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
Living in Valle de Chota
Amma Thomas
2016-12-23
I spent the first half of my year in an Afro Ecuadorian community. A community that much like the African American community at home is also a product of the African diaspora like my ancestors they were also brought to their current land by slave ships. I went to a museum and learned how Cotten...
Read MoreProfesorita Abi
Abi Bethke
2016-12-21
In the beginning, hearing “Profe Abi,” “Profesorita,” or “Senorita Abi” made me a little uncomfortable. I had no idea what kind of apprenticeship I initially wanted when I joined Global Citizen Year. There were really no expectations. I knew teaching English was of course a possibility, encompassing the majority of apprenticeships, but during the interview...
Read MoreStatus Report: Anecdotes from Azuay
Henry Duerr
2016-12-21
With my mind turned home to during this holiday season, I would like to share a few stories with you all about my new home. Many of you, I am sure, are gearing up for the seasonal festivities that come every December. As am I, albeit against my will. I enjoy the holiday season, I’m...
Read More‘Soy indio, nacido de la tierra’ – ?
Sahar Thomson
2016-12-21
Santa Ana’s cold disappears most afternoons, when the clouds shy away and a sun so strong fearlessly blazes above us. The island girl in me revels in these moments. So after I had my one-on-one check-in with my team leader this one sunny October day, I thought I should stay out for a little while...
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AMAZING PLACE TO BE AT WITH THESE LOVELY CHILDREN.
Tejas Ramdas Renuse
2016-12-20
Let me give you all a little insight about my work in Ecuador. I am doing an apprenticeship in Ecuador with Global Citizen Year for about almost four months now. It is crazy how time is flying by really fast. The name of the organization is Maria Amor and this is in Sayausi....
Read MoreHermeneutics, Semantics, and Literature in Translation
Sara Barac
2016-12-17
Exploring language and literature, I have inevitably been faced with the question: why is language important? Simple sets of sound are assigned meanings and significance by means of cognitive recognition, shaped by the environment they are developed in. Certain words are specific to the society of their language, indicative of social and environmental beliefs and...
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Dancing in the Dark
Rachel Koltsov
2016-12-12
The month of September can be metaphorically compared to a roller coaster. Following a 10 hour trip from the capitol city, Quito, to Cuenca (the busy bee hub of the southern region of Azuay) my host family picked me up and took me an hour away to Gualaceo, which is where I’ll be living for...
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The Early Bus
Caroline Montag
2016-12-10
The bell in my school rings. It’s 18:10 h. I smile at my students, pack my things, say “hasta luego” for a thousand times and leave my school. Why am I in such a rush? If I speed walk to my bus stop then I am very likely to get the earlier bus. The earlier...
Read MoreMidpoint Adventure: The Plights and Fortunes of a U.S.-BornImmigrant
Jensine Raihan
2016-12-07
The other gringa, Svende, who lives in my house enters my room and cries, “I was just at our sister’s wedding!” I sat up straight, “Wait, what? Our sister is married?” Svende nods, her face in exasperation. Only a few hours ago I saw my sister putting on a very gorgeous blouse that went with...
Read MoreSalchipapas con Carne
Antoinette Cavagnolo
2016-12-06
On the bus ride to Ibarra from Quito (the capital of Ecuador), I was impatient and excited to meet my new host family. I sat listening to Sticky Fingers and admiring the scenery of Ecuador. From the curvaceous mountains that scraped the clouds and covered in emerald green to the bright blue sky that seemed...
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Making it to December
Amelia Wohlers
2016-12-06
I’ve finally made it to December. I always thought the time here would go much slower than it has. While the days can sometimes feel like they last an eternity, the weeks here fly by. I live in a community outside of the small town of Cotacachi. My family is indigenous and everyone is fluent...
Read MoreWhere my love for travel began
Amma Thomas
2016-11-21
I have had a passion for exploring other cultures ever since I can remember. Growing up, I was unschooled therefore, my lessons were nontraditional. Periodically we would bring out the globe and spin it. Wherever my finger landed that would be the culture we studied. Throughout my childhood I explored other cultures and countries through...
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