Fellow Stories
True gap year stories from Fellows abroad!
Check out the latest blogs from Global Citizen Year Fellows in Brazil, Ecuador, and India!
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Class Year
Country
My Finding of Certainty in Uncertainty
Mila Le
2015-09-19
In a cage, I never knew any better… Than to work only with things given to me To sleep, eat, and learn in the same place Imprints of iron bars defacing my skin Years after years Outside this cage existed no house I wanted to belong to This house was not a home All...
Read MoreI am not homesick.
Noah Hapke
2015-09-19
I am excited. I am excited to return home and share these old and new stories with my friends and family. I am excited to look in the mirror and see a changed me. I am excited to head to San Francisco for college. I am excited to call up my fellow Fellows and go...
Read MoreLost Stars
Brianna Gilmore
2015-09-19
“But are we all lost stars, trying to light up the dark?” During Pre-Departure Training, each morning the fellows, alumni, and staff assembled at 9 am for “Day at a Glance”. “Day at a Glance” included the daily schedule, a “Speak Up”, announcements, and a warm up activity. The most meaningful warm up was...
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The Pursuit Of Empathy
Munyaradzi Munyati
2015-09-18
I have travelled thousands of miles across the world searching for what I believed would give me meaning in life. At first, the hunt led me to Hong Kong, where I was in pursuit of a higher, more globally focused education. However, finally obtaining it only opened the door further and allowed me to peer...
Read MoreThe Five W’s
Marisa Etzell
2015-09-18
The purpose of this blog is to give a little more background information on why I am here in Ecuador and what led me to this point. Who: You. Yes, you. If you are reading this, you are part of my story. While it was ultimately my decision to apply to this program and choose...
Read MoreAdaptation
Maxx H. Jordan Espinosa
2015-09-16
(All quotes are pretty damn exact! at least to the best of my knowledge. I made an effort not to embellished). To preface this post I would like to say that I initially planned to write this post about climbing Mt. Pichincha and ending up in the hospital. Then I was going to write...
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que pasa
Katherine Brooke-Davidson
2015-09-16
First, some basic updates: Friday is my last day in Quito! On Saturday I will be moving to northern Ecuador to the region of —–Imbabura. I’ll be living in a small town in the Andes called Pimampiro and doing an apprenticeship in nearby Paragachi with an international NGO called Vibrant Village Foundation. The past two...
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Life is a journey, not a destination
Talia Bailes
2015-09-16
Life is a journey, not a destination. A mug I received on my birthday a few years ago currently sitting 2,739 miles away says just that; Life is a journey, not a destination. But what does that really mean when our society is driven by goals and we are constantly racing on the treadmill of...
Read MoreBailando
Brianna Gilmore
2015-09-15
“1,2,3” “5,6,7” I said with my dance partner Andrew as we taught the Ecuador Cohort basic salsa dance steps. In our first regional cohort meeting, one of the Team Leaders asked Andrew and me to lead a salsa dance workshop. Immediately, I took the stage and began to teach. It was wonderful to be...
Read MoreThe Power of Chocolate
Charlotte Robbins
2015-09-13
Ever since I was little, chocolate has been an integral part of my diet. I’m up to eat chocolate at any time, any day, whether it be chocolate cake for breakfast, ice cream for an afternoon snack, or chocolate pudding cake instead of lunch. In the winter, I almost always drink a cup of hot cocoa...
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The Voices Not Many Hear
Munyaradzi Munyati
2015-09-12
As I enter my second week in Quito Ecuador, I feel that I have only just scrapped off the surface of what the Quitenian life is; knowledge that I use to construct the summaries that I send home in reply to the question of “How’s it going?” Most times conversations end with me talking about...
Read Moremorning walk
Maisie Coburn
2015-09-11
September 9th, 2015 I walk in the shadow of mountains. Turning the corner they rise before me, big and green and crowned sparsely with clusters of telephone poles and satellite dishes. My lunch box bumps against my thigh with each step and breakfast sits heavily in my stomach. There is a small round hole...
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