: A student named Anahi and who I think was her brother stayed after school just to hang out with me because they didn’t want...
Read MoreTLTD Vlogs: Day 21
Marissa Emerson
2018-06-06
The Last 30 Days (Day 21): March 27, 2018Today I finished my Final Community Project (woohoo!!!), had a really yummy lunch, and chilled at home. Memory of the Day: Catching Camila and Erick singing together while washing the dishes was really cute. Their bond as siblings is really something else. 🙂 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCknQYSOH7k Please DONATE to...
Read MorePart 3: Who am I? and Who do I want to be?: A Self Reflection
Maya Wilcox
2018-06-06
Nine months have gone by since I stepped on a plane to Ecuador. That moment feels so long ago, but when I think about the home cooked meals my host mother would cook, and the views of the mountains from the roof of my house, it feels like yesterday. There are a lot of reasons...
Read MorePart 2: Who are the American people?: What we as a culture can learn from another
Maya Wilcox
2018-06-06
Learning about other people often teaches us about ourselves. If our values and ways of life are never challenged, we will never learn why we believe in them. Learning about Kichwa culture has given me several insights into American values and way of life, and I think we can and should make some improvements. #1...
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Part 1: Who are the Kichwa Otavalo people?: Countering the single story narrative
Maya Wilcox
2018-06-06
Anyone who is part of GCY is familiar with the idea of the single story. It refers to a common thread in most Americans’ view of the world. When we think about other countries, especially less developed ones, we tend to be content considering only one narrative of how the people live their lives. In...
Read MoreCapstone Reflection
Elizabeth Ollila
2018-06-06
I know you are probably wondering what on earth I could still have left to say in one of these blog post after I’ve been home for well over a month. However, Global Citizen Year requires us to do a capstone project–to share our story back home somehow. I chose to share mine by going...
Read MoreA Year In Ecuador
Diego Lasner
2018-06-05
A short film dedicated to spread awareness the beauty a gap year with Global Citizen Year can hold. [vc_video link=’https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3tkoL21uZo’]
Read MoreFrom the End to the Beginning
Callista Helms
2018-06-05
Adapting to a new culture and country was more than difficult when I first lived in Ecuador, but contrary to popular belief going back home was even harder. In my town in Chordeleg, I felt like I held an important role in my community. I was an assistant English teacher and I also worked in...
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Capstone or stepping stone?
Yesenia Martinez
2018-06-05
After RET, it took me a while to get back on the "GCY program requirement" train. I struggled with reverse culture shock heavily, and reintegrated somewhat slowly. However, during this reintegration process, Leo (Brazil fellow) and I went to visit one of our high school teacher's (Matt Cone); we talked about our experiences and shared...
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