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
Leaning into my Bridge-Year
Sofia Santos
2019-09-02
The plane ride over to Stanford was precisely one hour long, a quick jump from Los Angeles to San Francisco, but the flight felt immensely long. I sat there in the middle seat, hoping to exhale after the tireless week of last-minute packing. The strangers beside me provided no consolation, I am traveling alone to...
Read MoreBlog 2
Emily Marin
2019-09-01
Balance “Show your feelings. You have every right to be emotional this year.” Said Mark from the staff. I keep replying this in my head but then I think of my nino who told me to not look back because this will be hard. To keep on going and to push myself. So who do...
Read MoreBridge Year Bananagrams
Luke Van de Walle
2019-08-31
I am sitting here writing my first blog, a little confused, and a little lost. I figured that a week at Global Launch would give me the proper motivation to write this. I had no idea how to write my blog before launch, and it seems that I have little idea how to write it...
Read MoreAt peace
Arcanjo Pedro
2019-08-31
When I arrived at Stanford and kicked-off my global launch, I really did not know what to expect. I did not know what kind of mind set I should have. I did not know how socializing with a group of strangers would be like, nor did I know what to make of the eight months...
Read MoreGMT -5 (Quito)
Ella Partanen
2019-08-31
From GMT+2 (Helsinki) to GMT+1 (Sarajevo) to GMT-7 (San Francisco) to GMT-5 (Quito). That’s my story. Originally from Finland where I grew up and studied until the first year of high school, I moved to Bosnia-Herzegovina, to Mostar, as I had just turned 17. I studied my last two years of high school in a...
Read MoreFirst Blog Post
Lila Zook
2019-08-31
Currently, I am sitting in my dorm at Stanford, and the plane for Ecuador is 8 hours away. I can only attempt to grasp and grab hold of all the feelings occurring throughout me, yet I am drawn to write in poetry-ish form to explain my thoughts and experiences here at GCY so far. I...
Read MoreLooking Forward
Abigail Mann
2019-08-31
I deferred from Mount Holyoke College exactly 24 days ago. That is the best example I can think of to show how hard the decision not to go to college this year was for me… I have never been a decisive person. I strongly dislike making decisions, and I am a heavy procrastinator. This particular...
Read MoreMy 100-Word Inspiration
Elaine Liang
2019-08-31
I was scrolling through my Linkedln feed one pleasant morning when I came upon the following post from my soon-to-be alma mater: I do admit that I am a rather verbose writer. I tend to read verbose authors (looking at you, Edith Wharton) and enjoy the colorful world that adjectives and long descriptions paint. But,...
Read More
The Beginning
Nina Payne
2019-08-31
Hmm, where do I begin. Today was the last day of Global Launch and I don’t know if I feel complete or confused. It’s been a heck of a week, from arriving at Stanford University extremely nervous, anxious, and a little timid, to ending the week feeling mildly content and ready to go in country....
Read More
"Like" & "Y’all"
Aniska Bitomsky
2019-08-31
It’s the morning of the second day of orientation week at Stanford university. So far, I’ve been overwhelmed with first impressions and the obscurity of some of my experiences. This feeling first arose on my first transatlantic flight from Lisbon to the US. Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean it hit me that this huge and heavy...
Read MoreCarolina In My Mind
Angela Seo
2019-08-31
Before I leave for Ecuador, I want to reflect on what I will miss about home. I’m going to miss the snow and how frozen roads meant no school. I’m going to miss Korean food. I brought a bottle of Sriracha (though not Korean) to add a little bit of spiciness if I start missing...
Read MoreA new beginning
Luis Guzman Garcia-Valdecasas
2019-08-31
After my first week in Standford with Global Citizen Year I have had many thoughts coming into my mind. Many questions about this next eight months in Ecuador. How is my life going to be? What new experiences would I live? It is inevitable for me to think about the culture that is ahead of...
Read More