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
Recap: Quito and Difficult Times in my Family
Natalia Fischl-Lanzoni
2017-09-28
I have now been in Ecuador for around 4 weeks, and a lot has happened. This post will more be about updates of what I've been doing the past few weeks, and in future posts I hope to dive deeper into specific events and how they have affected me. Quito was an amazing city. With...
Read More
An Early Morning Discovery
JuliaGrace Walker
2017-09-27
From Friday, September 22, 2017… I can now say I have been to the largest market in the region of Azuay: Feria Libre. It’s where bulk produce, fish, and meat are sold, like Costco on steroids. Visualize shopping on a football field packed with merchants. I have been living with my host family...
Read MoreWho knew…
Elizabeth Ollila
2017-09-26
Who knew it was rude not to hug everyone in the room every time you came and left? Turns out I’ve left bad impressions more times than I can count. However, now I know, and I’ve come to love the way Ecuadorians tell you they love you with a cheek kiss at every hello and...
Read MoreA lot has happened in the transition to Ecuador
Shauni Lustig
2017-09-26
We have finally arrived in Quito, Ecuador after having our flight be delayed for another 5 days. We had been staying in Berkley, California which was different enough from my home to already give me some sense of culture shock as I have never been in a place like Berkley. Looking back at it all...
Read More
First Week with the Host Fam
Maya Wilcox
2017-09-26
Hi everyone! It's time for an update on my life in Ecuador, have fun reading! My family lives in a town called Ilumán, about 30 minutes outside of Otavalo. My mother's name is Nancy and my father's is Rodrigo. I’ve got three siblings, the oldest, Laymi, is nine years old, and is in 6th grade....
Read MoreDear High School Class of 2018
Marissa Emerson
2017-09-25
Dear High School Class of 2018…You Got This!!! Here’s some advice from graduates from the Class of 2017 that are taking bridge years around the world through Global Citizen Year! [vc_video link=’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6MBpIV9C1c&feature=youtu.be’] •Subscribe to my blog below! •Donate to my Fellowship Fund fundraising page here: https://donate.globalcitizenyear.org/fundraise?fcid=978608 Special thanks to all the fellows that participated in...
Read More
First days in Bella Union
Leila Merzenich
2017-09-25
I have now spent under a week in my host community, and I have had such an interesting time full of learning and new experiences. My village in reality is a tiny suburb of a town called Santa Ana. There is a tiny store that sells basic groceries, a panadería or bakery, and two small...
Read MoreAwkward Silences, Beautiful Scenery, and Just Diving In
Christopher Maloney
2017-09-25
On Sunday my family and I journeyed to a cousin’s house about an hour and a half away. On the ride I learned dozens of games in Spanish from my two host sisters. I was so focused on the games that I hardly noticed the rapid changes in the flora around me. Mountains went from...
Read MoreToo Much Sauce
Alexandra Moreno
2017-09-25
So on Friday night, I came home from a Southern Hub reunion at our Spanish placement exam geeked. I didn’t realize how much I missed everyone and I think it recharged my soul (as cheesy as that sounds). I was very happy coming home on the bus with my neighbor, Shukura- while at one point...
Read MoreLost in Translation
Jordan Kendall
2017-09-25
Since embarking on my journey with Global Citizen Year, language became one of the things I thought about most often. Part of me was absolutely shaken to the core, knowing that I would be forced into a new culture without my primary form of expression. Whenever these thoughts came into my mind, I could feel...
Read MoreSunday
Alexandra Moreno
2017-09-25
So Sunday is the only day of the week the restaurant is closed and my host family has a day off. Saturday night, they asked me if I wanted to go to church with them and I said yeah because I felt like if I ever needed to refocus my spiritually, seven months in Ecuador...
Read MoreRewind
Alexandra Moreno
2017-09-25
So I have like a week of information to stuff into one blog post. It might seem sporadic and all over the place but it’s important to me and you’re choosing to keep up with me so it’s about to be important to you. I’m going to start off with immediately after my speak up....
Read More