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
The Eternal Rain
Jose Francisco Esquer Jr.
2015-10-22
My presence and my ideas are insignificant to the rain. The furious dark grey clouds release a habitual substance from their clutches. It builds and builds until the weighing pressure suffocates the land below. The land, teeming with life, hides. Life stops, if only for a few waning hours. The rain...
Read MoreWhere I’ll Be
Anna Del Savio
2015-10-20
Over a month ago we made first drafts of “Vision Stands,” describing where we hope to be at the end of our Global Citizen Year experience. I’ve had some technical difficulties with posting, hence this being so late, and my opinions on some of these things have changed in the meantime, but I thought I’d...
Read MoreMindfulness, Happiness, and Gratitude, oh my!
Emery Harwell
2015-10-19
Have you ever been so happy you just wanted to RUN!? Because that’s how I felt after teaching my first English class on Thursday. I’ve now been in Pamar Chacrin for one month, and I am still constantly surprised at the small things that make me happy. In trying to figure out what exactly it...
Read More“So What Do You, Like, Do Everyday?
Makaleh Smith
2015-10-17
I start my day at about 5:45 a.m. with a flick of my light switch from either my brother or dad. The house rings with enough noise to force you to get out of your already sweltering hot bed. I walk zombie like across the hall to the bathroom I share with my sister. And...
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Step One
Anna Del Savio
2015-10-16
Here’s a very late post that was meant for right after PDT! I’m currently a few thousand miles up in the air, somewhere between San Francisco and Houston, and I can’t seem to settle on any one emotion. I’m excited, I’m nervous, I’m sad, I’m happy, and I’m absolutely terrified. I’m sad to leave all...
Read MoreSick
Noah Hapke
2015-10-16
This article I bring to you is exactly as the title states: sick. The medical, physical, and emotional level of having lesser strength, mental capacity, and/or understanding of reality. However, yesterday was quite the opposite. On Thursday, during one of my English classes, I noticed I started feeling a little…yucky. My nose was runny, my...
Read MoreLooking Ahead
Marisa Etzell
2015-10-16
My 19th birthday is on April 11, 2016, and that is around the time that we leave our community here in Ecuador and fly back to the United States, so I’m going to use that as the “end date” for my vision statement, even though it’s not really the end, it’s the beginning. By my...
Read MoreAn E-Mail To A Homie
Hugo Santiago
2015-10-10
A e-mail conversation stirred up between an amiga from back home and I, she asked me how Ecuador’s been. I wrote a quick little sum up of my time here-not sure why but felt like sharing it! Love this kid I sent it too by the way. Memorandum: UC Applications are due November 30th-so basically...
Read MoreBlog
Kamilah Hayes-Lewis
2015-10-10
Still watering that grass….. “The grass isn’t always greener on the other side but it is where you water it” team leader Mika gave us this quote in ICO (In country orientation) I feel a little conflicted by this quote because I know the grass is greener on the other side. I know because I...
Read MoreDear Future Fellow,
Noah Hapke
2015-10-09
Let me just start out by saying, “Congratulations! You’ve already taken a giant leap just by thinking about taking a bridge year!” The fact you’re interested and pursuing possibly a different pathway mean’s that you’re ready. Senior year is a crazy one for sure. When I first heard about Global Citizen Year, I...
Read MoreThe ants will bite you
Hannah Cho
2015-10-08
For those who have very little idea what I’m doing and need an explanation, I’ve written a brief one on my Quora blog that details what has happened up to Immersion Week [ https://ieatpants.quora.com/what-i%C2%B4m-doing ]. If you’re already familiar and need not be bothered with an explanation, proceed. I have now been in my permanent homestay in the provincia de...
Read MoreBrave
Brianna Gilmore
2015-10-08
Participating in a bridge year in a foreign country screams bravery. Despite my outward appearance, very often being brave is a struggle for me. Although, I am still thrilled to be a part of this immersion experience every day, it takes courage to get out of bed and go to breakfast with the eagerness...
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