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
Cuy-istmas
Elena Doss
2015-12-14
Carol of the Guinea Pigs (Cuy) Yum! how they taste Sweet Cuy smells All seem to say, "Cook it away" Tia is here Bringing good shears To young and old Meek and the bold Squeak, Squeakish, Squeakish, That is their hum With joyful All squeakling One seems to hear Cuys running there From ev'rywhere Filling...
Read MoreThe Quinceañera Celebration
Alice Wong
2015-12-07
Dear All, Last night I joined my host family as the community was going to celebrate the birthday for a 15-year-old. I have known that a girl turning 15 here is particularly special as it marks the transition from childhood to young womanhood in Latin America. My host mum said it was a fiesta for...
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The Year of 19
Madison Lommen
2015-12-05
Last week, I turned 19. While reflecting on my new year, I concluded that I feel much older than my actual age. If the fact that I was contently journaling to the soft tunes of Van Morrison and Ray Lamontagne while friends smoked cigars nearby was not enough of an indicator to lead me to such conclusion,...
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An Interview with My Alma Mater
Madison Lommen
2015-12-03
To the adventurous, motivated, and restless high school senior: With January first just around the corner, ’tis the season for college frenzy. But in the midst of your preparations, remember that there is an option to ditch the hyperactive high school-college-work treadmill that keeps you so busy you don’t have time to stop and think...
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Campo Life Exposed
Elena Doss
2015-11-30
Everyone knows everyone The myth about rice is true..three times a day Cafe and Pan is the best pre-game meal There is always a fiesta going on All the cars are stick shift Zhumia for Ecuadorians is like Vodka for Russians Lime juice can and will be put on anything Anything can be hand washed...
Read More3 Months in Ecuador
Trina Olsen
2015-11-29
Hi friends and family and anyone else reading this blog! I have now been in Ecuador for exactly three months. Sorry I’ve been a little slow at posting an actual blog about being in Ecuador. There’s no way I can catch you up on everything that’s happened, but I’ll let you know where I’m a...
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Flash (Non)Fiction: Ecuadorian “Shorts”
Madison Lommen
2015-11-28
If you’re on Team Swiss when it comes to the world’s finest chocolate, I’m not sure who’s coaching; Ecuadorian chocolate is heavenly. That is, the indigenous brands whose product is harvested on native soil and sealed into bars worth precisely one dollar and sixty-seven cents. Monday afternoon found me in pursuit of exactly that. I was walking...
Read MoreDear All,
Alice Wong
2015-11-23
Dear All, It has been a sedate 3-month away from home and everything that has played a significant role in my life. When it comes to blogging, I am often lost for words to condense my experiences and emotions and to possibly reflect on those. In this everchanging world, storytelling is constantly evolving with human...
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Introductions to Ibarra
Madison Lommen
2015-11-23
Note: My apologies to those who’ve asked for hoarding a number of blog entries since I arrived in Ecuador nearly three months ago. Posting, starting now–promise. I wrote this September 21st. Better late than never? 😐 Enjoy! Announcement: I’m living in…Ibarra! I’m working at…the Ecuadorian Red Cross! I discovered this news...
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Paz y Amor
Charlotte Robbins
2015-11-22
My apprenticeship has one basic job description: to be loving and forgiving towards children who are victims of domestic violence. Put like that, it sounds so simple, right? This year I am working at a Casa de Acogida, or in this case, a shelter for women and children who have escaped from violent households. These...
Read MoreThank you
Makaleh Smith
2015-11-22
Although I have always loved Thanksgiving, it holds a special place in my heart this year. I began this journey hopelessly homesick; crying everyday, wishing for just a taste of home. It was draining and made it impossible to be anything more than a sad, crying burden for my host family. I knew something needed...
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It’s Been 3 Months…
Noah Hapke
2015-11-22
It’s crazy to think it has already been over three months. I initially would write ‘I have been away from home,’ but I have come to find that San Juan has become my home. To wake up every morning, having a bladder more than full, and rush downstairs to the restroom brings such beauty from...
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